Water Deal for Texas Coal Plant Postponed
Updated 2:30 p.m.
In a victory for environmental groups, the LCRA board decided to delay the decision on whether to grant a large water contract to the proposed White Stallion coal plant. The board heard testimony all morning, much of it from people living in the Colorado River basin who cited concerns about water availability and air pollution, and urged further study of the proposed 40-year contract. White Stallion's chief operating officer, Randy Bird, testified that the water contract was one of two pieces critical to getting more permanent financing for the plant. (The other piece is ...
Comments (17)
jpt51
A 60 Minutes repeat touting the Bloom Box http://www.bloomenergy.com/products/ is a better path to a clean, healthy future and it will not destroy our lakes. Perry's crony friends need to understand corporations are here to serve people, instead of the opposite.
Elmo
Mclennan County Commissioners Court gave tax abatments for a coal plant to come here. Just how dumb are we? Dumber then dumb
Candyce Byrne via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Noooooooo! We don't have enough problems down here without having a coal plant spewing crap into the air and sucking up our water? What's the matter with these people?
Michael JJ Messer via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Locusts.
Billy Howe via Texas Tribune on Facebook
So, LCRA doesn't have enough water for the rice farming families that pre-date the Highland Lakes, but they do for a power plant?
Barbara Hopson
Why is our precious water being used --in abundance-- for fracking for oil and, now, by LCRA to benefit a coal plant? If the U.S. would withdraw oil and ethanol subsidies and withdraw our troops from Germany, Korea, Iraq, and Afghanistan, the money saved would be enough to build a nationwide solar polar grid probably. With solar power, we would not waste water for fracking and coal production -- two practices which pollute groundwater.
Elmo
We are so dumb we have no coal here in Mclennan so they are going to train it in at 150 car loads a day . Then we give them a tax abatement for 10 years. Go figure that one.........
namoyer
TX agencies on this powerplant--Dumb, Dumber, Dumbest! Maybe NEPA EIR is required if Corps of Engineers permit required.
Tim ThèRockstâr via Texas Tribune on Facebook
LCRA Should sell more water that it does not have...or should I say that it already sold to the Rice Farmers, City of Austin, Jonestown, Cedar Park, Lakeway, Spicewood, Burnet, Marbles, Kingsland, Horseshoe Bay...
Tim ThèRockstâr via Texas Tribune on Facebook
@Candyce, maybe you should do some research and stop spewing your own rhetoric, Coal Plants do not spew anything anymore, go read on the particulates per million that are exhausted. These are not the coal plants people remember from the 1970's.
Elmo
Timmy maybe you are the one who needs to do the research. Texas has 5 of the top 10 mercury emitting coal plants in the US. Mercury is a by product of coal. TCEQ air monitors do not detect mercury so you are at the mercy of the plant owner. Mercury is a killer so go do your research. By the way you must be a Rick Perry bubba?
Earl Wills
Elmo - Do you have any ideas how many jobs are created by the construction and operation of a power plant? Of the taxes generated by the same? I, for one, believe your decision makers did very well. Good for your community that you were not involved in that process.
Earl Wills
Elmo - Your are correct that Hg is a by-product of coal but wrong in that plants do monitor for mercury emissions (ever heard of a CEMS unit). Also, you should ask your local utility for more recent information...those plants you mentioned now have mercury removal systems installed (using activated carbon) thereby reducing their emissions significantly. They were installed voluntarily, not by activist or federal decree.
Elmo
Earl.....Less then 100 jobs and most are not from here. You missed the point. So I am suppose to be glad my Commissioners gave my tax money away to recruit a plant to pollute the air I breath with Mercury? What are you smoking my good bud! Coal is still dirty and this new plant will be one of the worse along with Rockdale and Limestone and Franklin. A ring of fire! Gas is the way to go but our Governor like dirty coal.
Elmo
So I am suppose to believe what the Plant owner says ? Kinda like the fox guarding the hen house don't you think? Recently I got a update from my power company on how to handle the new CFL bulbs that we are suppose to start using. They contain mercury! We are not suppose to dispose of via the trash as it will contaminate the water we drink once they are put in a land field. You are suppose to wrap it up with gloves on and call a company that can dispose of this kind of harmful material. True story...but by your info, no need to worry about mercury . Typical
Mike Glockzin
Way to go LCRA tell White Stallion to go after poop water like Sandy Creek did in McLennan County!! Elmo keep stirring the pot buddy maybe someone will finally understand the one most undected by product of coal any coal is Mercury. Some of the dufus headed Texas House wanted to call it a noxious odor!! Unbelieveable Mercury has no odor!!! That was their way of skirting the issue. Gimmee a break. Also for those "know it alls" did you realize that when a coal plant is at idle that monitors will not detect until the plant is operating at least 25%, hmmm, lets see i believe that would be important!! Mercury is a sediment that will fall on land that cattle graze on and will fall into lakes. There are lakes in East Texas that have Mercury warning signs on them!!!
Elmo
I agree Mike. Our own Rep said Mercury was a noxious odor. How dumb and ill informed. People better wake up. Rick Perry fast tracked coal plants due to the TXU connection. Check his campaign contributions like Averitt and Sibley before him. Up for the highest bidder