In a grassroots victory, a coal fired electricity generating facility in Holyoke will close permanently in October. The Mount Tom Power Plant currently burns about 1,200 tons of coal every day. “Now we will have less air pollution,” said Vilma Vazquez, a Holyoke resident who attended rallies to close the facility.

The movement to close the coal facility was organized by www.n2nma.org and www.ToxicsAction.org.

This photo shows activists in Holyoke who fought to close the coal burning facility. To enlarge the photo, click on it, then scroll down and click “see full size image.” photo by www.ToxicsAction.org

“In the past few years, my wife has gone to the emergency room several times for asthma caused by the coal plant,” Carlos Rodriguez told the Valley Post in March. He lives in Holyoke and attended an April rally to close the plant.

Kim Finch lives in Easthampton, Masssachusetts, near the Holyoke coal plant. “I suffer from asthma and the plant is contributing to it,” she told the Valley Post in March. “I'm concerned about climate change.” She also attended the rally.

Vilma Vazquez lives in Holyoke. “People fish in the river and eat the fish. They don't know that the fish are contaminated with mercury from the plant,” she said.

Carmelo Diaz of Holyoke said, “The plant pollutes the water, the ground, and the air.”

Sylvia Broude works for www.ToxicsAction.org. “This is a big victory,” she said.