TXU--whose benchmark price for natural gas was set last year just after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and has yet to drop to reflect the 27% drop in natural gas prices since that time, even as North Texans pay some of the highest rates in the nation--received a spot of good news on Thursday:

All those to Rick Perry contributions are paying off, as the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued draft-approval for 6 of TXU's proposed 11 'dirty' coal plants.

The Houston Chronicle, the Dallas Morning News, and various other news outlets and broadcast news channels are all pointing out that Texas Governor Rick Perry has received $132,000 from coal plant interest groups since he 'fast-tracked' an order to speed state approval of controversial new coal plants throughout Texas. (His field of challengers received $0.) And according to campaign reports, Perry has received at least $324,500 from companies and executives associated with the proposed plants since he became governor in 2000.

Craig McDonald of Texans for Public Justice, a nonprofit group that tracks campaign donations, says the correlation between high-dollar contributors and the governor is clear:

"When it comes to political power, TXU has excess capacity," McDonald said.

Meanwhile, the mayors of Dallas, Arlington and Houston all are against the plants, contending they will be major sources of pollution. Federal lawsuits are already planned by environmental groups, should the legislature give the full go-ahead to build the 'dirty' coal plants.

And Democratic candidate for governor Chris Bell has been calling for an investigation into market manipulation by Perry and TXU.

Perry, of course, denies any relationship between the large campaign donations and his over-eagerness to fast-track the coal plants (which led to Rebecca Smith of the Wall Street Journal to recently report that some are convinced TXU is rushing to build the plants before the federal government places restrictions on carbon-dioxide emissions). No, it's all about the constituents, Perry says:

'We've got to get power plants on line or my constituents are going to be sitting in the dark.'

...it must be noted, however, that it was a spokeswoman who said it for him.

...TXU spokeswoman Kim Morgan.

All rants aside, what is at stake here is our clean air, our future, our children's future, and the health of our planet itself. $132,000 is too small a price.

In fact, it shouldn't be for sale at all.

Posted on 20 October, 2006, in Energy
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