Latino Groups Join in Opposition to Dirty Energy Projects and in Support of Strong Environmental Protections: Pledge Bold Action on Behalf of the Community
Oxnard, California (PRWEB) January 10, 2017 -- On Tuesday, January 10, a group of four leading advocacy organizations representing Latino constituents at the local, regional, and national levels will join in opposition to a spate of dirty energy proposals in Ventura county. Senior organizational representatives will share their strategy for opposing the projects, provide relevant data on the adverse public health implications of dirty energy infrastructure, include the latest polling demonstrating tremendous Latino support for stronger environmental protections, and will discuss plans to hold elected officials accountable at all levels of representation – from local to national elected leaders.
For generations, electricity for the Central Coast region has been produced by polluting gas-fired power plants concentrated in Oxnard, a working-class community of 85% people of color. Oxnard has three power plant smokestacks along its shoreline, more than any other city on the coast of California. Huge corporations like NRG, the largest operator of power plants in the United States, have made Oxnard the sacrifice zone. Today, many Oxnard neighborhoods are above the 90th percentile of asthma rates in California. NRG is proposing another power plant in Oxnard, continuing a long legacy of injustice.
Similarly, a competing energy company called Calpine has proposed a power plant in Santa Paula, another mostly low-income Latino community. Both of these projects unequivocally target the most vulnerable residents in the county of Ventura and represent a microcosm of a national trend of environmental injustice.
What: A press conference by leading Latino Advocacy organizations in opposition to the NRG and Calpine energy projects in Ventura County, and against federal efforts broadly to roll back environmental protections and halt the progress on addressing climate change.
Who: Lucas Zucker, Policy & Communications Director, Coastal Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy
Lorenzo Moraza, President, Santa Paula Latino Town Hall
Laura Flores-Espinosa, District Director, League of United Latin American Citizens, District 17
Chris Espinosa, Executive Vice President & COO, GreenLatinos
When: Tuesday, January 10 at 5:00 p.m.
Where: Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard, CA
For more information, contact Lucas Zucker at (805) 216-8566 or Lucas(at)causenow(dot)org
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The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit http://www.lulac.org.
Geoffrey Nolan, LULAC, 770-545-9881, [email protected]
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