Rally and Street Theater at Holyoke City Hall Demands ISO Stop Subsidizing Coal

MEDIA ADVISORY

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WHAT: Dramatic street theater will begin with a procession of the Red Brigade from Extinction Rebellion, followed by a re-enactment of the recent blockades that have stopped the coal trains going to the Merrimack Station coal burning plant in Bow, New Hampshire. The action will  highlight the role of ISO-New England, and CEO Gordon van Welie, in continuing to use our money to subsidize coal and other fossil fuels in spite of the scientific consensus that we are facing a climate emergency, and direct appeals from the Attorney General, U.S. Senators from throughout New England, and the Governor of Connecticut. We will continue the event, hearing from local politicians, ratepayers and activists about issues related to the New England grid, climate policy, fossil fuel subsidies and how we taxpayers are paying for them.  

WHO: Community activists from the #NoCoalNoGas campaign and Extinction Rebellion, along with community leaders and ratepayers from around New England.

WHEN: Saturday, January 25, 2020 at 11:00 am -12:00.

WHERE: Holyoke City Hall, front entrance.

VISUALS: Members of the Red Brigade dressed in their iconic flowing red regalia lead a procession from Holyoke City Hall around the nearby intersection of Dwight and High Streets, stopping occasionally to form emotionally evocative tableaus. Returning to the front entrance of City Hall, they are greeted by a crowd with signs, banners and flags, along with Bamba de Aqui performing music and dance from Puerto Rico. Large painted cardboard images of a coal train and coal plant set the scene for street theater performers representing Gordon van Welie, ratepayers and protestors. Speakers will talk about the feelings of outrage from communities and government representatives at the continued burning of coal in this time of climate emergency.  They will describe the coal train blockades, and the growing awareness of the role of ISO-New England in subsidizing fossil fuels.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: https://www.nocoalnogas.org