IL Students Fight Proposed Coal Plant « It’s Getting Hot In Here

Students at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale are concerned. Their school has the prize of being the only campus in the U.S. to have an active proposal for a coal-fired power plant. Led in part by a member of the Student Environmental Action Coalition’s National Council, Kandace Vallejo, the SIUC’s Student Environmental Center is standing up to the administration’s interest in investing $250 million student dollars in coal.

Kandace says (from the heart of Illinois coal country), “I feel like investing the money in more coal technology is almost pointless, because within the next 100 years this entire country is going to have to transfer over to 100 percent clean and sustainable energy. We’re just going to run out of coal and oil.”

And they won’t be alone - SEAC and the Energy Justice Network will be supporting the resistance. Hopefully this proposal, along with 200+ others similar to it across the country, will fall to the favor of conservation, efficiency, renewables, and simple common sense. Read the full story here.

About Mattie

Matt/Mattie Reitman got introduced to energy and climate work as an undergrad at Syracuse University, where he helped start a successful campaign to get the university to buy 20% clean renewable energy. At the time, this put SU amongst the top 25 renewables purchasers in the country. Mattie is focused on building the youth climate movement in Ohio, fighting proposed dirty energy facilities, and building campus-community solidarity. He has a degree in women's studies and sociology, and lives in Columbus, Ohio.