Environmentalists and Corporate America Screws Small Town

My parents' small hometown was promised an Electric Plant by TXU, and had the rug pulled out from under them....

Let me also note that the reason that there is a comment in the story about how pharmacist Rick Perkin is against the city growth proposal.... HE'S ONE OF ONLY TWO OTHER MOM & POP PHARMACIES IN TOWN.... They want to grow the city, but not so that it gets big enough to peak the interest of Walgreen's or CVS. Perkins saw this as a threat to his business and not a health concern.

A coal plant will not hurt West Texas. Hell, pumping oil out of the ground does more damage to the atmosphere than burning coal. God made coal in order for someone to burn it! Otherwise we'd call it water.... or rock... or anything but coal.




The following is a story published in the Abilene Reporter News... if I have broken any laws by reprinting this story, please be advised that I am a married father of two and am the sole bread winner for my family. I earn just enough to get by, and currently have a $200 payday loan, and my Fender Strat and Selmer Tenor Sax are in the pawn shop... I also have a debt listed on my credit report that reflects that I owe Blockbuster $1.27... of which I still cannot pay off.... By the way... I kid you not.... Blockbuster is willing to settle my debt if I pay them 50% of the balance.... NICE TRY !!!! Good thing I was smarter than they were or they would have scammed me good.... See, 50% of $1.27 is 63.5 cents... That's 63 and 1/2 cents.... I went to the bank to get a loan, and they told me that there was no such thing as 1/2 of a cent.... nice try Corporate America.

Colorado City stunned by end of coal plant plans
Sidney Levesque / levesques@reporternews.com
Tuesday, February 27, 2007

COLORADO CITY - Residents in Mitchell County's largest town are stunned by news that TXU Corp. has scrapped plans to build a coal-fired electricity plant that was expected to pump millions of dollars into the local economy.

''It was a big shock. We didn't expect that to happen,'' said Earl Plagens, publisher of the Colorado City Record.

As part of a $32 billion bid for energy supplier TXU, the investor group led by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and Texas Pacific Group agreed to drop plans for eight of 11 proposed new coal-burning power plants in an effort to appease environmentalists concerned about burning coal.

TXU had announced it would replace a natural gas plant at Mor gan Creek at nearby Lake Colorado City with a coal-fired plant.

Colorado City leaders who anticipated an influx of jobs and building construction - they had already bought land for future housing and hotels - say they are disappointed that it won't happen, a least for now, but are trying to stay positive.

On the plus side, the possibility of a coal-burning plant pushed them to clean up Colorado City, which is about 70 miles west of Abilene and has a population of 4,281. Old buildings were torn down, and the city is moving forward with historic downtown renovations. Mayor Jim Baum said the city had already spent some money in engineering fees getting ready for the plant's construction.

''Some of that money was for our water system, and we needed to do that anyway,'' he said.

The proposed coal plant, however, which seemed like almost a done deal as recently as last week, was expected to give a city whose major employers are two prisons, the school district and a hospital a big economic shot in the arm. Colorado City expected to see 1,000 construction jobs, and 85 permanent jobs.

As soon as the plant was announced, it generated excitement. Some residents bought stock in TXU. People started buying up land for development and old houses to remodel and sell. Before the plant was announced, Colorado City had a housing shortage.

And just last week, a TXU official was the featured speaker at the annual Colorado City Area Chamber of Commerce banquet. He told 260 residents - one of the largest groups the banquet has ever had - that he was sure the coal plant would become a reality despite opposition from environmental groups.

His comments made front-page headlines in the Colorado City Record: ''Credibility and truthfulness will win at the end of the day.''

Now that Colorado City won't get the plant, one contractor said the additional homes on the market won't go to waste. He said the wind farms and the oil and gas industry are keeping the real estate market alive.

City leaders said there are other economic development plans to focus on, namely additional wind farms and a new concrete plant.

''We've survived a lot out in this little West Texas town,'' said Sue Lowrance, executive vice president of the Colorado City chamber.

She said TXU officials told her they only found out about the company's plans a few days ago.

''This was as much a shock to the TXU officials we've been dealing with as it was for us,'' Lowrance said.

Another person said that after months of talking and planning for the plant, Colorado City is left feeling like the ''rug has been pulled out from under'' its feet.

''That's corporate America for you,'' said Bruce Gale, a clerk at Higginbotham-Bartlett Co.

The hardware store experienced a 10 to 20 percent surge in business following TXU's announcement about opening a coal-fired plant.

One of Colorado City's few opponents to the coal plant, pharmacist Rick Perkin, said TXU officials were not straightforward when he wanted answers about how the plant would affect the ground, water and air around it.

Perkin, who lives with his wife and 3-year-old twins less than two miles from the plant, said he worried mercury and arsenic would pollute the area.

''We're not going to raise these kids under a coal plant,'' he said.

He said he had no problem with the natural gas plant currently at Morgan Creek. Perkin said that if TXU's new owners still decide to put a new plant in, using a method other than coal, it could greatly benefit the city.

''They can turn the gas back on,'' he said. ''We were all fine with the gas.''

Despite Perkin's concerns, TXU officials said Colorado City expressed more support for a coal plant than any other city under consideration for a new plant. Baum said TXU officials told him to ''hang in there,'' and that the city could be considered if and when TXU plans to build plants in the future.

Tom Kleckner, TXU spokesman, said the company might consider the city for a future wind energy project. Or, the natural gas plant at Morgan Creek might be fully reopened someday.

''There's always a chance we will unmothball a unit because we will still need energy sources in Texas,'' Kleckner said.

Reporter-News staff writer Celinda Emison contributed information for this article.