Earth First!

Earth First! "was named in 1979 in response to a lethargic, compromising, and increasingly corporate environmental community."

Contact

 * Web: http://www.earthfirst.org

Targeted coal plant proposals

 * American Municipal Power Generating Station
 * Cliffside Plant
 * Wise County Plant

July 7, 2008: Earth First! Activists lockdown at American Municipal Power headquarters, Columbus, OH
On July 7, 2008, approximately 75 Earth First! activists gathered outside American Municipal Power (AMP) headquarters in Columbus, Ohio to protest the company's plan to build the new 960 MW coal-fired American Municipal Power Generating Station in Meigs County, Ohio. Two protesters climbed flag poles in front of the building and hoisted banners that read “No New Coal!” and “We won’t stop until you do”. Around 20 activists entered the building and occupied the lobby as five protesters connected themselves to each other using lockboxes. Police used pepper-spray on the protesters and arrested eight when they refused to leave.

September 15, 2008: 20 Protesters lock-down at Dominion coal plant construction site, Wise County, VA
Early morning on September 15, 2008 around 50 peaceful protesters entered the construction site of Dominion Virginia's coal-fired Wise County Plant. Twenty protesters locked their bodies to eight large steel drums, two of which have operational solar panels affixed to the top that illuminated a banner reading "renewable jobs to renew Appalachia." In addition to those locked to the construction site, over 25 protesters from across the country convened in front of the plant singing and holding a 10'x30' banner, which said "we demand a clean energy future." Eleven were arrested. This action was organized by Mountain Justice, Blue Ridge Earth First!, Rainforest Action Network, Asheville Rising Tide, and Students for Democratic Society.

February 7, 2009: Billionaires for Coal visit Dominion headquarters: Richmond, VA
About two dozen people identifying themselves "Billionaires for Coal" gathered outside the headquarters of Dominion to lampoon the coal industry. The activists wore formal dress and sipped from wine glasses, while shouting pro-coal, anti-environment slogans including "Up with sea levels, up with profits." A bluegrass band also performed, calling themselves "The We Love Money String Band". Although the group's signs and chants stayed on message with the billionaire façade, the activists distributed leaflets revealing that the demonstration was organized by Blue Ridge Earth First!

March 20, 2009: 'Bluegrass at the Bank' hits Bank of America branch in Sarasota, FL
Members of Mountain Justice and Earth First! from Florida and Appalachia disrupted the lobby of a Bank of America branch in Sarasota in protest of the Bank's continued funding of mountaintop removal mining and the construction of new coal-fired power plants despite recent claims of environmental concern. While several folks distributed informational hand-outs about BoA's investments in coal to tellers and account-holders, one individual played bluegrass banjo to celebrate the culture of the Appalachian region that BoA's investments so threaten. The activists' signs read, "Bank of America: still funding coal, killing communities."

November 30, 2009: Activists block delivery of generator to coal plant in Greenville, SC
Two protesters locked themselves to a 1.5 million pound generator being delivered to the Cliffside Plant in North Carolina. The activists vowed to prevent the generator from reaching the Duke Energy plant. Protesters also displayed a large banner reading "Stop Cliffside" from the top of the generator. More than 20 activists attended the protest; four were arrested. The action was organized by Asheville Rising Tide and Croatan Earth First! as part of a national day of action with dozens of protests planned around the U.S.

Related Sourcewatch articles

 * Eco-terrorism
 * Tennessee Valley Authority
 * Dave Foreman - cofounder
 * Howie Wolke - cofounder
 * Martin Sheen
 * Mike Roselle - cofounder