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Coalition stands behind Seliger on Clean Coal Plant Initiatives
The Quorum Report - January 15, 2009

Coalition stands behind Seliger on Clean Coal Plant Initiatives Franchise tax credits would incentivize production Legislation that would provide tax incentives for the construction of a large-scale coal-fired electric generating plant that would capture 60 percent of its carbon emissions was unveiled this morning by bipartisan group of lawmakers and industry representatives. The measure, Senate Bill 483 by Amarillo Republican Kel Seliger, would make Texas the first state in the nation to build a so-called clean coal electric plant and foster the creation of more than 2,000 new jobs, supporters said State Reps. Phil King (R-Weatherford) andRafael Anchia (D-Dallas) have signed on as co-authors for a companion bill in the House.

“This legislation represents a very important first step in making clean coal technology a reality in the State of Texas,” Seliger said at a morning news conference outside of the Senate Chamber. Under the legislation, the state could issue up to $100 million in franchise tax credits for the first three coal-fired plants that could meet the standards for the capture and sequestration of at least 60 percent of the emissions of the carbon dioxide, or C02. The plants would also have to be capable of producing at least 200 megawatts of electricity. Those standards would mean that the coal plants would generate no more carbon emissions than plants fired by natural gas and would meet emission standards established by such green-friendly states as California and Washington, supporters said. The legislation would also require Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas at Austin to measure the sequestered CO2 make sure it remains under wraps. It would also provide tax incentives to use the CO2 from the coal plants to be injected into oil wells to jar loose otherwise out-ofreach deposits of crude.

Scott Tinker, the state geologist, said underground Texas is ideally suited to store carbon emissions. As much as 50 billion tons of the CO2 could be contained in the state, he said. Environmental groups had mixed reviews for the plan. Tom “Smitty” Smith of Texas Public Citizen
said his organization stands by its mantra that “there’s no such thing as clean coal.” But, he added, “if there are going to be new coal plants permitted, they’ve got to include the capture and sequestration of CO2.” Environmental Defense regional managerJim Marston said his organization plans to support the legislation as long as it’s part of a larger package promoting clean energy. “If all they are doing is clean coal, they’re not doing enough,” Marston said. “We think there should also be incentives for non-wind renewables like solar and bio-mass. They need to be looking at storing (power generated by) wind. It’s got to be looked at as a total package.”

Laura Miller, a former Dallas mayor who is now director of Texas projects forSummit Power Group in Washington State, said her firm is interested in building a clean-coal plant outside of Odessa. Several hundred would be employed during construction, and once up and running, Miller said, the plant would employ about 120 full-time workers. “Our plan right now is to have it up and running by 2013,” she said. Seliger, whose district would be home to an Odessa plant, brushed aside suggestions that even a cleancoal facility would encounter opposition from civic organizations in the communities where they would be located because of concerns that they would harm air quality or contribute to global warming. “Power has been generated in Texas for a long, long time and all of these plants have neighbors,” he said. “This is going to be the good-neighbor coal plant.”

Copyright January 15, 2009, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved