Friday, 19 Jan 2007

Austin Legal

Citizen, environmental groups sue Texas guv over controversial coal plants

The big ol' mess in Texas over TXU Corp.'s plan to build 11 coal-fired plants just got messier: four citizen and environmental groups have sued the state's governor, Rick Perry (R), for fast-tracking the permit process. Thanks to a swaggerific executive order Perry issued two years ago -- which the groups say violated both state law and the Texas Constitution -- challenges to six plants were lumped into one hearing, scheduled to begin on Feb. 21. Steamed opponents say they haven't had time to build their case, and claim Perry's move put "extraordinary and unprecedented burdens" on them. Green groups are also waging a campaign to discourage investors from funding the $10 billion project, which one group estimates would spew as much carbon pollution as 14 million cars. But TXU remains confident: "What we're finding as we sit down and take a long look at our program with these interested parties, usually they see the benefits of the program," said a spokesperson. Guard your kneecaps, people.


The Sundance Film Festival kicked off this week with a VIP showing of Everything's Cool, a humorous documentary about climate change. And where climate change and humor overlap, can Grist be far behind? We sent Kate Sheppard to the scene to report on the raves the film got from its first audiences, Grist's cameo role, her face time with Robert Redford, and the many ways she inappropriately touched Redford's son. Accidentally, of course! Follow Kate's adventures over the next four days in Gristmill.

Baoxing Match

Fast-developing China to push for $200 billion energy-efficiency investment

China will try to nudge its burgeoning economy in a green direction by prompting building owners to spend some $200 billion by 2020 on energy efficiency for apartments and office buildings, Vice Minister of Construction Qiu Baoxing announced yesterday. Construction makes up 27 percent (and rising) of China's total energy consumption, and inefficient buildings have helped make the country the least energy-efficient major economy; the country's resource-sucking structures have "become an obstacle to national development," says Qiu. The newly tightened standards slice allowable energy consumption of heating, lighting, and air conditioning by up to 65 percent in some areas. Developers who fail to comply may have their business licenses revoked, and officials will be evaluated on their energy-saving skillz. All the green hoopla comes at a good time, as half of the world's new buildings built between now and 2020 are expected to be located in China. Damn.


Say the Bush administration does actually list polar bears as "threatened" -- what happens then? Inquiring minds want to know, and Kassie Siegel has the answers. (Hint: It might affect coal plants in Texas. No, really.) As InterActivist this week, Siegel takes a brief break from Arctic-animal advocacy to answer reader questions on resources for science teachers, green work that doesn't involve a cubicle, and just how one snaps a photo of bear cubs without being devoured by a mad mama.

They Grow Up So Fast

Corporations join green groups to push for U.S. climate action

Quivering under the bed was an option, but 10 major corporations have bravely formed a coalition with four U.S. green groups instead, calling for a national limit on carbon emissions. Their aim is a 10 to 30 percent cut over the next 15 years, using a cap-and-trade system that would allow over-emitters to buy credits from those who fall under the cap. The United States Climate Action Partnership, which wins today's kinda-clever acronym award, includes heavy-hitters like GE, BP, Alcoa, and Duke Energy. Such companies are motivated by fears of a patchwork of state-level regulations, the specter of a fossil-fuel tax, and the unknown predilections of a post-Bush president. Some of the same companies are also part of the new 3C Initiative, a global group looking to Combat Climate Change in the post-Kyoto world of 2013. The ringleader, Swedish utility Vattenfall, claims limiting greenhouse gases could cost 40 percent less than last year's landmark Stern report predicted. Gotta love that bottom line.