Activists scale billboard to protest power plant and are arrested

2 arrested for scaling billboard to protest power plant

Two local environmental activists protesting a power plant proposed for northern Buncombe County took over a billboard along U.S. 19-23/Future I-26 this morning. The residents are part of Rising Tide North America, a group dedicated to fighting the root causes of climate change. The protest lasted over three hours until local police and fire department forced them down.

Micah Lee, 21, and Abigail Singer, 27, both of Asheville, scaled the billboard around 7:30 a.m. and put up their own sign that read "Burning Oil Ain't Progress. No new Woodfin power plant." The sign, which the Asheville Fire Department cut down around 9:30 a.m., featured 3-foot-tall letters and was clearly visible to interstate travelers.

"Western North Carolina is already suffering from some of the worst air
pollution in the country. By building an oil burning plant that we don’t
even really need, Progress is choosing to endanger our health for the
sake of profit instead of making the necessary investments in energy
conservation and clean energy." said Micah Lee, a life-long Asheville
resident.

SEE VIDEO OF PROTESTORS

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x-posted to around asheville, blog asheville