Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Will the President Elect damper Texas's Heavy Industry?

Its no joke that one of President Barrack Obama's main goals once in office is to curb America's dependence on fossil fuels. The question yet to be answered is will this upcoming federal regulation of greenhouse gasses affect the Texas and not to mention other state economies? Because of the amount of coal and natural gas power plants in Texas, as well as chemical and oil refineries, Texas's economy could be significantly affected by this future regulation. Texas Governor Rick Perry has urged for the same example that Texas has set at renewable energy, to be copied at the Federal level. Texas has chosen the route of increasing its wind power development, rather than regulate greenhouse gasses.
However if change is what the new President-Elect is about then perhaps it will be time for such states like Texas to begin regulating their greenhouse gases. A good example of non-regulation would be the Martin's Lake coal power plant, just outside of Longview TX. This plant is argue ably one of the top ten dirtiest in the nation, with smog reaching clear to the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex. Just recently Texas Energy giant Luminat (formerly TXU) was notified that the Sierra Club intends to sue for thousands of air pollutant violations.
Perhaps Texas's economy will be hindered by this new regulation; but it seems the most moral direction to take at this point. Oil, coal, natural gas; these resources are not going to be put on the shelf and forgot of anytime soon; but they can be made better, cleaner...regulated. Texas has a budget surplus of well over $11 Billion, perhaps its time that Texas considered drastically improving its energy infrastructure.