[cdn-nucl-l] " Friends of the Earth Helps Delay Coal-fired Disaster in Thailand "

["Franta, Jaroslav" <frantaj@aecl.ca>]

....of course they're also antinukes.

http://www.foe.org/international/exim/bonok.html
Campaign Update: Friends of the Earth Helps Delay Coal-fired Disaster from
Gaining US Government Support
US Companies Afraid to Release Environmental Assessments of Actions Abroad
Faced with widespread opposition from local communities and pressure from
Friends of the Earth, the US Export Import Bank (Exim) - a taxpayer-funded
government agency - has backed away from financing a controversial
coal-fired power plant in Thailand. The Edison Mission Gulf power plant in
Prachuap Khiri Khan would destroy local farming livelihoods, contribute to
global climate change and cause irreversible damage to the Sam Roi Yot
National Park, a wetland park that is home to 200 species. Due to this
growing international pressure the project has now been indefinitely delayed
in Thailand.
Edison Mission, a US company, intends to build the plant and fly ash dumping
system near undeveloped beaches. The plan set off protests by local farmers
and fisherman, who took to the street threatening to burn down the plant if
it harmed their traditional way of life. Mission refuses to use smokestack
scrubbers that lower sulfur dioxide emissions and acid rain problems.
According to news reports, the lands that are being used for this proposed
Exim project were taken without prior informed consent of local citizens.
Citizens were told that an ecologically friendly resort would be built, and
found out afterward that Mission was planning a power plant instead.
This January, local citizen groups of Bo Nok and Friends of the Earth wrote
letters to Exim President James Harmon stating opposition to the project.
Exim responded by taking the project off their list of major pending
transactions. The agency informed Edison Mission that the company must
conduct an environmental impact assessment of the project.
Exim's decision is an important step in Friends of the Earth's fight to stop
US government support of coal-fired power plants in developing countries.
The US government has said it will not take steps to ratify the Kyoto
climate change convention until developing countries commit to reducing
greenhouse gas emissions, but actually subsidizes an increase in these
countries' emissions through Exim-backed power plants.