Legislative Update

From the Austin Statesman.
http://www.statesman.com/news/content/region/legislature/stories/02/22/22txu.html


Process governor wanted fast tracked is postponed to give groups more time to prepare case.
By Claudia Grisales
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Hearings on TXU Corp.'s proposal to build a series of coal-fired power plants in Texas were postponed today until June 27.
Environmental groups had asked state administrative law judges to delay the hearings so they could have more time to prepare their case.
The process will be slowed to "provide a bit more time to allow all the parties to fully prepare, have their Ts crossed with response to testimony and that sort of thing," administrative judge Kerry Sullivan said.
Gov. Rick Perry had ordered an expedited process for approving the plants, but Tuesday, a state district court judge said Perry had overstepped his authority and that his order wasn't binding on the hearing judges.
TXU's proposal has drawn strong opposition from environmental and citizen groups from Texas and Oklahoma. Members of those groups say the plants would more than double the utility's emissions of carbon dioxide, a chief culprit in global warming.
TXU and its allies say Texas urgently needs more power to meet growing demand.
Tom "Smitty" Smith, director of the Texas office of Public Citizen, said the new hearing date will allow time for the Legislature to consider acting on the plants, although no legislation has been proposed so far.