After White Stallion Power Plant Canceled, Coal Faces Dark Future in Texas

The company behind what would have been the last new coal power plant in Texas, called White Stallion, is no longer pursuing the project, the company announced Thursday.

The news marks a victory for opponents of coal in Texas, notably the Environmental Defense Fund and the Sierra Club, who have worked for years to oppose the White Stallion and other coal power projects in the state. At this point, there are no longer any major new traditional coal power plants planned in Texas. All of the new projects are primarily natural gas and wind power, with some solar.

In a Thursday morning press release and email announcing the coal project would not move forward, Randy Bird, Chief Operating Officer for White Stallion, said that the plant is being suspended because of litigation costs, potential federal regulations and the low prices of natural gas.

“We have decided to ask the Travis County Court for a stay in the litigation against our … air permit through December of this year,” Bird wrote in an email. “Our air permit extension expires then. If the stay is granted, we will not commence construction while the stay is in effect.” If the plant doesn’t begin construction, it loses its air permit, which would mean having to start from ground zero, an unlikely prospect.

More at http://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2013/02/15/after-white-stallion-power-plant-cancelled-coal-faces-dark-future-in-texas/ .