Opponents to the construction of a coal-fired power plant in Jerome County are branching out in a resistance effort to include surrounding counties. A Blaine County group named Blaine County Citizens for Clean Energy (BCCCE) is the local contact for a coalition of county representatives meeting regularly in Jerome to oppose a coal-fired power plant. Hilary Sinnamon and Vanessa Fry started BCCCE. Opposition to the power plant has increased since it was proposed last April.
Blaine County residents seeking to get involved in the broader effort to rebuff California-based Sempra Generation's efforts to build a $1.4 billion, 600-megawatt coal-fired power plant 9 miles northeast of Jerome in Jerome County can contact Sinnamon and Fry via email at Bccce@yahoo.com.
"All of the counties surrounding Jerome have a citizens group like this," Sinnamon said. "By contacting us at that e-mail people can sign up with the group. Every two weeks we will send out a newsletter and inform people about local meetings and events."
Sinnamon said the group plans to publish addresses for Governor Dirk Kempthorne and Jerome County Commissioners and write template letters to help people address their leaders.
"We want to keep people informed who want to be active. It is one way to be effective," Sinnamon said. "There is an umbrella organization with roughly two representatives from each county who will help coordinate activities, share information, strategies and money."
Sinnamon has put together a set of "talking points" on related bills and a proposed moratorium on applications for coal-fired power plants that Sen. Clint Stennett, D-Ketchum, introduced in the Idaho Legislature last week.
"If you want to get involved e-mail us and we will put you to work," Sinnamon said.
To further empower the coalition of opponents from surrounding counties, Jerome activists have posted a Web site, www.healthyidaho.org that has information about the proposed project, the Coalition for Healthy Idaho Communities and a position paper that outlines why the group is against the proposed power plant. In coming weeks the Web site will linked to the activist groups in surrounding counties as well.
