08-E Texas Clean Air Cities Coalition (2)

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· Carbon Dioxide. The plants will add over 100 million tons of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere each year. That amount is more than the total carbon dioxide emissions of 29 states and many entire countries, such as Sweden, Austria, and Finland.4 According to a recent report on National Public Radio, if the proposed power plants are built, Texas will send nearly as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as California, New York, and Florida combined. 5 These proposed plants would be operating over the next 30 to 60 years. In all likelihood, they would still be running years after better, cleaner technologies have come along. Whatever the consequences are, Texas and the rest of the nation will be dealing with them for a long time. Hasn't TXU pledged to reduce overall statewide emissions of NOx, S02, and Mercury by 20 percent, even with the new plants? TXU has stated that it will reduce statewide emissions of these pollutants by 20 percent by 2010. The cities applaud this commitment, but it's important to understand a few additional facts: · The reduction is not voluntary - only the timing of it is. Federal emissions standards would effectively require TXU to achieve this reduction and more by 2015. The voluntary component of the reductions is the commitment to undertake them earlier than required. · TXU has not yet publicly committed to the locations where the emissions will be reduced. Depending on wind direction and the location of the plants with reductions, many cities are likely to see no benefit from the reductions. · There's no reason that TXU's proposed reductions have to depend on its building eleven new units at the same time. All of the steps TXU is proposing to take to reduce its emissions could be taken today, whether the new plants are built or not. Again, these steps will be required by law within a few years. 4 Current state and international carbon dioxide emissions data from U.S. F'".nergy Information Administration, available at http://www.eia.doe.gov/environmcnt.html. 5 http://www.npr.org/templares/story/story.php?storyld=6110191 4 "-'-'---'"-~,,-,-,--~--,___"____._._~_.__,,,.___~._,___..,^ ,_,.<_ ~<_'_'_'_'_"'_'_'___'___'_'__'"""''''_'~''''''_A__.,.,_ _.....,...---..__'_~_"'__.. .