December 21, 2011
Important New Rule Will Limit Toxic Mercury Emissions from Coal Plants
- Texas Groups Hail First-Ever Protections from Mercury Pollution
Press Release 12/21/11
December 19, 2011
New EPA rules threatening aging power plants
WASHINGTON — More than 32 mostly coal-fired power plants in a dozen states will be forced to shut down and an additional 36 might have to close because of new federal air pollution regulations, according to an Associated Press survey.
Together, those plants — some of the oldest and dirtiest in the country — produce enough electricity for more than 22 million households, the AP survey found. But their demise probably won’t cause homes to go dark.
19 December 2011
ERCOT says Luminant can shut two Monticello power units in Texas
Texas’ largest power generator can shut down two coal-fired units without jeopardizing the state electrical grid?s transmission stability, the grid’s operator said Monday.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas said it could keep the lights on without two generation units in Titus County that belong to Luminant, a unit of Dallas-based Energy Future Holdings.
ERCOT has completed its analysis and determined that Monticello Units 1 and 2 are not needed to support ERCOT transmission system reliability, the council said Monday.
Luminant has said it needs to close the two units to comply with new federal pollution rules. The move would cut its generating capacity about 8 percent.
November 14, 2011
October 7, 2011
White Stallion opponents stall groundwater contract
White Stallion Energy Center opponents overflowed the Matagorda County Annex Building conference room to voice their opposition to the Coastal Plains Groundwater Conservation District granting a groundwater drilling permit that would benefit White Stallion Friday, Oct. 7.
The groundwater conservation district board also set a new precedent for groundwater districts by placing a temporary moratorium on all new permit requests for registered groundwater wells.
October 6, 2011
Public Citizen, Sierra Club and SEED Coalition Fear Luminant Will Simply Run Units Next Summer Without Cleaning Up the Air Emissions
Public Citizen, Sierra Club and SEED Coalition are calling on Luminant to come clean and retire, rather than idle, the old dirty coal plant, Monticello 1 and 2.
After receiving notice that Luminant Generation Company, LLC, has filed a Notification of Suspension of Operations for Monticello Units 1 and 2 with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), these environmental groups called on Luminant to retire the units rather than idle them and be more forthcoming with long-term plans that will affect workers. While Luminant and Texas have been in the headlines repeatedly for their opposition to the Cross State Air Pollution Rule, the rule would effectively help Dallas/Fort Worth meet the minimum public health air quality standards for the first time in years. Yet, if Luminant only idles the plants, then chooses to run them at full capacity next summer, the implications for Dallas/Ft Worth’s air quality remain unclear.
September 12, 2011
Energy Future Holdings warns it will shut down plants, cut jobs, to comply with EPA
File 2006/DMN Staff Photo
Lignite coal (foreground) has been used at EFH’s Big Brown plant near Fairfield, but the company will switch to higher-grade coal from Wyoming.
Texas’ largest power generator, Energy Future Holdings, said Monday that it must shut down two coal plants and three mines, cut 500 jobs and spend as much as $1.5 billion to comply with new federal environmental rules.
The company also sued the Environmental Protection Agency, asking the U.S. Court of Appeals to review the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, which requires Texas to cut sulfur dioxide emissions 47 percent by January.
Environmentalists press energy companies on deadline for new air regulations
September 4, 2011
State environmental advocates this past week applauded energy companies doing business in East Texas for announcing closure of coal-fired power units in response to stricter federal pollution standards. But they said more could be done to meet a Jan. 1 deadline to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions.
Karen Hadden of the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Coalition and Stephanie Cole of the Sierra Club also said Luminant energy could meet the deadline if it had the corporate will to do so.
As Governor, Perry Backed Wind, Gas and Coal
August 20, 2011
By KATE GALBRAITH
New Your Times
Brian Harkin for The New York Times
Wind turbines on a mesa in Nolan County outside Sweetwater.
Wind energy has become a booming industry in West Texas.
