So I’m reading in the Caller Times about this proposed coal power plant, and it seems to me that it would serve to solidify the refineries’ positions in our community. According to the article, this plant would only produce about 100 long term jobs. What it would mainly do is cement the market for the petroleum coke that our local refineries produce. they currently ship the vast majority of their petroleum coke to other countries, and ALL of this would instead be used locally.
this seems to me to be a nightmare scenario for corpus christi residents because it would boost the profits and stability of a group of companies who have shown very little regard for our local environment and communities. further, it mires corpus christi’s economy in a petroleum energy market that is rapidly becoming antequated. we should be moving AWAY from refining, because petroleum’s days are numbered.
And then there’s the pollution. according to the caller times, “In permit applications, company officials say the plant uses the ‘best available control technology.’” This is scary, because truly “clean coal” technology is not available on the commercial scale. to date, there is not one single “clean coal” plant in america. (www.thisisreality.org) I don’t trust the local refineries to determine what is the “best available” technology. not after all the polluting and regulation violating going on in the coastal bend.
