[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QotpWw6AmFA]STOP is a coalition of landowners in Oklahoma and Texas who have united to voice their opposition to the proposed Keystone tar sands oil pipeline. These landowners oppose this pipeline for a variety of reasons but they share a concern of how this pipeline will affect their own and their children’s future.
John Tutor fears the impact of soiling a local preserve that boasts black bears and songbirds for scout groups and the Audubon Society; others, the addition of more especially dirty oil to the global energy market rather than clean technologies that don’t destroy tracts of land thousands of square miles in scope. Many of these citizens have received notices threatening the use of eminent domain.
In a previous post you can see the Thorntons’ talk about how Keystone has sent them multiple notices with an initial offer of about $2,200 per acre. This is about 20% of what they value the land they had hoped to develop. Keystone is using eminent domain to force landowners to sell their land at low prices. STOP is an organization for those people who would not like to see this dangerous and dirty pipeline cross through their land. David Daniel and Betty S Vaughn Scott don’t want the generations following them to lose claim to pristine Texas forest in exchange for a dirty pipeline and the inherent risk that comes with piping hundreds of thousands of toxic material at high pressure every day.
This pipeline is different from all the other pipelines. This pipeline will transport hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil that has a carbon footprint of over 3 times that of conventional oil. Tar sands oil extraction has already destroyed vast amounts of land in Alberta and it is set to become an area the size of Florida. We can’t let it endanger Texas’ forests either. If this pipeline has affected you or if you are just a concerned citizen in the area of the pipeline STOP can help you raise your voice in opposition to this pipeline.
Posted in Global Warming, Tarsands | Tagged Audubon Society, david daniel, Eminent Domain, oil pipeline, Texas |
October 14, 2010 by Citizen Carol
Tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will have a hearing at their headquarters off Interstate 35 and Parmer Lane in north Austin regarding a status-update on the air permit application for the controversial Las Brisas coke-fired coal plant proposed for Corpus Christi. Commissioners sent the application back for further review last summer.
This update on the planned Las Brisas Energy Center will be held in advance of Monday’s hearing by the State Office of Administrative Hearings. The commission sent the application back to SOAH on June 30 to determine if the plant would be in compliance with federal clean air laws.
Las Brisas has asked the TCEQ to take unprecedented and extraordinary steps to issue an air pollution permit before the end of the year, in order to avoid greenhouse gas regulations that become effective early next year and tomorrow’s status update and Monday’s SOAH hearing should be watched carefully
When commissioners remanded the application in June, they cited problems involving technical readings of federal clean air laws, including whether petroleum coke should be in the same category as coal for the purpose of evaluating its impact on air quality.
Both the ALJ and the TCEQ staff had agreed that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has not specifically ruled on that question, but noted that the federal agency is expected to do so by next year.
The TCEQ’s decision to remand the application was based on more narrow concerns, including whether there would be an increase in particulate matter from offsite sources above levels expected under its most recent modeling.
The commission also instructed Las Brisas to be able to demonstrate that it could load the ashes from the burned petroleum coke into trucks for offsite disposal without contributing to additional emissions.
We’ll keep you updated on what is happening with this proposed plant as events unfold.
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, cleaner cars, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.
Posted in Air Quality, Coal | Tagged Coal, corpus chrisit, las brisas, soah, TCEQ, Texas |
October 12, 2010 by Citizen Carol
Constellation Energy Group Inc. said last week it was pulling out of talks on a $7.5 billion loan guarantee to build a reactor at its Calvert Cliffs facility in Maryland. Constellation Energy Group’s Chief Operating Officer Michael Wallace told the Energy Department that they felt the estimated $880 million the company would have to pay the Treasury Department was “shockingly high”.
Still, that’s only 12% of the loan guarantee, and only 7% of the estimated (pre-financed) cost of building a nuclear plant. Compare that to low-risk lender qualifications for buying a home in this country and it doesn’t seem so shockingly high. Traditionally lenders required a down payment of at least 20% of the home’s purchase price for a home mortgage, and to qualify for owner-builder construction loans, the down payment can be up to 30 percent of the requested loan amount. Seems to me the industry is getting a better break than the American public right now.
