Letter to CEO Claire Chino - sign on
Pittsfield Generating is a peaking power plant in Pittsfield, MA. Despite only operating 18 days out of the year in 2018, the plant was the second largest polluter in Berkshire County.

We are asking ITOCHU, the Japanese conglomerate that owns Pittsfield Generating, to close the plant and transition to renewable energy. The letter below is directed to the CEO of their North American flagship, Mitsuru "Claire" Chino, who also happens to be a Smith alumna.

Please sign on to the letter by filling out the form below to indicate your support for this effort! We will be sending this letter to Ms. Chino on February 5th.

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Dear Ms. Mitsuru Chino,

We, the members of the Peaker Coalition, are writing to request a meeting to discuss ITOCHU’s ownership of Pittsfield Generating, a fossil fuel peaking power plant located in Pittsfield, MA.

ITOCHU claims that it “aims to bring a positive effect into the world and to contribute to [sic] sustainable society for all” [1] and that it is “building a business portfolio that can help reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.” [2]  ITOCHU’s current ownership of Pittsfield Generating conflicts blatantly with both of these statements.

Fossil-fueled peaking power plants are incompatible with any sustainable objectives: they run on the dirtiest fuels, which produce tremendous amounts of pollution when burned. This pollution is released directly into our air, has been shown to cause serious respiratory issues [3], and has been clearly linked to coronavirus mortality rates [4]. These plants are commonly located in communities of color and low-income communities. Thus, already vulnerable populations are unjustly forced to breathe dirtier, more dangerous air.

But these plants do not only adversely impact nearby communities: they affect every person who pays for electricity. Peaking power plants generate the most expensive electricity, the cost of which falls directly on ratepayers. Consumers pay millions of dollars every year in Berkshire County alone in order to keep these plants, which run only a few days a year, online.

These health and economic impacts don’t even account for these plants’ contribution to the climate crisis. As these plants run on fossil fuels that produce greenhouse gases, their continued operation runs directly counter to our state’s climate commitments in the Global Warming Solutions Act.

The continual operation of harmful plants like Pittsfield Generating makes little sense, especially for a company supposedly dedicated to sustainability. Clean alternatives already exist: reducing peak electric demand and replacing facilities with solar + storage where necessary. Given ITOCHU’s recent acquisition of Bay4 Energy Services, a provider of operation, maintenance and asset management services for solar power plants in the US, shutting down Pittsfield Generating and replacing it with solar + storage would not only ensure that ITOCHU lives up to its mission statement, but could also prove a profitable endeavor.

But whether or not shutting down and replacing Pittsfield Generating proves profitable, the demands of justice require that it occurs, regardless. Clean air is a right. No one should have to live in a community where their health is at risk simply from the air that they breathe.

We know that you have been a pioneer and leader at your company, pushing forward diversity and women’s causes. Those of us who are part of the Smith College network are especially eager to see an alumna act in line with Smith’s values of participating in communities and stewarding resources that sustain us. That is why we are turning to you to guide ITOCHU toward a more sustainable future. You and your company have the opportunity to step up as leaders in the fight for environmental justice and healthy communities, and we sincerely hope you will rise to the occasion. We look forward to meeting with you as soon as possible to discuss shutting down Pittsfield Generating immediately and replacing it with a renewable and clean alternative.

Sincerely,

Al Blake, 350ma-berkshires
Rosemary Wessel, No Fracked Gas in Mass
Jane Winn, Berkshire Environmental Action Team
Mireille Bejjani, Community Action Works
Maeve McCurdy, Smith College '21
Andrea Panaritis
Judith Gitelson
Nan Wile
Gregory Whitehead, The Whitehead Foundation
Anni Crofut, Environment Committee of the Berkshire Women's Action Group
Mel Maliki
Kelly Cusson
Joanne Barker, The Jake Foundation, Smith College '79
Laurel Facey, Smith College '83
Margaret Bullitt-Jonas, Social Justice Commission (Episcopal Diocese of Western Mass.)
Leslie Paisley, Smith College alumna
Delta Carney, Ashfield Affiliates
Miriam Kurland
Matthew Cusson
Ellen Moyer, Greenvironment, LLC
Darcy Sweeney
Carla Duval
Monica Leverett, Friends of Mohawk Trail State Forest, Smith College faculty
Carolyn Barthel
Paul Lauenstein
MaryJo Stanley
Jean Barrows
Paula Buaiz Suwwan
Jackie Ballance
Shelley Hines
Elisa Mishory
Peggy Reeves
Katherine Miller
Linda Taupier
Ulrike Nagel, Living the Change Berkshires
Henry Euler
Aline Euler
Heather Gray
Lauren Paul
Marjorie Wexler
Denis Mahoney
Alan Papscun
Anne O'Connor
Stu Besnoff
Patricia Benjamin
Janet Cason
James Mulloy
Caroline Bruno
Julia St.Clair
Peggy White
Phyllis Kornfeld
Robert I
Anne Legene, Living the Change Berkshires
Amanda Nash
Diane Fine
Susan Crofut
Nicholas Warren, 2 degrees, Sugar Shack Alliance
Roslyn Feldberg, Smith College student
Cheryl Rose
Iris Newalu, Iris Newalu Consulting & Coaching Group, Smith College staff
Judy Fox, Citizens Climate Lobby
Jessica Brown, Sunrise Western MA Coalition, Smith 2023
Regina Burgio
Lisa Winter
Lea Morgan
Don Ogden, The Enviro Show
Rema Loeb
SUSAN WALTNER, Professor Emerita, Smith College
Joanna Thompson
Elisa Novick, Institute for a Thriving Planet
Barbara Mahony
Shirley Mueller
Cynthia Pease
Birgitta McAlevey
Marjorie Biber, Smith 1959


[1] https://www.itochu.co.jp/en/about/mission/index.html
[2] https://www.itochu.co.jp/en/business/machinery/field/01.html
[3] https://www.envirojustice.org.au/our-work/community/air-pollution/health-effects-of-so2-and-nox/
[4] https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/files/covid-pm/files/pm_and_covid_mortality.pdf
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