LOVE, PEACE, OUR SOULS Rallying around the flag isn’t just for
hawks. On Saturday, April 29, supporters of withdrawal of U.S.
troops from Iraq will hold a rally and vigil, noon-1 p.m., at the
corner of Sixth and Monroe streets, outside the Paul Findley
Federal Building. Bob Wesley,
former Sangamon County Democratic chairman and a Vietnam vet, and David Palmatier, whose
soldier son Jacob was killed in Iraq in February 2005, will be
featured speakers. An advisory referendum on the matter of troop
withdrawal will appear on the November ballot in
Springfield’s Capital Township, as well as on the ballots of
several other townships around the state.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE Because of “significant interest”
expressed by the public, the Illinois Environmental Protection
Agency has extended the comment period on CWLP’s proposed
power plant to midnight May 22. Becki Clayborn,
Sierra Club regional representative, says that the organization
requested the extra time to review the additional CWLP material,
which includes modeling data used to estimate emissions under
certain circumstances. “I think people are really starting to
think about this; I think the tide is changing,” Clayborn
says of the new coal-burning plant, which would replace two
outdated boilers. The new plant will incorporate cutting-edge
technology to reduce emissions of nitric oxide and sulfur dioxide,
according to CWLP. The plant is also expected to bring jobs to the
city. The Sierra Club has been critical of what it
characterizes as a lack of public outreach on CWLP’s behalf
to justify the need for the new 250-megawatt, $500 million plant. Citizens may inspect the additional
information in the Sangamon Valley Collection Room of Lincoln
Library or at the offices of the Illinois EPA. The Sierra Club is also keeping tabs on the
Taylorville Energy Center, a 777-megawatt coal-fired power plant
proposed for Christian County. Construction is slated to begin in
2007, and the cost of the project is estimated at $1.1 billion.
According to IEPA spokeswoman Maggie
Carson, the Taylorville permit is
under review and the public-comment period is expected to begin
within a few weeks.
HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER Fish eat fish, but people shouldn’t
— it’s cruel and unhealthy, says Michael Brazell, a vegan
campaign coordination for the People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals. Fish, he says, are fascinating animals that talk to one
another, use tools, and are smarter than monkeys. Brazell and a PETA colleague, costumed as
“Free the Fish,” were trawling at Springfield’s Ben
Franklin Middle School last week to convince middle-schoolers to
treat their finned friends with the same compassion they would a
dog or cat. We asked a resident fish expert to estimate
how much Free would net on the open market, but Robert’s
Seafood Market manager Michael Byrd demurred, noting that the venerable
Springfield business buys fish that’s already been filleted.
Although PETA has a right to tell its fish stories, Byrd suggests,
the animal-rights group’s agenda is amplified too often by
the press. “People get their information in bits and pieces
from news media — and people who are screaming the
loudest,” he says. Can anybody say “bottom feeders”?
This article appears in Apr 27 – May 3, 2006.
