Dr. Elliot Trester, MD with Physicians for Social
Responsibility, warns against poisoning ourselves
with sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, particulate
matter, mercury, and carbon dioxide from power plants
burning coal.
For More Information:
Ken Kramer, 512-476-6962
Cyrus Reed, 512-740-4086
Statement of the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club on the Proposed TXU Buyout (March 28, 2007)
The Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club takes no position on the proposed buyout of TXU that has been widely reported in the news media over the last several weeks.
We celebrate the announced intentions of the buyout group to cancel eight of the proposed 11 coal-fired power plants originally announced by TXU, to enhance their energy efficiency efforts, to expand their use of wind power for electric generation, and to support efforts at the federal level to limit carbon emissions.
We are concerned about the announced intentions of the buyout group to continue to pursue approval of the remaining three of the original 11 coal-fired power plants proposed by TXU, and we are also concerned about the apparent intentions of the buyout group to consider additional nuclear power capacity in Texas.
We also believe that the buyout group could go farther than announced in the commitment to energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.
We support, however, the efforts by a number of public interest groups and several members of the Texas Legislature to establish a state process for review of the TXU buyout proposal before the buyout is final.
We think that it is appropriate and good public policy to have a full public airing of the details of the proposed buyout in a state government forum before final decisions are made about the buyout.
We continue to support the efforts of consumer groups to achieve reasonable electric utility rates that provide a life-line for low-income consumers while structuring rates that will promote energy efficiency, cost-effective energy choices, and consumer education on energy choices.
We also strongly support efforts through the state’s System Benefit Fund to provide adequate money to support weatherization programs for the benefit of low-income electric power users, which will benefit the overall energy efficiency efforts of the state.
