Environmentalists protest FPL power plant listen

Tags: environmental contamination, Florida Power & Light, Palm Beach

This morning in Palm Beach County, sheriff’s deputies arrested approximately 25 protestors who blocked the entrance to a Palm Beach County power plant.

Florida Power & Light has started construction on two 1,250-megawatt units that are scheduled to open in 2009 and 2010 at the West County Energy Center. The company is seeking regulatory approval to build a third 1,250-megawatt unit, which would open in 2011.

The Palm Beach Post reports that many demonstrators laid on the ground with their arms locked together, and others march with banners reading “Don't Let FPL Poison the Everglades" and "FPL Stop Poisoning Us."

Florida Power & Light (FPL) has countered the criticism by saying that the West County Energy Center would be "the cleanest power plant in the state" and one of the cleanest of its kind in the country.

But activist Brian Sloane says that’s an oxymoron on the part of the energy company.

The protest was called by the Palm Beach County Environmental Coalition and Earth First.

On its website, Rising Tide describes itself as a grassroots network of groups and individuals who take direct action to confront the roots causes of climate change and promotes local, community based solutions to the climate crises.