In the opening days of his presidential campaign, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas has railed against a favorite target, the Environmental Protection Agency, and declared himself a "skeptic" on the subject of humans as the cause of global warming.
If Mr. Perry wins the White House, his national energy policy will focus on cutting federal regulations, especially at the E.P.A., his spokesman, Mark Miner, said.
"The governor’s energy priorities will be centered around scaling back the E.P.A.’s intrusive, misguided and job-killing policies, which will empower states to foster their own energy resources without crippling mandates and open the doors for our nation to pursue and strengthen an all-of-the-above energy approach," Mr. Miner wrote in an e-mail.
Read the full article at the the New York Times website…
August 15, 2011
For Coal Plants, a Game of Chicken
By MATTHEW L. WALD
New Youk Times
Photo: J. Kevin Fitzsimons for The New York Times
A.E.P. has indicated that it will shut down generators at the Philip Sporn power plant in New Haven, W.Va. But some companies are waiting to see what competitors will do.
In an article in Friday’s paper, I described how some companies that operate dirty coal-fired power plants are playing chicken as they face a decision on whether to retire them or install expensive scrubbers and filters. They are waiting to see what their neighbors will do as new environmental rules take effect: as with two restaurants in a town that can support only one, if your neighbor goes out of business, more business comes to you, and prices may well rise.
In fact, in the largest grid jurisdiction in North America, the one operated by PJM Interconnection, money comes to plant owners in several different ways. The biggest is selling energy, or kilowatt-hours, and that price varies by time of day. Plants in areas where there is a lot of congestion on the grid and new supplies cannot easily be shipped in will enjoy something close to a monopoly and take in very high revenues on peak summer days.
Read the full article at the Green Blog on the New York Times website…
National Geographic: Likely Scenarios if Climate Change Continues – Interactive map
Go to the National Geographic website to use the interactive features of the map above.
Strong statement about the White Stallion coal plant!
Pancho the Donkey attended a water permit hearing in Bay City on Oct. 28th, 2010
The Issue
Seven more dirty coal-burning power plants are being rushed through the permitting process in Texas. Our health, our economy and our air quality are at risk.
- Pollution from coal plants shortens the lives of 1,160 Texans each year. It also causes 196,149 lost work days, 1,105 hospitalizations and 33,987 asthma attacks every year.
- Each year, 144 lung cancer deaths and 1,791 heart attacks in Texas are attributable to power plant pollution.
- A UT Health Science Center San Antonio study found that autism increases by 17% for every 1,000 pounds of mercury that is emitted locally in Texas.
Fighting Goliath: Texas Coal Wars
Narrated by Robert Redford and produced by The Redford Center at the Sundance Preserve and Alpheus Media, FIGHTING GOLIATH: TEXAS COAL WARS follows the story of Texans fighting a high-stakes battle for clean air. The film introduces the unlikely partners-mayors, ranchers, CEOs, community groups, legislators, lawyers, and citizens-that have come together to oppose the construction of 19 conventional coal-fired power plants that were slated to be built in Eastern and Central Texas and that were being fast-tracked by the Governor.
- Offical movie web site. Where you can watch the trailer.
Texans Beat Big Coal, and a Film Shows How
"David had only a slingshot. Texans fighting big coal have Robert Redford."
Read New York Times article about the movie
Voices From The Community
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“Increased levels of mercury in our waters – primarily from coal fired power plants – have forced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to warn pregnant women and any woman who might want to become pregnant to avoid or limit fish consumption. This year alone, an estimated 630,000 children will be born to women with unsafe blood levels of mercury, as determined by the EPA. This in utero exposure can contribute to severe mental retardation, cerebral palsy, deafness, blindness, and seizures.” -Dr. Kimberly Carter, Obstetrician/Gynecologist, Austin, TX “Mercury gets into our waterways and into our fish and the contamination — Ed Parten, President of Texas Black Bass Unlimited, Houston, TX “Jo and I have been farming and ranching on this land for 45 years. Several — Robert and Jo Cervenka, Ranchers, Reisel, TX |
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