Public Citizen
Public Citizen
Public Citizen is a national, nonprofit consumer advocacy organization founded in 1971 to represent consumer interests in Congress, the executive branch and the courts.
GHASP works most closely with the Public Citizen's Texas State Office. Established in 1984, the Texas Office works on a wide range of public interest issue, trains interns and mentors numerous grassroots organizations. Its director is Tom "Smitty" Smith, who is well known in the halls of the Texas Legislature and various state agencies.
Cleaner energy for Houston?
A major power plant is proposed for Fort Bend county, and according to the Houston Chronicle, it would use new gassification technology, making it a cleaner option than TXU's proposed coal-fired plants.
The proposed 1,200-megawatt plant, known as Lockwood Road, will be designed to produce electricity for less money per kilowatt-hour than a coal plant, Hunton Energy President Rocky Sembritzky said, thanks to a long-term contract with oil refiner Valero Energy to buy petroleum coke — a relatively inexpensive refining byproduct — to fuel the plant.
Texas Emission Reduction Plan
The Texas Emission Reduction Plan is one of the most efficient pollution control programs in the Houston region, and must be continued and expanded if Houston is to achieve clean air. Although cost-effective, the TERP is going to fall well short of the binding commitment made to achieve 38.9 tons per day of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions reduction in 2007. As of August 2006, the TCEQ reports only 17.7 tons per day of NOx reduction through the TERP, with no further scheduled grants to be awarded. Texas has met only 46% of its commitment to achieve pollution reductions through the TERP.
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