Dozens of Little Village residents protested at Chicago Mayor Richie Daley's office Wednesday afternoon to demand that Daley back community efforts to curtail pollution from two coal-burning power plants in the area. Last spring, community residents pressed Chicago Alderman Ed Burke to propose City Council legislation that residents say would clean up much of the pollution eminating from the plants. But residents charge that Daley and the Chicago's Department of the Environment have prevented the legislation from moving forward.

On Wednesday, protesters delivered petitions signed by people across Chicago that demands that Daley allow the legislation to be passed immediately. Several area high school students with asthma dressed up as lumps of coal and staged an asthma 'die-in' at the protest.

Community residents charge the plants -- Crawford Coal at 35th and Pulaski and Fisk Coal at 1111 W. Cermak -- with contributing to dozens of premature deaths and literally thousands of asthma attacks in the area each year. The plants are also blamed for mercury poisoning that contaminates local fish stock in Lake Michigan and area rivers and lagoons.

Because the plants are older, they are allowed to 'legally' dodge emissions standards that newer plants must meet. Community activists say that Crawford and Fisk -- which are owned owned by Midwest Generation LLC, a subsidiary of multi-billion dollar energy conglomerate Edison International -- are the largest single sources of air and mercury pollution in Chicago. While Edison has said it will work to 'clean up' the plants, residents argue that the company has dragged its heels, and that ongong emmisions of small particles, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide are hurting residents and the environment.

Several research reports indicate that Chicago has one of the nation's highest rates of mortality, total hospitalizations and asthma attacks attributed to coal-fired power plants.

Wednesday's protest was sponsored by The Pilsen/Southwest Side Local of the Green Party, The Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO), Illinois PIRG, The American Lung Association, the Pilsen Alliance & students from Farragut, Benito Juarez, Frances Parker & Evanston Township High Schools.

For more information, contact Jerry Mead at (312) 226-7867 or Francisco Rios of the
Little Village Environmental Justice Organization at (773) 762-6991.

To see more photos from Wednesday's protest, click here: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6