skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 26, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Hurricane Helene charges toward Florida's Gulf Coast, expected to strike late today as a dangerous storm; Millions of Illinois' convenient voting method gains popularity; House task force holds first hearing today to investigate near assassination of Donald Trump in Pennsylvania; New report finds Muslim students in New York face high levels of discrimination in school.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Biden says all-out-war is threatening in the Middle East, as tensions rise. Congress averts a government shutdown, sending stopgap funding to the president's desk and an election expert calls Georgia's latest election rule a really bad idea.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The presidential election is imminent and young rural voters say they still feel ignored, it's leaf peeping season in New England but some fear climate change could mute fall colors, and Minnesota's mental health advocates want more options for troubled youth.

No New Year’s Resolution from Blackstone on Coal

play audio
Play

Wednesday, December 23, 2009   

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - You probably don't send a thank-you note when you get a lump of coal as a present, so it appears the Blackstone Group won't be responding to protestors who delivered a chunk of it to their office last week. Sierra Club activist Michele Burkett, Mesquite, traveled from Nevada to New York, where she put on an elf costume and joined a holiday protest in front of the Blackstone Group headquarters.

The protestors delivered a symbolic lump of coal, she says, to urge the company to rethink its backing of the Toqoup Energy Center in Mesquite. The plant will be powered by coal transported to Nevada by rail from outside the state, she adds.

"It seems ridiculous to us that they need to bring the coal all the way from Wyoming, when in Nevada we have this beautiful sunshine. It's time for a new generation of power - and we'd like to see alternatives."

The Blackstone Group did not return repeated calls for comment. The company has indicated it still plans to back coal-fired Sithe Global power plants in Nevada and New Mexico.

Santa and his "environment elves" also paid a surprise to visit to Mesquite on Tuesday afternoon, where they asked local residents to sign postcards calling for Blackstone to end its support for the coal plants.

Laurie Goodman, with the New Mexico Native American group Dine Care, says the Navajo Nation in San Juan County already has two coal-fired power plants. Before Blackstone pours money into a third proposed plant, called Desert Rock, she suggests company employees visit the reservation and just try breathing the local air.

"The number of people with respiratory problems and asthma has just gone through the roof, and we have little kids - 3- and 4-year-olds - having to carry oxygen because of the bad air. "

Sithe Global says it is committed to being a responsible steward of the environment and that Blackstone is raising capital for what it terms a "clean-technology fund." Goodman counters that respiratory ailments are now the number one reason local residents are admitted to the hospital.





get more stories like this via email

more stories
A new report from the Council on American Islamic Relations-New York showed 43% of students who were bullied for being Muslim said they never asked for help. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A new report found Muslim students in New York City public schools face high levels of discrimination in school. The report from the Council on …


Social Issues

play sound

With the election six weeks away, concern is building about attempts to intimidate voters at the polls - so, lawmakers are taking action at the state …

Health and Wellness

play sound

Health-care advocates say more than 1 million North Carolinians could lose access to health care if the promises made in Project 2025 are carried out…


A blood test for thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) costs between $10 and $250 depending on which health care facility you choose. A comprehensive metabolic panel ranges from $10 to $700. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Shopping for health-care procedures has historically been more challenging than getting the best deal on groceries or even car repairs. But Cari …

Health and Wellness

play sound

While overdose deaths in the Commonwealth have declined, deaths among Black Kentuckians have increased by 5%, according to data from the latest …

Social Issues

play sound

Through this Saturday, Minnesota is recognizing Workplace Rights Week. From COVID precautions to emerging technology, labor voices said there is key …

Social Issues

play sound

The election is less than six weeks away and Washingtonians will be deciding on a slate of initiatives, including one measure affecting funding in …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021