Episode 17: Leave the Campsite Cleaner

This is an interview with Rev. Craig B. Mousin, an Adjunct Faculty member of the DePaul University College of Law and the Grace School of Applied Diplomacy. The podcast celebrates the decision by Dynegy Midwest Generation to enter into a settlement agreement with the State of Illinois to remove 3.3 million cubic yards of coal ash from its current location adjacent to the Middle Fork of the Vermillion River. Illinois’s only National Scenic River, the Middle Fork, offers one of the most diverse habitats for animals and plants in Illinois, but remains threatened by erosion of the river bank near the coal ash pits. The coal ash will now be removed, in part, through successful collaboration from environmental groups and citizen advocacy, including:

Eco-Justice Collaborative, (https://ecojusticecollaborative.org/),

PrairieRiversNetwork (https://prairierivers.org/dynegy-vermilion-middle-fork/)

EarthJustice’s coal ash program (https://earthjustice.org/about/offices/coal).

You may also find photos of the river and its exposed river bank on those websites. You may also help ensure implementation of the settlement agreement. You can find action steps and options on their respective websites.

The United Nations has established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to assess the science related to climate change. On August 6, 2021, it issued its most recent report including the findings mentioned in the beginning of the podcast. You can find this report at: https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-working-group-i/

For an example of a current lawful assembly engaged in protecting water against an oil pipeline, all are invited to join the Treaty People Walk for Water. Starting on August 7, water protectors are walking from the headwaters of the Mississippi River to the Minnesota State Capitol Building by August 25. For more information, see: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16nD-olTOZndvdIi8KIRAW0i-tYAXWUcRfa9nSHir0fI/edit or you may find more information about the Indigenous
Environmental Network at: https://www.ienearth.org/?fbclid=IwAR1nr1jQM0dBW82GY8UvXSp8Gnmr9pfKmFIvA9PjGy5dL7MXiXgIzfzpqyk