2009.09.29 Press Release
No New Coal Plants until TCEQ Cleans Up Its Act! Say Environmental Groups
Contact: For More Information, contact:
Eva Hernandez, Sierra Club, 512-476-2052 or 404-717-3328,
Ryan Rittenhouse, Public Citizen, 440-796-9695
Donna Hoffman, Sierra Club, 512-299-5776
EPA Rules that TCEQ's Air Permitting Process Does Not Abide By Federal Law
(Corpus Christi, TX) -- Sierra Club, Public Citizen and community leaders spoke in Corpus Christi on day five of a statewide tour to applaud the EPA ruling that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) does not adhere to the Clean Air Act and to ask EPA to go one step further in helping protect Texans’ health. They are asking citizens to communicate to the EPA via this webpage, click here -- http://tinyurl.com/kwkgfo.
For years, the TCEQ has been issuing air quality permits for coal-fired power plants that should be thrown out because of the illegal permitting process through which they were received. This ruling creates a fresh opportunity to stop new coal-fired power plants from being built across the state. In some cases this is the last line of defense against coal plants already under construction.
“In Corpus Christi, we already experience twice as much asthma as the state average,” said Gerald Sansing, Chair of the CEC and PhD biochemist. “If this plant is allowed to go forward with its huge annual emissions of smog and smoke in their application, we will see a significant increase of even more asthma in Corpus Christi and the surrounding towns. That is unacceptable. We deserve better and we’re asking EPA to tell TCEQ to follow the Clean Air Act and block this plant.”
“Texans from all walks of life stood up and blocked several coal plants from being built in Texas about two years ago,’ said Ryan Rittenhouse. “Wisdom prevailed in that moment. This is another moment when we can pause, think again, and refuse new coal plants in Texas. TCEQ failed to look at the cumulative impacts of new coal plants and they ignored the significant deterioration of air quality that recently-permitted coal plants will cause if built. We are asking EPA to step in and make sure no coal permits issued under TCEQ’s permitting process should be allowed to proceed forward. ”
Sierra Club and Public Citizen are calling on the EPA to take bold action by halting any new air pollution permits from being issued by TCEQ under the commission’s current illegal policy. The environmental groups have asked EPA for a moratorium on the operations of any new coal-fired power plants in Texas until the TCEQ cleans up its act by operating under the Federal Clean Air Act requirements and makes coal companies clean up their old, dirty plants -- no exemptions, no bailouts, and no special treatment. In addition, the groups assert that all permits issued since the TCEQ adopted its policies should be reviewed.
“We cannot let coal stand in the way of the clean energy future in Texas. Coal is one of the dirtiest, least efficient sources of energy available,” said Eva Hernandez with Sierra Club. “Strong regulations are vital to cleaning up the energy industry and putting us on the path to clean energy technology that boosts economic growth, creates jobs in Texas and protects our air quality, health and communities.”
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For more information, click here http://www.sierraclub.org/coal/ or
here: http://www.texas.sierraclub.org/Conservation/energy.asp.
To take action, click here -- http://tinyurl.com/kwkgfo
Contact: For More Information, contact:
Eva Hernandez, Sierra Club, 512-476-2052 or 404-717-3328,
Ryan Rittenhouse, Public Citizen, 440-796-9695
Donna Hoffman, Sierra Club, 512-299-5776