New Ad Campaign Reminds Puerto Ricans Fracked Gas Exacerbates Climate Change and Hurricanes

TALLAHASSEE, FLA—The Sierra Club today released “Tu Isla Salvaría,” an animated Spanish language music video. The video reminds Puerto Ricans living in Florida of the role climate change plays in hurricanes like the ones that devastated the island last year, as well as Governor Scott and his Siting Board’s role in approving or rejecting the fossil fuel plants that contribute to climate change. The Florida Siting Board, which the governor and his cabinet comprise, are deciding whether or not to approve the expansion of FPL’s Dania Beach Plant, which burns climate-disrupting fracked gas.

The video will run heavily in Puerto Rican communities in Florida on Facebook and YouTube in advance of the Siting Board hearing expected later this month and focuses on the dangers climate disruption poses to Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican communities in Florida, reinforcing the need to say “no” to more dirty fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas.

[Click here to view the video]

Gonzalo Valdes, Florida Beyond Coal Organizer for the Sierra Club, issued the following statement on today’s release of the video:

“Florida’s Puerto Rican communities know better than most the true cost of climate disruption. From the terrible human and economic toll of Hurricanes Maria and Irma, to the threat of sea level rise, communities here, and on the island, are suffering from effects of climate change made worse by our reliance on fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas.

“Now, on the one-year anniversary of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, Governor Scott and his Siting Board owe it to this community to deny the Dania Beach fracked gas plant expansion and instead utilize abundant and affordable renewable energy sources like solar.

“We’re the Sunshine State—let’s make that motto more than a hollow tagline and embrace our greatest resource, not only to provide clean energy, but also to grow our economy and protect our communities.”