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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Friday, May 22, 2009 10:06 PM CDT
Greenpeace, Coles Together don't see eye-to-eye

By HERB MEEKER, Staff Writer
hmeeker@jg-tc.com

MATTOON -- The picture is still a little fuzzy two days after Greenpeace USA came to Coles County to protest on the proposed FutureGen site.

Even the imagery from Wednesday’s actions caused debate. Eyewitnesses, including Coles Together and city officials, said the Greenpeace crew only had a huge wooden framework going up by 3 p.m. without any message banner attached before they agreed to take it down.

Greenpeace volunteers were trying to place the sign on FutureGen property near the railroad crossing at Illinois Route 121 and County Road 900N.

But a photograph disseminated by Greenpeace Thursday shows a sign covered by a blue vinyl banner with its protest message on a spot “near the FutureGen site” taken late Wednesday afternoon, according to a Greenpeace official. Some local observers question how that was accomplished when the volunteers left the site after being ordered to do so.

“It was not Photoshopped. I’ll give you my word. We would not create a fake image. It was taken early in the evening [Wednesday] near the site,” said Daniel Kessler, a Greenpeace spokesman in San Francisco.

Journal Gazette/Times-Courier photographs taken Wednesday morning and afternoon show the sign supports in the Greenpeace photo were different than the larger billboard structure dismantled at the site. Apparently, the photograph was taken clandestinely along a road with a large rental truck in the background.

“Our intention was to get the sign up. We believe carbon capture and sequestration is a boondoggle and a bridge to nowhere. It’s throwing good money after bad. And you are not solving two problems: getting off the use of coal and solving the climate change crisis.”

But ending the dissemination of that message Wednesday was the goal of Coles Together President Angel Griffin, whose economic development organization has offered $3 million in area donations to assist with the land purchases over the past year.

She noted the placement of a huge sign on tenant farmland on the power plant site amounted to trespassing and criminal damage with holes dug into the ground by the Greenpeace volunteers.

“I welcome input, dialogue and an approach with Greenpeace and other potential dissenters that is legal, first of all. But an approach that is illegal and involves trespassing and ordinance violations is not the place to start a productive dialogue,” Griffin said.

She also questioned Greenpeace opposition to FutureGen when it is intended to reduce the effect of CO2 emissions.

“It appears Greenpeace is concerned about CO2 emissions from fossil fuels in the atmosphere. So are we and so is FutureGen. I believe it is extremely short sighted for a group claiming to be concerned about CO2 emissions to object to investment in CCS technology just because the technology may be applied to the use of fossil fuels,” Griffin said.

Contact Herb Meeker at hmeeker@jg-tc.com or 238-6869.

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Tom Andres wrote on May 23, 2009 12:05 AM:

" Greenpeace lied. I looked at their website yesterday and I saw the sign they supposedly erected at the FutureGen site. The picture and story were on their "Greenpeace News" section, page one. Today, that whole story and the doctored photo have been removed from their website.

I thought it was strange that of all Jay Grabiec's photos (and there were many!), none of them matched the image Greenpeace had on its website. Greenpeace spokesman Daniel Kessler lied. Dumb move.

FutureGen is all about science. Greenpeace is all about lies. "

Harry Potter wrote on May 23, 2009 7:32 AM:

" This whole thing is an exercise in futility, FutureGen should be renamed to something more accurate, PastGen. Too bad that Coles together has put all it's eggs in just one basket. And to think we're footing the bill for that comical operation, and her inflated salary. How much longer will she, abetted by the local paper, make a joke out of Coles county? "

Mike P wrote on May 23, 2009 9:22 AM:

" Coles Together calling another group short sighted is one of those pot/kettle exchanges.

The most amazing thing is probably that they dug, and didn't hit anything.

Not sure who actually owns this land now, but its not the Dole family land anymore. Not sure why coles together, the non profit sheltered, taxpayer money dues supported entity, is representing they represent the land. Or what position some of their folks have in representing futuregen, or whoever now has this lands deed, and rights to permit or deny access. Are they the designated overseers of what used to be the Dole family farm for generations? If so, kind of spreadding themselves thin, with representing douglas county too, and all the "consulting".

The land in question was in the family long enough to have the road named for them, some folks value generations of sweat, hardship and sacrifice, more than others. Must have been close to not making a go of it any more, and figured selling out on the family land was the best way to go.

When futuregen fizzles, wonder if they will try to buy it back. Taxpayers can't afford long term share crop deals on land that valuable. Perhaps the bank will let them take over the note, that is probably drawing interest from the day Dole cashed the check he got for his familys land. The longer this gets drawn out, the more expensive this land is going to be for whoever ends up owning it. "

kamfong wrote on May 23, 2009 9:29 AM:

" Yeah Tom I thought that of all the pictures taken Jay would at least take one of the front of the sign. "

Tom Andres wrote on May 23, 2009 3:06 PM:

" He did, kamfong. Take a look at pictures #1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21 and 22.

The sign was up and going into the ground when #7 picture was taken. #9 shows it being taken down. #19 shows the posts being cut off (eliminating the suggestion that it was taken down and replanted somewhere else - as Greenpeace suggests).

Greenpeace lied, and has now removed the proof of that from their website. Propagandists. LOL. Caught red handed. "

jrussell wrote on May 23, 2009 6:45 PM:

" who cares there are other ways to legally protest, Greenpeace needs to get organized apparently, either way it is funny how blinded everyone has become with this idea of Futuregen as if it answers anything at all, look up how deadly carbon can be and ask yourselves if you want it leaking in your county on your grandkids or great grandkids time, it would be another empty building within the first 5 years probably "

kamfong wrote on May 24, 2009 2:14 PM:

" Tom......Not 1 picture shows what the sign says. "

Harry Potter wrote on May 24, 2009 5:27 PM:

" I find it absolutely incredible that someone who defends the 8 years of lies coming out of the White house would actually get upset over such a trivial issue. Who knows perhaps it was a matter of miscommunication on the part of the Greenpeace folks. Certainly the lies told by the Bush administration were planned. Try this on for size Tom: the Bush folks lied on a daily basis, but I've never once heard you complain about that. Selective indignation? "

Tom Andres wrote on May 25, 2009 7:55 PM:

" kamfong, you can't read what the sign says because the Greenpeace folks didn't have the opportunity to erect the sign board and paste the actual sign (image) on it. Applying the actual artwork was to have been the final step - but they were booted out of town before they got the job done.

The image on the Greenpeace website was a fake. The mission was never completed, but they posted a fake sign on their internet site as if the sign, artwork and all, had been completed.

LOL, Harry, er I mean Penny, W is gone, so is Bush I, as is Reagan, Nixon, etc. Let's just play the deal that's on the table right now. Your bet. Any odds on Obama being impeached after the 2010 elections? "