On the day of the late-April Valmont Coal Plant protest protest, the Camera talked to protester Tom Weis by cell phone – while he was standing on top of a pile of coal at Valmont. Weis and four others were arrested that day, but they’re not done talking (or collecting funds for legal defense, for that matter).
Diana Best -- who is not one of the protesters interviewed and was not arrested -- chants "renewable now" with about a dozen others protesters at the Valmont coal plant. | Photo: Mark Leffingwell, Camera
Elephant journal recently talked to four of the Valmont Coal Plant protesters, Weis included, who are in hot water after trespassing on Xcel’s property.
The plant is apparently on the chopping block, and has been the object of many a protest here in Boulder.
Waylon’s interview with four of them is occasionally illuminating, and pretty long. A quick sample here and of course you can scan the rest over at elephant:
Eric Bonnett: … What is worse is that the smaller coal plants Xcel wants to convert to natural gas are in politically active places, like Boulder and Denver, while the enormous coal plant they are building is located in the primarily working class town of Pueblo, Colorado. I think Xcel is hoping citizens in Pueblo won’t put up as much of a fight as Xcel dumps mercury and other toxins into their community.
What has been mentioned is that this is an interesting time for relations between Xcel and the city, as Boulder’s Xcel franchise agreement — essentially the agreement in which the city allows the utility to use roads and infrastructure — is being negotiated now. But something that rarely gets mentioned in all of this is the trio of coal ash storage ponds in Boulder, all at the Valmont Coal Plant.
