Polls have shown 70% of Puerto Rico inhabitants are against the proposed gas pipeline project Governor Luis Fortuño has made the centerpiece of his plac to jumpstart the Puerto Rican economy (right next to selling iguana meat, I guess). This raises the question, besides “How did this guy get elected to begin with?”, of what to do to oppose the project, which has opponents both on the island and in the United States congress. Well, one thing to do, of course, is protest. No one protests quite like Latinos.
So in solidarity with the protests going on on the island, a group called NY Contra El Gasoducto has organized a protest in NYC’s Federal Plaza. According to the event’s Facebook page:
Governor Fortuño’s Via Verde Gas Pipeline represents the destruction of 1,500 acres of forests, 800 acres of agricultural land, direct impact to 235 bodies of water, wetlands, ecosystems that produce the majority of Puerto Rico’s drinking water, threats to sacred archeological sites of native Taino people, displacement of scores of Puerto Rican families, waste of millions of dollars, as well as putting at risk over 200,000 people.
The US Army Corp of Engineers, having ignored scientific evidence, and the people’s call for public hearings, translation, access to documents, will be making the final decision of a permit soon.
In Puerto Rico, environmental, professional, labor, student, religious, cultural, political and community groups and grassroots Puerto Rican people are marching. Join us to stand with them, to stand for environmental justice, to stand for the right of the people of Puerto Rico to their land, their water, their culture. Let’s tell US Army Corp of Engineers, No!
If you feel strongly about this issue, we encourage you to go make your voice heard – at the very least, it will go a long way towards showing those on the island that Nuyoricans – and, hell, other conscientious Latinos on the mainland – are concerned.
