Protesters scale power tower

Six Greenpeace protesters on Wednesday staged an act of civil disobedience 700 feet above the Hatfield's Ferry Power Station in Greene County to protest President Bush's energy policy.

While the climbers unfurled from a smokestack a 2,500-square-foot banner reading, "The Bush Energy Plan Kills -- Clean Energy Now!," a phalanx of state and local police officers waited below to arrest them.

The stunt concerned state Homeland Security officials, who say it exposed a weak spot in the nation's critical infrastructure.

Greenpeace targeted the Allegheny Energy plant because it is an antiquated coal-burning facility that pumps 10.2 million tons of pollutants into the atmosphere every year, according to paperwork the company files with the federal government.

Allegheny Energy officials said the protest didn't disrupt production, which has suffered since a 2003 fire knocked out a generator.

But company and law enforcement officials were more concerned about how Greenpeace -- a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the environment -- penetrated a key component of the nation's power grid.

"We will use this incident," Pennsylvania Director of Homeland Security Keith Martin said. "If there are weaknesses that have been exposed, then we will fix them ... ."

State police believe the activists cut open a fence at dawn, rappelled down a cliff into the plant's central compound, then quickly scaled the tall stacks.

Greenpeace identified the activists as Jessica Miller, of Virginia; Lynn Stone, of Maine; John Watterburg, of New York; Josh Raisler-Cohen, of Oregon; Renee Blanchard and Virginia Hunter.

The six, who climbed up the tower yesterday morning, began the long descent about 8:30 p.m.

The power plant sits along the Monongahela River on Greene County's border with Fayette.