Texas Leads Nation In Power Plant Pollution

Well, Texas has another first place -- that is, another first place it should be ashamed of. It seems that Texas power plants produce more carbon dioxide pollution than those of any other state. In fact, Texas plants produce about twice as much pollution as the number two state -- Florida.

And who is one of the worst Texas polluters? Luminant Power, formerly known as TXU, owns three of the largest polluting plants in the state. That would be the same TXU that charges among the highest prices to consumers in the nation (thank you Republicans, for deregulation).

That would also be the same TXU that wants to build multiple new coal-burning power plants in Texas. Knowing that they are already one of the state's largest polluters makes it hard to believe the new plants will be any better, even though the company has downplayed the amount of new pollution these plants will produce.

They have already refused to use state-of-the-art gasification techniques for these new plants. I guess doubling Florida's pollution is not bad enough -- are they trying to triple it now?

Of course the company wants us to think they are trying to clean up their act. They point out that they gave $1.8 million to the University of Texas for research. What they don't want you to know is that's just a drop in the bucket alongside their huge windfall profits.

But they needn't worry. I'm sure our state Republican leadership will see to it that they get their new pollution-producing plants. After all, dollars are much more important to them than global climactic change, or the health of the citizens of Texas.