Common Sense

Two great pollution stories today:

No. 1: There was a train derailment a few hours ago in Crawford. Since then just about everyone with a day off has called into the newsroom asking if we had heard about it and if we were on top of it. Like the only people in the world that wouldn’t have heard about that would be the people actually working at the paper today.

It looks like people were being evacuated since there seems to have been some nasty pesticide chemicals involved.

No. 2 is how the coming coal-burning power plants aren’t going to cause pollution.

Texas Sen. Kip Averitt, chairman of the Senate’s Natural Resources Committee, says that he welcomes four new coal-fired power units east of Waco but that the state should hold off on permitting lignite power plants.

In an interview Monday with the Tribune-Herald, the McGregor Republican said he is convinced the plants TXU and LS Power are planning in eastern McLennan County will not create an air-pollution problem.

Of course, air pollution is just one of the problems associated with coal power plants. Higher than safe levels of Mercury in the groundwater, fo instance, would also be a problem. But this will just have to be another of the many things I hate Kip Averitt for.

More at Capitol Annex, where Vince delves into how friggin’ clueless Averitt is.

Two great pollution stories today:

No. 1: There was a train derailment a few hours ago in Crawford. Since then just about everyone with a day off has called into the newsroom asking if we had heard about it and if we were on top of it. Like the only people in the world that wouldn’t have heard about that would be the people actually working at the paper today.

It looks like people were being evacuated since there seems to have been some nasty pesticide chemicals involved.

No. 2 is how the coming coal-burning power plants aren’t going to cause pollution.

Texas Sen. Kip Averitt, chairman of the Senate’s Natural Resources Committee, says that he welcomes four new coal-fired power units east of Waco but that the state should hold off on permitting lignite power plants.

In an interview Monday with the Tribune-Herald, the McGregor Republican said he is convinced the plants TXU and LS Power are planning in eastern McLennan County will not create an air-pollution problem.

Of course, air pollution is just one of the problems associated with coal power plants. Higher than safe levels of Mercury in the groundwater, fo instance, would also be a problem. But this will just have to be another of the many things I hate Kip Averitt for.

More at Capitol Annex, where Vince delves into how friggin’ clueless Averitt is.