I hope you all saw the article in the Eagle Newspaper by Megan Rodriguez on July 5th concerning the sale and reopening of the GibbonsCreek Coal-Burning Power Plant.
To see the article go to:
The article stated that -
"Gibbons Creek last ran in 2018, ...
with TMPA deciding in 2019 to stop using it all together
as gas prices dropped, making it difficult for a coal plant to compete."
"... BTU WILL NOT purchase power from it
(sic - Gibbons Creek coal-burning power plant)
since BTU’s resource planning studies show
that there are other 'more economically attractive options for us.'”
So why is BTU pushing for the sale and reopening of the coal-burning power plant from which we will NOT obtain energy and that endangers the environment and the personal health of its constituents?
I attended the virtual BTU Board Meeting at 4 PM today, July 13, 2020 via ZOOM. Citizens were invited to the “Hear Visitors” portion of the agenda and we had 3 minutes each to address the BTU Board of Directors. All of the comments that I heard described the sale and re-opening of the Gibbons Creek plant as irresponsible, adding tremendously to the health and environmental risks of the surrounding community.
I thought it very interesting that after the "Hear Visitors" portion of the meeting, we were told that there would be "no further discussion" concerning the Gibbons Creek plant. They seemed to want us to leave, but most visitors stayed. Later in the meeting, however, the funds to decommission the plant were shown for the cities that own TMPA - Benton, Bryan, Denton, Garland and Greenville. Each city had increased its budget for clean-up of the plant by 65%. For the City of Bryan, BTU stated that they, as well, increased their budget by 65% for the next stages of deactivating the plant, and stated that this money (over $1M) has already been allocated for the clean-up and is a separate fund designated only for this process.
So, is BTU now considering the health and well-being of their constituents? Do they plan to close the plant completely? As the the Eagle Newspaper article by Megan Rodriguez on July 5th 2020 concerning the sale and reopening of the Gibbons Creek coal-burning power plant title says, “Plans for Gibbons Creek Steam Electric Station Still Unclear” remains true. So, why are they keeping this a secret?