Business Executives Say Texas Coal Plant Proposals (TXU) Irresponsible; Being Crammed Down Our Throats

Doesn't it feel good to get out of the city and into nature--maybe take a walk around the lake, bike in the hills, or hike in the mountains?  Part of that is the experience + scenery, but a big part of it is the air.  Air is a precious resource.  Unfortunately, our air is under constant attack from pollutants, the kind of crap that coal plants put in the air.  I'm not a scientist, so feel free to correct me, but here's my image:  fill a bathtub with water and gradually put red dye in the water, drop by drop.  It will get red.  Well, red dye = coal pollution + water = air.  After reading, tell me what we need to do here...

Texas Cities for Clean Air Coalition + Texas Business for Clean Air:
Recently I blogged that Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, Arlington, Rockwall, Frisco, McKinney, and many other huge cities were fighting the coal plants and joined Texas Cities for Clean Air Coalition.  Now, about 20 prominent business executives, including Garrett Boone (Container Store Chairman), David Litman (Consumer Club CEO), and Trammel S. Crow (Real Estate Magnate), formed a political action committee called Texas Business for Clean Air.  The executives assert that coal plants have passed off the costs of dirty air to the public.  Litman said, "We think the plan TXU is proposing is irresponsible and is being crammed down our throats...We intend to lobby the Legislature, and we intend to use whatever prestige and influence we have."  TXU's spokeswoman Kim Morgan replied, "We're finding it hard to believe that this group of business leaders represents the business leadership of the whole state."  Really, I find it hard to believe that your company is so completely oblivious!

TXU's Argument = Either/Or Fallacy:
The common argument from TXU coal plant supporters is the following:  if we don't allow these plants then Texas will be unable to meet increased demands (see Bill Hammond + Texas Association of Businesses).  Build the plants OR deal with shortages, possibly blackouts.  What think tank is creating this argument?  That's an Either/Or Fallacy, because there are alternative solutions.

CEO Mike McCall was unable to convince executives for Texas Business for Clean Air.  These prominent business leaders--leaders that know Texas well--don't believe Texas needs more coal plants.  They claim that conservation could satisfy demand while cleaner types of technology, such as coal gasification, nuclear, wind, and solar, are being developed.  Their first goal is to slow down the coal-plant permitting process, especially since Governor Perry is in the hip pocket with TXU and fast-tracked the process. 

The Alternatives:
First, a systematic regime of energy audits and assessments could help businesses conserve energy.  I'm not talking about buying offsets, either.  Green buildings (old + new) could cut energy requirements like crazy!!  Second, get the government to support solar panels, at least for commercial users.  If businesses are using less energy, reliance on the grid is significantly reduced.  Solar panels cost money, but at least we won't have dirty-coal-killer air.  Third, start a systematic educational program to get people to find ways to use less energy (install CFLs, turn off lights, install tankless water heaters, plant trees at a home's southwest orientation, etc.).  Fourth, keep getting the government to improve the grid transmission network so renewable energy can get patched into the system.  Fifth, recognize that money spent to prevent coal plants will reap enormous benefits in citizen health, which will lead to less time in the hospitals.  Sixth, let's get everyone in the state together and start Texans for Clean Air.  Seventh, Eighth, you tell me?

We need to get passionate about this subject or else Texas is going to plant another 19 coal plants that will stay in business for 20, 30, 40 years into the future.  At that point, getting them to shut down will require huge bucks.  TXU will litigate any proposed shut downs and cry for just compensation, etc.  Let's not go down that road.  They always say it's easier to prevent than to repent, so let's not get in that position. 

Comments

[Mark Glover]

I read the TXU update and your proposed solutions. The issue is spikes in peak demand on hot summer days and the biggest culprit is air conditioning. Electric capacity has to exist for these short duration hot peak periods (usually 2pm to 8pm) to cool homes and businesses, or bingo, blackouts. If you shift air conditioning consumption to cooler nighttime periods, store this cooling energy, and burn it off the next day, the spike in demand goes away and you don’t need these new power plants. There is a surplus of power in the cooler nighttime periods, just sitting there idle. It is also more efficient to make and transmit electricity in cooler nighttime temperatures, so you make the power plants and grid more efficient and less polluting by shifting to off peak power use.

Storing air conditioning energy, or Thermal Energy Storage (TES), is proven and well established. Until recently, it was not available to the masses, the smaller air conditioning systems we all use in our homes and businesses. Take a look at the new system (link below) that is available, cost effective, and ready to deploy for the masses. It is a big part of the solution for eliminating new power plant construction, and eliminating older polluting peak generation plants.

Many power companies have time based rates and incentives to shift consumption to off peak periods. With time of use (TOU) meters, thermal energy storage (TES), and some basic changes in consumption, consumers can save on their electric bills and save the planet in the process. The State of Texas and consuming public needs to be sure that power companies are granting sufficient incentives and TOU rates to recognize and reward these technologies and solutions.

[Reno Muse]

you really mustn't worry. Nevada with its new Guvanor Jim Gibbons will save the day and fill every piece of public land with coal fired power plants. Just wait. All you will have to worry about will be the winds and Dallas will be more than safe.