Texas postpones TXU coal-plant hearing - Reuters

Texas postpones TXU coal-plant hearing
21 Feb 2007 18:32:05 GMT
Source: Reuters

(Adds judge's ruling)

AUSTIN, Feb 21 (Reuters) - TXU Corp.'s <TXU.N> plan to obtain permits
to build six coal-fired power plants in Texas was delayed on Wednesday
when the Texas State Office of Administrative Hearings postponed the
start of the hearing.

Citing a state judge's ruling late Tuesday that blocked Texas Gov. Rick
Perry's effort to expedite permits for coal plants, Kerry D. Sullivan,
a SOAH administrative hearing judge, delayed the start of the permit
hearing and asked lawyers to come up with a new date.

The parties are scheduled to appear before the judge later on
Wednesday.

On Tuesday, State District Judge Stephen Yelenosky in Austin issued
a temporary injunction to block the governor's executive order.

-snip-

Associated Press
Fast-Track Plan for Coal Plants Derailed
By KELLEY SHANNON 02.21.07, 1:15 PM ET

The permitting process for six coal-fired plants will move slower
now that a court has blocked Gov. Rick Perry's order fast-tracking
the permits, a panel of administrative judges said Wednesday.

A state district judge ruled Tuesday that Perry's executive order
to speed the permitting process for 19 proposed plants is not
binding on the state hearing administrators, who must reconsider
environmentalists' requests for a hearing delay.

The process before the State Office of Administrative Hearings
would be slowed to "provide a bit more time to allow all the
parties to fully prepare, have their t's crossed with response
to testimony and that sort of thing," administrative judge
Kerry Sullivan said.

-snip-