Hunger Strike Against Texas Coal, November 3

Group seeks reversal of Governor Perry's fast-tracking of dirty coal plants
t r u t h o u t | Press Release
Friday 03 November 2006

Austin, Texas - On the ninth day of a hunger strike launched on October 25th to mark the one- year anniversary of Governor Rick Perry's executive order that fast-tracks permits for coal-burning power plants (including 11 sought by TXU), three hunger strikers spoke at the Texas Capitol to outline their concerns and urged Perry to reverse course. Two coal-burning power plants have received permits, with one of them on appeal and 17 additional coal - burning power plants are in various stages of permits in Texas.

Hunger strikers Karen Hadden of Austin, Paul Rolke of Franklin and Diane Wilson of Seadrift are seeking to meet with Governor Perry and Public Utility Commission officials, and are demanding the reversal of Governor Perry's executive order that fast-tracked coal plant permits, shortening the time for hearings from a year and a half down to six months, and cutting out citizen's abilities to defend their communities and health. The hunger strike began with a total 11 people involved, three more people joined in and some of the fasted for up to six days. Hadden, Rolke and Wilson remain on the hunger strike.

SEED Coalition Director Karen Hadden said: "Governor Perry has every reason to slow down the permitting and hearings now. The reason given for fast-tracking permits in the first place was the high price of gas, which has now come back down. There is no energy crisis. It is crucial that we prevent another eneration of dirty grandfathered power plants in Texas. The cleanest technologies are not being required in these permits.

Proposed coal-burning power plants in Texas would add over 120 million tons of global warming gases each year (the equivalent of 20 million cars,) over 73,000 tons of sulfur dioxide that leads to haze, acid rain and breathing impairment, and over 33000 tons of smog-forming nitrogen oxides. Texas ranks worst in the nation for power plant carbon dioxide and mercury already. The proposed plants would add another 4,415 pounds of toxic mercury into the air, at a time when the national goal is to get down to 15 tons.

On the first two days of the hunger strike, Hadden attended five of the Governor's campaign stops, attempting to talk with him about the urgent coal plant issue. Preliminary hearings are being set for the end of November for many of the most recently proposed TXU coal-burning power plants.

Hadden said: "These plants should have full-length hearings in order to protect public health.

"The state isn't requiring the cleanest technologies for these plants. TXU's huge 1720 MW Oak Grove lignite plant, threatens our community," stated Paul Rolke, founder of Robertson County Our Land Our Lives. "If Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle, IGCC, was required, the plant would be 60-90 percent cleaner for various pollutants. Instead, this plant would spew out 1440 pounds of toxic mercury every year, which threatens the IQ of our children. The Oak Grove plant would put out as much smog pollution as 350,000 cars - at this plant along. I'm on the hunger strike to highlight the seriousness of these impacts and the need to require the best technology in all of the proposed plants, which isn't happening now.

"We don't need more toxic mercury affecting our children, or getting into our bays," stated shrimper and hunger striker Diane Wilson. "We worked hard to clean up pollution from other industries, and now the petroleum coke plants proposed by Calhoun County Navigation District and Formosa would spew out more mercury. The brain damage it causes in children is totally preventable and there is no excuse for releasing more mercury. I join with others in calling on the Governor to end the fast-tracking of these permits, and let communities have a chance to organize and protect their health.

In this past year, since the signing of the executive order, the number of permits has grown from seven to 19, and TXU submitted an additional 8 identical permits, for a total of 11 coal plants for this company alone. The executive order calls for using Texas' natural resources, but the eight TXU plants being rushed through at this time would all use Powder River Basin coal from Wyoming.

A hearing has already been held for Oak Grove plant. There were six days of testimony. In this case the State Office of Administrative Hearings judges recommended to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) that the permit be denied. A decision by the TCEQ could go either way, and the decision was postponed from Oct. until January, after election time. The case was completed in six months time.

Now, eight TXU plants are being moved forward simultaneously, and hearings are scheduled for two coal plants in the same region at the exact same time, in different cities. "People who live between the proposed Martin Lake (Henderson, Tx) and Monticello (Mt. Pleasant, Tx) plants, which are 75 miles apart, and would suffer health impacts from both plants, can't even go to both hearings to attempt to get standing in the contested cases.

"Now, to top that off, administrative law judges are actually considering consolidating permits, all or in part, for the eight TXU plants. These are major polluting facilities that will wreak havoc on people's health for 50 years to come, and citizens are being robbed of the contested case process to which they are entitled. Since when did cookie cutter coal plant permitting become acceptable?" asked Hadden.

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