2009.10.30 Press Release
Rallies Face Off Second Wave of Texas Coal Rush
Contact: For More Information, contact: Cyrus Reed, 512-740-4086, Rita Beving, 214-557-2271
Dr. Greg Silverman, 361-774-5483
Halloween Fun with a Seriously Scary Message
Elected Officials, Medical Doctors, Bicyclists, Environmentalists, and Business People Unite to Stop the Second Wave of the Dirty Texas Coal Rush
Rallies to Roll Beyond Coal combined with Clean Energy Bike Rides & Hikes in 5 Texas Cities, Saturday, October 31
(Alpine, Austin, Beaumont, Corpus Christi, Dallas) – A diverse coalition of Texans from all walks of life -- elected officials, medical doctors, bicyclists, environmentalists, and business people rallied to Roll Beyond Coal on Halloween, Saturday, October 31 in five Texas cities. Scared half to death about the costs, health and environmental impacts of 12 new Texas coal plants, they are taking action to stop the second wave of the Texas coal rush and promoting instead clean air, clean power, green jobs, and the availability of water in the future.
Coal Plant Pollution means Attainment of Federal Air Quality Standards Shot to Hell
“These 12 new coal plants are a significant jump to the 17 operating coal plants we already have in Texas,” said Rita Beving with Dallas Sierra Club. “Whether it’s the nearby plants being built east of Waco or the one proposed as far away as Abilene, the wind carries coal plant pollution north to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and will only exacerbate our ability to reach attainment.”
The Dallas-Fort Worth area is currently in non-attainment of required federal clean air standards, as is Houston and the Beaumont-Port Arthur area. Austin, San Antonio and the north east Texas area have early action compacts and are near non-attainment. New federal air quality standards coming this Fall (70 ppb)will mean that several additional regions of Texas will go into non-attainment.
Many states around the nation have dropped plans for coal plants, letting Texas run far ahead in the a horrible lonely lead in the opposition direction. With Michigan trailing at only 4 proposed new coal plants, Texas has the largest number still moving in various stages of permitting – contested case hearings, appeal, and construction. With the grotesque rate of acceptance of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), a whole army of new coal plants could go online next year emitting their enormous tonnage of pollution as they rev up to a full-throttled, smog-spewing, global warming, lung-clogging, nerve-shattering, mind-numbing, heart-stopping blast of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, mercury, and carbon dioxide. See the fact sheet list of the proposed coal plants in Texas and the gory truth on their cumulative emissions numbers.
Human Health Impacts
Corpus Christi cardiologist, Dr. Greg Silverstein said, “In Corpus Christi, we already experience twice as much asthma as the state average. If the Las Brisas petcoke plant is allowed to go forward with the huge annual emissions of smog and smoke in their permit application, we will see a significant increase of even more asthma in Corpus Christi and the surrounding towns. I am concerned about my patients and all the people of Corpus Christi.”
Coke is regulated similarly to coal and it emits the same nasty pollutants. See just what effects coal and coke plants have on human physiology in the attached Fact Sheet.
Coastal Bend doctors of the Nueces County Medical Society and the Tri-County San Patricio-Aransas-Refugio Medical Society passed resolutions opposing the permitting of the hilariously-named Las Brisas (the Breezes) coke plant. Corpus Christi citizens from all walks of life united across class, Hispanic and Anglos, men, women, children, and the elderly crowded into a room that couldn’t contain their opposition at last February’s preliminary hearing in which a large number of individuals and organizations including the Clean Economy Coalition and the Sierra Club received ‘standing’ for a contested case hearing which begins on Monday, November 2.
Clean Energy Solutions and Green Jobs on the brighter side of the Dark Ages
“There are many reasons to oppose coal plants – they cost too much, make people sick, contribute to global warming, and use enormous amounts of water,” said Eva Hernandez, Regional Organizer for Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal campaign. “Another reason is that they are a huge dangerous diversion from the clean power and green jobs economy that Texas is so perfectly suited for and already leading.”
Roll Beyond Coal is a project of Sierra Club’s Climate Recovery Partnership and the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club.
# # #
ROLL BEYOND COAL EVENT DETAILS
Alpine – 10 am, Kokernot Lodge, 1104 Loop Road, http://texas.sierraclub.org/bigbend/index.html
Austin -- 1:00 Music and Rally on the Plaza at City Hall, Lavaca & W. Cesar Chavez. 2:00 Clean Energy Bike Tour (5 and 9 mile options) and Hikes. 3:00 - 5:00 After Party at Gingerman Pub, 301 Lavaca Street. http://www.texas.sierraclub.org/austin
Beaumont -- 8:00 am in the Colonnade Shopping Center at Dowlen Road & Phelan Blvd. We will offer a 7.3 mile route or you can choose the extended 14.1 mile route. http://texas.sierraclub.org/triangle/index.html
Corpus Christi -- Noon - 1:00 PM Registration, 1:00 Festival, 1:30 Bike fun ride begins (observe all traffic signs and signals), 1:35 PM Rollers and Strollers roll, 2:30-4:00 Rally http://www.cleaneconomycoalition.org/rbc
Dallas -- Registration: 8:30 am. Bike ride: 10:30 am. White Rock Lake at The Bath House Cultural Center on 521 E. Lawther Drive in Dallas. Prizes to be given for the best Halloween and Clean Air costumes! Free Basic Bike Check-ups on site. http://www.dallassierraclub.org/
See www.sierraclub.org/coal/tx for more information. Links to referenced documents will be placed online on Monday. In the meantime, you can get them by phoning Donna Hoffman,
512-299-5776.
Contact: For More Information, contact: Cyrus Reed, 512-740-4086, Rita Beving, 214-557-2271
Dr. Greg Silverman, 361-774-5483