• Originally published May 12, 2010 at 2:45 p.m., updated May 12, 2010 at 2:45 p.m.

To the Editor:

Coal is not clean and pet coke is in fact dirtier than coal. Yet, White Stallion proposes to use both coal and per coke in our county.

Our television airways have been inundated of late with a commercial touting the cleanness of coal and the importance of coal to our energy needs. The individuals portrayed in the commercials are clean – clean faced, clean clothes, etc. Did anyone notice the miners coming out of the West Virginia mines? Clearly, cleanliness was not the rule! Yet, the news over the past few weeks has highlighted problems in the coal mining industry, specifically disasters in West Virginia and Kentucky. Unfortunately, the commercial does not address the dirty footprints associated with “life cycle of coal” - mining, transportation, washing, combustion, disposal of wastes.

I do not mean to minimize the value of coal in our history. Anyone with a minimal understanding of American history is fully aware of the role coal has played in the industrial development of our country. Given what we now know about coal as a power source, we should be making different choices.

In a previous piece (Advocate 24 March), consequences of coal combustion on the health of the population - especially children and the elderly were highlighted. Simply stated, children are more vulnerable to the health consequences of toxins of all kinds, including those that will be emitted 24 hours per day, 7 days per week from the proposed White Stallion coal and pet coke fired power plant. It is reasonable to assume potentially harmful effects of coal combustion and waste products on the local ecology. The coal ash spill in Tennessee, described as “…one of the worst environmental disasters of its kind the United States history” (New York Times, 5 March 2010), should be a wake-up call.

What is the potential impact of wastes - coal and pet coke ash - produced by the four circulating fluidized bed boilers in the proposed White Stallion plant? There is both fly ash and bed ash. A major portion of the fly ash is presumably captured from the monstrous smoke stacks that sit upon the boilers. The ash resulting from combustion of coal and pet coke in the four boilers is called bed or bottom ash. According to the permit application, fly and bed ash will be transported by truck to a landfill on the White Stallion site. Water sprays will be used to minimize (note, not eliminate) emissions. Given the risk of emissions, it would make sense to cover the ash in the trucks. Presumably, the ash will be stored in the landfill. How long will it be stored? Fly and bed ash contain elements potentially dangerous for the environment – mercury, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and others. What are the potential consequences if the ash and its contents leach into the ground water? What is being done to prevent that from happening? What is the risk to the food chain? If the ash will be removed from the site, how will it be done? What safety precautions will be taken to protect the people and the environment? All these questions should be addressed before the plant is allowed to operate.

Why should we be concerned in Matagorda County? Simply stated, accidents happen! The site of the proposed White Stallion coal and pet coke fired power plant is on the flood plain of the Colorado River. Hurricanes are another risk. The potential impact of a flood or hurricane to the site would be devastating to the local environment.

Why raise these issues once again? White Stallion has not done an Environmental Impact Study of the proposed plant. How did they avoid this vital step? I do not know. The air permit application of White Stallion seemingly treats the proposed plant in isolation from other industries in the county and surrounding area. There are no air pollution monitors on Matagorda County. White Stallion utilized data Galveston and San Patricio counties to model the potential impact of pollutants on Matagorda County. I am not aware whether the issue of multiple contaminants relative to human and ecological risk in our county was considered in the models. As such, the application may underestimate the risk of the proposed plant to the Matagorda County. We already have potentially polluting industries in the county and region in addition to a long history of fertilizer and insecticide use associated with agriculture. The message is clear. White Stallion should be required to perform a comprehensive Environmental Impact Study (EIS) of the proposed plant.

It is imperative that concerned citizens of Matagorda County - and we should be concerned - take action and call for White Stallion to do a comprehensive EIS of the proposed plant.

Nationally, contact our senator and representative asking them to contact the Corps of Engineers to require an EIS from White Stallion:

US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (http://hutchison.senate.gov/contact.cfm, 202-224-5922, fax: 202-224-0776; her staff aide - Albert Cheng, albert_cheng@hutchison.senate.gov, 713-653-3456)

US Congressman Ron Paul (http://www.house.gov/paul/contact.shtml)

At the state level, contact our senator and representative asking them to contact the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and demand an EIS from White Stallion:

State Senator Glen Hegar (512-463-0118, fax 512-475-3736, glennhegar@yahoo.com, 281-391-8883

district18.hegar@senate.state.tx.us)

State Representative Randy Weber (Austin: 512-463-0707, fax 512-463-8717, Pearland: 281-485-0616, fax 281-485-1106)

Others to contact to require an EIS from White Stallion:

Dr. Al Armendariz (Regional Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 6, 1445 Ross Ave. Suite 1200, Mail Code: 6RA-D, Dallas, TX 75202-2733, 800 887-6063)

Mr. Steven Walls (US Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch, Box 1229, Galveston, TX 77553-1229, steven.e.walls@usace.army.mil)

Mr. Richard Hyde (Deputy Director, Office of Permitting and Registration, TCEQ, PO Box 13087, Austin, TX 78711-3087, 512 239-5500)

It is also imperative that concerned citizens of Matagorda County let local, state and national officials know that we strongly oppose White Stallion in our county. This is called self-advocacy. This is our right and duty. We have to do it for ourselves and for our children and grandchildren.

Robert M. Malina, PhD, FAAAS, FACSM

Bay City resident

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