Pam Johnson's Letter to the Eagle's Editor
- Tech & Site Admin
- Aug 5, 2020
- 2 min read
Restarting Gibbons Creek plant would harm the environment I am writing this letter in opposition to the upcoming sale and reopening of the Gibbons Creek coal-powered plant. Reopening a coal plant in Gibbons Creek is bad for our community, environment and local economy. The 420-megawatt coal-fired Gibbons Creek power plant, just outside of Bryan-College Station, was closed in October of 2019 for environmental and cost reasons. The community agreed with this decision and has moved to better renewable Texas-sourced energy. The Texas Municipal Power Agency is selling the plant to Frontier Applied Sciences, based in Scottsdale, Arizona. This does not benefit the local community nor environment. It is well known that air pollution from coal-fired power plants is linked with asthma, cancer, heart and lung ailments, neurological problems and severe public health impacts. People living near coal-fired power plants have higher death rates and die at earlier ages. Even the cleanest coal processing (CO2-capturing) does not eliminate the release of mercury, nitrogen oxide and other poisonous contaminants into the air. The radioactive material in coal ash, a byproduct of burned coal, contaminates waterways and groundwater with dangerous radioactive chemicals and toxic heavy metals (selenium, mercury, cadmium and arsenic) that are all associated with cancer, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Community members cannot risk their health, especially during the pandemic. Reopening the Gibbons Creek coal-powered plant is irresponsible and dangerous to the health and well-being of the people of Texas. The people demand this deal be reversed and the Gibbon Creek coal plant to be shut down permanently. You can go to www.brazos-uu.org/post/reopening-of-a-coal-plant-outside-of-b-cs-really for ways that you can help this cause. PAM JOHNSON College Station
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