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COAL ISSUES AIRED
Environment and Faith-based Groups Blast Fast-Tracking of Permits for 16 New Coal-fired Power Plants at Texas Senate Committee on Natural Resources Hearing on Air Issues Groups call upon Texas Senators
to ask TCEQ for Moratorium on Permits Threatening
DFW and Other Cities’ Air Plans
Dallas, Texas – Addressing legislators at the Texas Senate Committee on Natural Resources hearing Thurday, environmental representatives thank Committee Chairman, Senator Kip Averitt from Waco for holding the hearing and call upon the Committee’s Senators to ask the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to place sixteen, pending coal-fired power plant permits on hold while cities around the state formulate regional air plans.
"Essentially, we are doubling the number of coal-fired power plants in the state of Texas,” commented Tom ‘Smitty’ Smith, Executive Director of Public Citizen in Texas.
Smith is scheduled to testify at the Senate committee hearing in Dallas at 10:00 am, Thursday, July 13 at Dallas City Hall, 1500 Marilla, Room 6ES.
"These plants could prevent the DFW area from reaching its non-attainment goals and push cities like Austin into non-attainment as well. These plants will devastate air quality in rural areas of the state as well."
On October 31, 2005, Governor Rick Perry issued an executive order mandating the TCEQ to expedite the permitting process to less than six months time for new, proposed coal-fired power plants.
"These new coal-fired power plants are an afront to the health of all Texans, especially our children and the elderly," stated Gary Stuard, Director of the Interfaith Environmental Alliance, a faith-based multi-denominational DFW organization that takes an active role in environmental advocacy. "This is a moral outrage. TXU is not being a good corporate citizen with these new, but dirty, coal-fired plants.”
Eleven of the 16 proposed coal-fired plants in Texas belong to Dallas-based corporation TXU whose Chief Executive Officer, Mike McCall is also scheduled to testify at the hearing Thursday.
