Texas
Stop The Texs Coal Rush!
Proposed new coal plants threaten our health, our water and our air
Texas Utilities (TXU) and other utility companies are requesting permits from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to build more than a dozen new coal-burning power plants. Thanks to overwhelming public pressure from a diverse coalition that includes Clean Water Action, TXU announced that, as part of a proposed buyout, it would drop plans to build eight of 11 proposed coal plants. But, TXU and other utilities are still proposing to build 11 new coal-burning plants, and more plants are about to be proposed.
More coal means more mercury. One in six U.S. women of childbearing age have mercury in their bodies at levels that may adversely affect their unborn children. Coal-burning power plants are the leading source of mercury contamination in Texas – home to five of the nation’s top 10 plants for mercury emissions. The Texas Department of Health has issued fish consumption advisories for more than 329,000 acres of lakes and rivers, including the entire Gulf of Mexico. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that causes learning and developmental disabilities in children.
More coal means more smog. Two-thirds of Texans live in areas that are in violation of federal clean air standards. Coal-burning plants are leading contributors of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxides, and other harmful emissions. The new plants would make it impossible for many urban areas to meet the requirements of the U.S. Clean Air Act.
More coal means more global warming emissions. Texas already leads the nation in greenhouse gas (global warming) emissions. Coal-burning plants are the largest contributor of all Texas industries. If approved, the new coal plants will add 33,500 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOx) per year, or the equivalent of 1,634,130 more cars on the road.
We have other options. Clean Water Action and our allies in the Alliance for a Clean Texas are calling on the Texas Legislature to require a moratorium on permits on these plants to give the public and policy makers time to consider alternatives and to ensure that any new plants that get built employ the best available technology to curb pollution. We are also calling for the Legislature to improve energy efficiency standards for Texas and to promote more renewable energy such as wind and solar.
Take Action!
Write your elected officials and demand that they stop the texas coal rush!
Please write a letter to Governor Rick Perry, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, your State Representative and your State Senator urging them to stop the Texas coal rush!
