Natives To Protest at Calpine against Power Plant
Proposed
at Sacred Medicine Lake near Mt. Shasta
For Immediate Release:
Contact: Mark LeBeau 916.801.4422; Chris Peters 707.825.7640; James Hayward 530.604.9478
Morning Star Gali 510.862.1941 Ginger Mike-Mercado 530.336.7136/5776
Pit River Indian Tribe members to be joined by community and
environmental justice groups in protest and cultural gathering at
Calpine corporate offices
Friday, January 27, 2006, high noon
Calpine Headquarters, 50 W. San Fernando Street in San Jose
San Jose, CA -- Native Americans and their supporters from across the
country will gather at the Calpine energy company headquarters on
January 27, 2006 at high noon to protest the company's proposed plans
to build power plants and drill for geothermal energy in the
culturally important Medicine Lake Highlands, located in Northeastern
California. The tribal members and supporters demand that Calpine
immediately cease and desist from its proposed energy extraction plans
as this would devastate the Native cultural and natural environmental
landscape around Medicine Lake.
The Highlands comprises the largest shield volcano on this continent
and is home to many rare birds and animals that live in the lava
tubes, obsidian flows, old-growth forests and craters. The spring
waters in this area are some of the clearest and cleanest in the
country. This area, used since time immemorial for healing, ceremony
and other cultural purposes by Native peoples, is sacred to the tribes
of the Pit River, Modoc, Shasta, Karuk, Wintu and many others.
Calpine has federal energy development leases that cover eight square
miles, and if built a nine-story high power plant complex would
annually produce tons of toxic hydrogen sulfide gas and other heavy
metals such as arsenic and mercury. Initial drilling calls for ten to
twelve swells to depths of nine thousand feet. The sacred and natural
area would be clearcut to make space to build toxic slump ponds,
roads, pipelines, cooling towers, and the tallest building in
northeastern California, which would be fully lit around the clock.
This project threatens the underlying aquifer which is California's
largest spring system. Native peoples, homeowners, environmentalists
and other concerned citizens have been opposing this project since it
was first proposed. Ironically, the geothermal energy extracted from
the area would be bought and sold as "green energy!"
Tribal members declare that Native cultures and their sacred places
are worth more than gold or geothermal energy and must be protected.
We will let Calpine and any other energy company considering such
development know that when the snows melt and the lake is once again
accessible we will further demonstrate our opposition by demonstrating
in the Highlands in a non-violent, but culturally assertive and
appropriate way.
Sponsors of the event include Da'hu La'h As Sacred Sites Defense,
Seventh Generation Fund, Greenaction for Health & Environmental
Justice, International Indian Treaty Council, Indigenous Environmental
Network, Citizens of the Pitt River Nation, Indian People Organizing
for Change, Vallejo Inter-tribal Council, Native American Sisterhood
Alliance of Mills College, Tierra Viva of the Silicon Valley Toxics
Coalition, Youth United for Community Action and California
Communities Against Toxics. Come rain or shine we'll be there!
SAVE OR PRINT FLYER - NEXT PAGE
Contents
January 2006 Reports
Last updated on January 20, 2006