Daring Action at Bank of America Stadium Leads to Five Arrests

The much-politicized Bank of America stadium received a facelift today when five people with Rainforest Action Network skillfully unfurled a 70-foot by 25-foot banner off the top of the building, rebranding the stadium the "Bank of Coal." All participants were trained climbers with safety gear, and were hanging from the outside of the stadium more than 100-feet above the ground.

The five participants were arrested around 7:45am this morning, including Sam Maron of Atlanta, GA, Robby Diesu of Washington, DC, Aleythea Dolstad of Vashon Island, WA, Ben Kessler of Denton, TX, and Stephanie Taylor of Portland, OR. No confirmation yet of what they will be charged with.

"I took a stand today because of the extreme risk that coal poses to our health, our climate and our future," said Sam Maron, one of the climbers involved in the protest. "Bank of America tops all other banks in funding the poisoning of our air and water through its coal investments, it is immoral, it is outdated and it is bad business."

Just days before the bank's annual shareholder meeting, the act was intended to call attention to the bank's role as the leading financier of the coal industry, one of the main concerns for bank critics.

In the past two years alone, Bank of America has pumped $6.74 billion into the U.S. coal industry according to Bloomberg data. The Bank of America Stadium is where President Obama will accept the Democratic Party's nomination to a second term in early September, and, to many, symbolizes the cozy relationship between banks and government highlighted throughout the Occupy protests.

"Today, Rainforest Action Network has taken our message to extraordinary heights because the risk that coal poses to our health and our climate is nothing less than extraordinary. It's past time Bank of America take a leadership role in transitioning our economy away from this dangerous and outdated industry," said Todd Zimmer, a lifelong Charlotte resident and organizer with Rainforest Action Network.

Today's action kicks off a week of events leading up to Bank of America's annual shareholder meeting on May 9 where organizers predict more than 1,000 people plan to protest the company.

Not only is coal burning responsible for one third of U.S. carbon emissions -- the main contributor to climate change -- but it is also a major public health risk. In 2012, one in every four children living in Charlotte will develop asthma or other respiratory problems, while 3,000 North Carolinians die prematurely every year, all due to air pollution.

There are four coal plants in the Charlotte area. Duke's Riverbend plant, which Bank of America finances, is within 12 miles of Uptown Charlotte.

Nationally, coal pollution is responsible for 13,000 premature deaths every year, more than $100 billion in annual health costs and more than 200,000 asthma attacks annually. Pollution from coal-fired power plants leads to smog, which can cause chest pain, coughing, and breathing difficulties and can make conditions like bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma worse or even fatal. Today two out of every five U.S. families live in places with unsafe air.

Yesterday, RAN released its third annual Coal Finance Report Card, which ranks the largest financiers of mountaintop removal coal mining and coal-fired power plants. Bank of America received a failing grade for its weak coal policy and considerable exposure to the industry. Bank of America funds every sector of the U.S. coal industry, including companies operating controversial mountaintop removal coal mining and those planning to build out coal export terminals along the Pacific Northwest coastline.