A senior energy and environment analyst for a Milwaukee-based brokerage whined that the administration is offering terms no better than Constellation could get from private investors, yet we are not seeing private investors lining up to get a piece of this action-especially considering that these projects are projected to have a 50% loan default rate.
If the administration must support a nuclear renaissance, it is irresponsible of them to not consider limiting the risk that taxpayers will be stuck with should a nuclear utility default, and the Office of Management and Budget is doing just that by requiring these fees.
Constellation’s decision probably places NRG Energy Inc., a Princeton, New Jersey-based power producer, in the lead for the next loan-guarantee award. However, if the fees are this large, it might be a victory that NRG and its partners will also not necessarily want, dooming that project too.
NRG is seeking a guarantee to add two units at its South Texas power plant in Matagorda County. The company is also seeking to secure Japanese government financing, but that is also contingent upon the project securing the US loan guarantee. Perhaps this is a project that needs to be doomed. Clearly the building of nuclear plants are so high risk that the private sector appears unwilling to take on that risk, without the US government (read US taxpayer) bearing the brunt of the risk. If they put it up to a vote, I certainly wouldn’t vote to put my money into such a high risk project, would you?
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, cleaner cars, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Nuclear | Tagged Constellation Energy, loan guarantee, NRG, nrg energy, Nuclear, nuclear loan guarantees, Office of Management and Budget, STP, Texas, united states department of energy |
Just came across an announcement in the City of Georgetown newsletter that mentioned the new Georgetown350 organization (part of the larger 350.org that you may have heard of).
Check our their blog here. Good luck y’all!
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, cleaner cars, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Renewables | Tagged 350.org, Georgetown Texas, Georgetown350, Texas |
Hey folks, TexasVox got reinvited to the TPA Roundup, so we’re pleased to bring you the news from around the Texas blogosphere. We’re incredibly happy to be rubbing shoulders with some of the best bloggers in the state .. nah, country. Please to enjoy.
The Texas Progressive Alliance is imagining a world in which John Lennon lived to see his 70th birthday as it brings you this week’s roundup.
Off the Kuff published interviews with Democratic candidates Jeff Weems, Hector Uribe, and Hank Gilbert.
BossKitty at TruthHugger is disgusted again. This is a very serious election. America is the deer in the headlights and appears to be frozen. So, the last thing I want to hear is “its a TRUCK”! This election is all spin and conspiracy, not that previous elections haven’t been. But this one is critical because even hinting at rolling back what forward motion has been achieved. Israel is sliding, America is sliding and the radicals are ready. This is NOT the choice American’s should face.
Mathew Dowd, a Bushbot, longs for the glory days of the Bush presidency and envisions Rick Perry as president. That sound you hear is CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme retching uncontrollably.
Bay Area Houston says during Breast Cancer Awareness Month Americans are truly a sick bunch of people.
nytexan at BlueBloggin is beyond irritation at the continual hypocrisy of Congress and Republican policy of NO. Coburn and Brown Take Pay Raise and Say No To Federal Employees. It’s stunning that the US Congress can continue to give themselves pay raises every years and then claim that federal employees are overpaid. Tom Coburn believes “We need to expect more, and we need to pay less.”
The Texas governor is apparently going to finish the 2010 campaign much the way he started it: remaining cowardly, and trying to get re-elected based solely on his good looks.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts (again) on the failure of our states leadership, Public school finance continues to be a problem.
WhosPlayin writes about why it is so important for Texans to log on to www.donatelifetexas.com and check the status of their organ donor registration, and sign up if they are not already.
Neil at Texas Liberal attended the Governor’s race debate on the topic of education that was held in Houston. All the candidates were there except incumbent Rick Perry.
