Thanks to Vikki Goodwin of Austin, Texas, for this guest post. Please add your comments and thoughts to this controversial issue below.
Ok, I know, there are better things to do on a Sunday afternoon than go to the State Capital and walk around with a bunch of do-gooders. Or are there? Do you care about the air you breathe? Or the air your kids and grandkids will breathe? This Sunday I will be at the State Capital with the "Stop the Coal Rush" rally and hope you can join me.
You may have seen the ads in Sunday's paper. If not, the same information about why coal plants are bad is on the website Clear Sky Coalition. Please take a minute to look at the information and ask yourself if this is important enough for you to become involved.
Today's newspaper ran a story about the ad mentioned above and where the money came from to place the large ads. It turns out natural gas companies have paid for the ads - since if the coal fired plants are built, they may not be able to get the financing needed for more gas powered plants. The natural gas producers say natural gas is the cleanest burning hydrocarbon, but natural gas is more expensive than coal. Since it's good to hear both sides of an argument, I've included the link to today's article as well. Since that article doesn't really have any facts about the issue, other than who is paying a lot for advertising, I'd also like to give you a link to the Sierra Club which has put together some great data.
Maybe it's because I have a son with asthma, and I know the number of children and adults with this disease is on the rise, I have a greater concern for the condition of the air we breathe. If you too have a concern and believe that it might be worthwhile to pay more for cleaner power, please join me at the rally against the new coal plants. That's how our legislators will know what the people they represent want. That's the way government works. Come out and be heard.
Please forward this on to anyone in your book that might be interested!
Or, on the other hand, you can daydream about what Texas will be like with all that new coal power...
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