A Holiday Present From The EPA

The people of the United States is getting a wonderful, though long overdue, holiday present from the Obama administration and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They are finally issuing rules which will force the coal-fired energy plants to either clean up their act (install devices to prevent pollution) or shut down.

And we're not just talking about preventing carbon dioxide emissions here. The new rules will "slash mercury pollution from burning coal by 90 percent, lung-damaging acid gases by 88 percent and soot-producing sulfur dioxide by 41 percent", along with a whole host of other poisons and cancer-causing chemicals. It will save American lives by cleaning the air, along with streams, rivers, and lakes.

EPA administrator Lisa Jackson called the new rules "the biggest clean air action yet", even bigger than the rule limiting cross-state line pollution and the agreement to double vehicle fuel economy standards. She said, "Before this rule, there were no national standards limiting the amount of mercury, arsenic, chromium, nickel and acid gases that power plants across the country could release into the air that we breathe.

TXU Buyout Could Save Texas Environment

TXU has not shown in the past that they have any interest in helping Texas solve it's pollution problems, even though they have been one of the major contributors to that problem. Their attorney recently said in court that global warming was the problem of president's and kings, and not TXU's problem.

In other words, they are only interested in greedy windfall profits, and care nothing about the environment of Texas or the health of Texans. They have no interest in being good and responsible corporate neighbors as long as they can pump up their profits and the price of their stock. But we may not have to worry about these greedy bastards much longer.

Two groups (Texas Pacific Group and Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co.) are trying to buy TXU. Even better, it looks like these groups ARE interested in being good corporate neighbors.

Last week I was very leery of this buyout proposal. After all, the common man is seldom helped when one conglomerate buys another. But right now, these two groups (TPG and KKRC) seem to be different. Rather than try to run roughshod over environmental concerns of TXU critics, they have sat down with them and actually had a dialogue.

They were not only willing to listen to the concerns of Texans - they were willing to compromise for the good of the citizens of Texas and for themselves. This is a remarkable change from the heavy-handed tactics of TXU.

In a deal expected to be announced today, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is reporting that TPG and KKRC have agreed to:

* Build only 4 of the proposed 11 coal-burning plants that TXU wanted to build.
* Commit to cutting emmissions company-wide by 20%.
* Commit to slashing emissions of carbon dioxide to 1990 levels by the year 2020.
* Agree to support legislation capping the emission of carbon dioxide.
* Pledge to increase the amount of renewable energy sources in the company's portfolio.

This is a compromise that would be beneficial to the people and the environment of Texas. I don't know how well TPG and KKRC will live up to this compromise, but I know TXU isn't willing to compromise at all. I hope this buyout will happen, and will receive approval from the neccessary entities.