Posted in News Roundup | Tagged Hector Uribe, John Lennon, Rick Perry, Texas, texas progressive alliance |
October 9, 2010 by Adrian Shelley
CPS Energy in San Antonio continues to move forward with its renewable plans under Mayor Julian Castro. A major new solar announcement, just as its 14 MW solar system is getting finished, is good news indeed. San Antonio has been a leader in wind energy and now leads the state in solar, where is the leadership in the other cities and the state? They should take a long hard look in the mirror, and then go visit the new green leader, way to go San Antonio.
From the CPS web site.
CPS Energy Rising to Be National Leader in Green Power
10/07/2010
CPS Energy’s renewable energy portfolio will increase by 30 megawatts (MW) with this week’s signing of a new 25-year purchase power agreement (PPA) with SunEdison, a global leader in delivering solar electricity. With the SunEdison agreement, CPS Energy now has 44 MW of solar generation under contract, solidifying its position as the leader in renewable energy resources among municipally owned utilities in the nation. The contract moves CPS Energy closer to its vision of providing customers with 1,500 MW of renewable energy (wind and solar) by 2020.
“The market for solar energy continues to improve, and this agreement takes advantage of that,” said President and CEO Doyle Beneby. “In addition to more than 40 MW of solar generation, CPS Energy has rebates that incentivize the use of solar by homeowners and businesses, and a developing distributed-generation program. With 300 days of sunshine each year, it just makes sense that San Antonio becomes a hub for solar energy in the U.S.”
By fall of 2012, Maryland-based SunEdison is expected to complete installation of 120,000 single-axis tracking photovoltaic (PV) panels that will follow the sun throughout the day, generating a total of 30 MW at three locations across the CPS Energy service area. The three locations will be announced later this year, and construction is expected to begin in early 2012. The combined energy output of the three facilities is expected to be approximately 54,000 megawatt hours—enough to power about 3,700 homes.
“We are pleased to provide this long-term, renewable energy solution for our customers,” added CPS Energy Chief Sustainability Officer Cris Eugster. “In addition to helping us meet our goal to provide 100 MW of solar generation by 2020, we’re also looking to SunEdison to be a key partner in transforming San Antonio into a national hub for solar energy.”
“SunEdison is committed to the growing Texas solar energy market, and we look forward to expanding our utility scale presence in the state in 2011,” said Carlos Domenech, President of SunEdison. “Our development capabilities, financing power and execution track record enables municipal utilities, like CPS Energy, to benefit from economically viable solar solutions.”
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, cleaner cars, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Renewables, solar | Tagged CPS Energy, Energy, renewable, renewable energy, San Antonio, solar power, SunEdison, Texas |
October 8, 2010 by Citizen Carol
TCEQ is broken. It’s not working in the public’s interest, and there are direct costs that all of us in the state of Texas are paying as a result. But there is an opportunity for us to fix some of the problems with this broken state agency by participating in the Texas Sunset process.
The Alliance for a Clean Texas kicked off a series of town hall meetings across the state on the sunset review of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on September 15 th. Last night in Corpus Christi, residents criticized the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, saying it holds too much power and ignores public concerns in the interest of business. Continue Reading »
Posted in Air Quality, Global Warming, Sunset, TCEQ | Tagged Air Quality, Clean Energy, coal plant, Environmental Protection Agency, Global Warming, public citizen texas, Texas, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality |
October 8, 2010 by Citizen Carol
Tyson Slocum
The following is a statement by Tyson Slocum, Director of Public Citizen’s Energy Program
As the White House finally rights a wrong and installs solar panels to heat and energize the East Wing, the Obama administration will have to determine if the installation is merely a symbolic gesture or a signal of robust leadership on climate and energy policy. Continue Reading »
Posted in solar | Tagged obama, public citizen texas, renewable energy, solar, Texas, tyson slocum |
October 7, 2010 by Citizen Carol
Thall shalt not take
As you may have read in an earlier blog, Texas landowners who live in the path of the proposed Keystone Pipeline route may be dealing with the threat of eminent domain to force them into a contract. If the landowner doesn’t come to an agreement with the entity intent on “taking” their land, then they might be put in the position of hiring an attorney to fight condemnation proceedings against their property in court. If you think you might be facing such a fight, we thought we’d post what we know about this process. Continue Reading »
Posted in Air Quality, Tarsands | Tagged Condemnation, Eminent Domain, keystone, Oil sands, Takings, tarsands, Texas |
October 6, 2010 by Citizen Carol
Rick Perry’s latest campaign cash report shows Harold Simmons has just given Perry another $250,000 at the same time that he’s seeking permission to expand his Andrews County radioactive waste dump so 36 other states can dump their “low-level” radioactive waste right here in Texas. This brings Simmons’ contributions to Perry up to almost $900,000.
