Protest and Picket Bank of America's 37th Annual Investor's Conference

WHAT: Protest Bank of America's 37th Annual Investor's Conference
WHEN: Monday Sept 17; 11am
WHERE: Ritz-Carleton, 600 Stockton, San Francisco
CONTACT:sparkin [at] ran.org; 415-659-0524
INFO: http://www.dirtymoney.org

Demand Corporate Accountability at Bank of America’s 37th Annual Investor’s Conference

Bank of America is profiting from coal while killing communities and destroying the climate. This Monday, they are sponsoring their 37th Annual Investor’s Conference in San Francisco. They need to be held accountable for their investments. Join a moving picket of noise and resistance to greenwashing and coal-fueled climate change. Bring pots, pans, flags, banners, drums, signs, whistles and our voices for an action outside of the Ritz Carleton in San Francisco. This will be a non-violent loud color-filled action.

Top 5 Reasons to Picket Bank of America's 37th Annual Investors Conference

1. Mountain Justice. Between 2005 and 2007, Bank of America facilitated nearly $1 billion in loans to Massey Energy and Arch Coal, two of the largest companies responsible for the destructive practice of mountaintop removal coal mining. Mountaintop coal mining literally blasts the tops off of mountains to get at thin seems of coal. Mountaintop removal coal mining has permanently destroyed almost 500 mountains in Appalachia and buried over 1,200 miles of streams across Appalachia. Not to mention Appalachia's communities and culture.....

2. It's the Climate, Stupid. There are currently proposals to build 150 new coal-fired power plants in the US, which will emit 600 million tons of C02 every year. Emissions from coal-fired power plants are the leading cause of global warming, and these new plants alone will be the equivalent to doubling the pollution from passenger cars on the road. Bank of America is a leading investor of these new coal plants, and using your money to rake in billions while our climate is destroyed.

3. Black Mesa's Water. Bank of America has facilitated over $4 billion dollars to Peabody Coal since 2006. Peabody is the largest coal mining company in the US, and their massive Black Mesa mine in Arizona has devastated indigenous Navajo and Hopi communities. . For decades, they have displaced families, left a toxic legacy along a 273 coal-slurry pipeline, and have taken 2.5 million gallons of water every day from the only water source for these communities.

4. Marsh Fork Elementary. Bank of America is the top financier for Massey Energy, who operate a coal processing plant and maintains a 2.8 billion gallon lake of liquid coal waste a few hundred feet from Marsh Fork Elementary School in West Virginia. As a result, the natural barrier holding the billons of gallons of sludge has been seeping into the nearby groundwater, toxic coal dust covers the school and Massey is now trying to expand their operations

5. You Can't Greenwash Away Our Future-- In March of 2007, Bank of America made headlines with an environmental initiative pledging support for “environmentally sustainable business…. (and) to address global climate change.” While hailing themselves as leaders in addressing climate change – CEO Ken Lewis’ lofty rhetoric is at odds with his company’s track record. This pledge commits less than 2% of their assets to this cause, spread out over the next 10 years. What are they doing with the other 98% of their $1.4 trillion in assets? Raking in record profits from America’s fossil fuel addiction.