Hearings on Coal Burning Power Plants Delayed

Since Governor Perry announced the fast-tracking of permits for coal burning power plants, opponents of the decision have been looking to the courts to intercede in the permitting process. Now the hearings scheduled to begin this week have been delayed by a Travis County District Judge.

Tuesday's injunction is a win for the anti-coal-pollution groups, which include environmentalists, business leaders, politicians and TXU competitors.

They've been fighting the company's plan to build 11 more coal-fired power plants for the past year and have questioned whether Gov. Rick Perry is a little too close to TXU......

Since he issued the order, the governor has received more than $100,000 in campaign contributions from interests associated with the 16 coal projects proposed by various power companies.

The four environmental coalitions joining in the suit were Citizens for Environmental Cleanup, Citizens Organizing for Resources and Environment, Texans Protecting our Water, Environment and Resources, and East Texas Environmental Concerns.

One concern expressed in the injunction was that the stepped-up timetable for hearings, reduced from one year to six months, would not allow enough time to thoroughly review the permit.

Also at issue is the gubernatorial fiat that fast-tracked the hearings. Questions concerning Governor Perry's executive order might open the door to question other policy debates, including the 65% rule and the mandatory HPV vaccine.

Every delay in the process makes it more likely that any of several legislative measures for moratoriums on coal-fired plants, or mandated reductions in carbon dioxide emissions to curb global warming, will also come into play.

Under its current timeline, TXU expected to obtain the first permit for its 858-MW "reference" plant and begin construction before the end of June. Its goal was to put the first plant into service in the fall of 2009. Any delay in the hearing process will make it less likely that TXU can meet its stated targets.

More at Off the Kuff, BOR and Capitol Annex.

State Senators Weigh in on HPV Vaccine

In the firestorm that erupted since Governor Perry ordered mandatory vaccination of girls with Gardasil, (the human papilloma virus vaccine to prevent cervical cancer), 31 State Senators have requested Perry to rescind his order. Jane Nelson, R-Lewisville, has taken the lead on this issue.

The letter, originated by Lewisville Republican Jane Nelson, says that Perry should wait until lawmakers have a chance to examine the issue and perhaps enact legislation before the policy is implemented. Nelson and others have said Perry’s action puts the state government in a role that would be better left to parents......

Nelson has also asked Attorney General Greg Abbott to examine the legality of Perry’s order and whether it requires the Legislature to appropriate money. The appropriation of state money is a legislative prerogative.

There is some good rationale on each side of this debate, but there is also a great deal of political posturing going on right now. Rather than try to sort it all out, read Off the Kuff's rebuttal and Rep. Jessica Farrar's letter, or catch Farrar's YouTube broadcast on Musings.

Former Democratic candidate for Governor, Chris Bell, has expressed his support of Perry's decision.

If young women don't get this vaccine now, hundreds of them will get cervical cancer and die. HPV causes cervical cancer, and the FDA has approved this vaccine and says it can prevent about 70% of cervical cancers that led to 391 deaths in Texas in 2006 alone. This is why the Center for Disease Control and the American Cancer Society recommend that all young women aged 11-12 get vaccinated, and it's why I called for this same action during the campaign.

It is worth noting that there is no thimerosal or mercury in the HPV vaccine. Mercury was removed from most vaccines after concerns were raised about a possible link between thimerosal and the development of autism.