Simmons’ company (WCS or Waste Control Specialists) is currently waiting for a decision from the Texas Low Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission (TLLRWDCC, even their acronym is a mouthful) as to whether or not they can bring in radioactive waste from 36 states and dump it. The Commission, comprised of 8 members, 6 of whom are Perry appointees and 2 of whom are appointed by Vermont (the other state in the compact), was set to rule earlier this year but now has delayed its ruling until after the election.
If this isn’t influence pedaling, it sure has the appearance of “paying to get your way”.
For more information about the WCS dump and to see the request for investigation that the Sierra Club and Public Citizen filed with the NRC and EPA, go to www.nukefreetexas.org.
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, cleaner cars, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.
Posted in Nuclear | Tagged campaign contributions, influence pedaling, nuclear waste, perry, radioactive waste, Simmons, Texas, WCS |
Meet Audrey and Jim Thornton, two of the landowners who have the threat of a Canadian tarsands pipeline proposed to run through their land. Tarsands crude is many times more concentrated with toxins and carcinogens than typical, Texas, crude oil. Like just about every other land-owner along the pipeline route, the Thorntons have been threatened with eminent domain if they do not sign a deal with TransCanada – the company building the pipeline.
Interview with the Thorntons:
Vimeo
[vimeo 15598888]
YouTube
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7_zU0Q6RCM]
Like most people, the Thorntons don’t think it is right that a foreign company can come into the United States (and Texas) and use the threat of eminent domain to force landowners into a contract. And, like many others, the Thorntons have quickly learned the vast extent of the negative impacts such a pipeline would have not only on folks like them, but the world in general.
Check out our previous posts on the Canadian Tar Sands Pipeline including this one.
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, cleaner cars, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Tarsands, Toxics | Tagged Air Quality, Austin Energy, Keystone Pipeline, Oil sands, pipeline, Tar Sands, Texas, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality |
In the coming weeks you might notice a sleek, new Nissan LEAF or Chevy Volt cruising past you on the road. Many of the major car companies are introducing electric, plug-in vehicles (EVs) designed for the American family market. They range in cost from about $20,000-$45,000 and are small and practical. Not all EVs run completely from electricity, some are hybrids with electric-assisted engines, like a Toyota Prius. Others, like the Volt, are propelled exclusively by electricity, but include batteries and generators. These differences affect the amount of carbon emissions your car produces. All-electric vehicles, like the LEAF, have the potential to emit no carbon at all, from their own engines, or at the power plant where your electricity is generated. As Austinites, we can choose the green energy option from Austin Energy, in which 100% of the electricity we buy is generated from renewables.
Gas may still be necessary to run your EV, depending how it’s engine uses electricity, but the new EVs are becoming quite efficient at using minimal fuel. It’s important to consider that the majority of Austin’s air pollution comes from vehicles. Purchasing any EV is a step you can take to make a positive impact on our environment.
EVs can also make a positive impact on your wallet. An EV averages 100 miles per charge cycle in the city. Comparatively, this costs about $1 or less/gallon in terms of the gas you would have used in a conventional vehicle. As efficiency improves, these costs will also fall, while gas prices are always volatile. If you’re interested, please contact your dealership about buying an EV; they will be fully available in 2011.
