Residents to discuss climate change with Rep. Hill

Bloomington residents will speak at 10 a.m. today with reelected U.S. Rep. Baron Hill’s office to discuss federal climate change legislation.

The meeting, led by the 1Sky campaign for federal climate legislation, is just one of five “welcoming” events across the state and hundreds around the nation to encourage U.S. representatives to move away from coal and to increase local “green” industries.
The main goal is to have federal climate change legislation in the first 100 days of the legislative session, said Caitlin Corner-Dolloff, 1Sky Indiana field organizer for the event.

Corner-Dolloff said the event will ease the current economic crisis by creating 5 million new green jobs nationally, helping area workers in Monroe County.

Some area workers want to see an increase in different kinds of jobs.

“What we do need is industry and manufacturing jobs,” said Carven Thomas, president and business manager of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 2249.
Thomas represents 700 workers at the General Electric plant, which is scheduled to close in 2010. 

Thomas said “the pay is just not the same,” at other jobs in the area. However, he said “if our community decided to go toward (green jobs), it would be perfect for us.”

He said it takes about 1,600 parts to put together a turbine engine for a windmill, to which many current GE industrial manufacturing jobs could adapt.

In addition to bringing green industries to the area, the meeting with Hill’s office will discuss emissions reductions by 25 to 40 percent by 2020 and by 80 percent by 2050. 1Sky is also asking for a moratorium on all coal-fired power plants.

It will involve “making hard choices,” said David Keppel, activist and member of the Green Sanctuary Task Force for Global Climate Change of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington, another participating organization.

Keppel said politicians will have to reevaluate what is considered “clean” energy, saying that often clean coal or safe nuclear power could automatically be accepted as green energies when they potentially pose a threat.

“If these get credits when cap and trade is put into place, it could be a huge giveaway” to possible polluters, Keppel said.

He also said Indiana was named the 49th greenest state, according to Forbes magazine, or the second dirtiest state, only above coal-producing West Virginia.
“Too often it’s token money that goes to green energy,” Keppel said. “We’ve got to have our representatives take a hard look at things.” 

Junior Devin Wirts, an environmental management major is leading tomorrow’s event in Bloomington.

“Why not start these changes now,” she said. “It’s going to be our future.”

Keppel agreed, saying “the election mobilized an unprecedented number of people ... but this isn’t the time to stop. That level of citizen action will have to continue to bring change.”

Participants will meet at 9 a.m. at the Caldwell Eco-Center at 323 S. Walnut St., and then walk to the meeting with staffers at 10 a.m. at Baron Hill’s office at 320 W. Eighth St., Suite 114.