What else do you need to know after purchasing an EV? Concerned consumers have contacted the Public Citizen office worried about potentially expensive charging stations. An EV powers up at a charging station that’s a higher voltage than your normal wall plug. It looks something like the plug for an electric washer/dryer. This unexpected expense can naturally cause worries right after purchasing a new car, but Austin Energy has a program to encourage consumers to buy EVs.
All you need to do is contact Austin Energy and let them know you’ve ordered an EV. They will come and provide assistance and incentives to install a charging station in your house. For more information about Austin’s Energy’s charging station incentive program please contact Larry Alford at larry.alford@austinenergy.com.
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, cleaner cars, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.
Posted in Air Quality, Consumers, Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, Renewables, Transportation | Tagged Air Quality, Austin, Austin Energy, Carbon Dioxide, Charging station, Electric vehicle, emissions reductions, EV, EV incentives, EVs, Global Warming, plug-in hybrids, Plug-In Vehicle, Public Citizen, Texas, transportation |
October 5, 2010 by Citizen Carol
The most famous residence in America plans to install solar panels. The solar panels are to be installed by spring 2011 atop the White House’s living quarters and will heat water and supply some electricity for the first family.
President Jimmy Carter speaks against a backdrop of solar panels at the White House Washington on June 21, 1979. Photo by Harvey Georges / AP
Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and George W. Bush both tapped the sun during their days in the White House.
Carter in the late 1970s spent $30,000 on a solar water-heating system for West Wing offices. Bush’s solar systems powered a maintenance building, some of the mansion, and heated water for the pool.
Obama has championed renewable energy and will now lead by example by installing solar at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Something which has been under consideration since he first took office.
Putting solar on the roof of the nation’s most important piece of real estate is a powerful symbol. Perhaps Americans will start to rethink how we generate electricity.
Posted in Global Warming | Tagged President Barack Obama, President Jimmy Carter, solar panels, Texas, white house |
The Administrative Law Judges (The Judges) who heard the case against the proposed Tenaska Coal Fired Power plant ruled Friday that Tenaska’s air permit should not be granted as it stands!
“The Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) have concluded, based on their review of the evidence and applicable law, that Tenaska failed to meet its burden of proof to demonstrate that the emissions limits proposed in its Draft Permit will meet the requirements for Best Available Control Technology (BACT) and Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT). The ALJs recommend that the Commission adopt more stringent emissions limits as indicated below. Alternatively, the ALJs recommend that the Commission deny the Application or remand the matter for further evidence regarding BACT and MACT.”
While we all know there is no such thing as “clean coal” Tenaska claims that they would be one of the cleanest around, yet the judges recommended lower limits for almost every pollutant that Tenaska would emit.
The proposed Tenaska coal plant, if built, would be a 900 MW coal plant that would emit:
Citizens pack a town hall in Abilene - the majority are against the proposed plant.
Sulfur Dioxide: 2,183 tons/year; Nitrogen Oxide (forms Ozone):1,819 tons/year;Particulate Matter:1,092 tons/year;Mercury: 124 lbs/year.
We commend the Judges for following the law and working to make sure the Clean Air Act is followed. The important thing to remember, folks, is that this is a “recommendation” to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), not a binding ruling. So when the TCEQ commissioners make the decision on the Tenaska air permit they will have the opportunity to do the right thing for the health of Texans and deny the air permit!
We don’t need another coal plant in Texas. Instead we should be investing in renewable energy technology like wind and solar which Texas is so ripe for!
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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We arePublic Citizen Texas.
Posted in Air Quality, Coal, Energy, Global Warming, Sunset, TCEQ | Tagged Air permit, alj, CCS, climate change, Coal, coal plant, Global Warming, judge, permit, Public Citizen, soah, TCEQ, tenaska, Texas |
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