One of the biggest local stories right now is a proposed coal-fired power plant near the town of Riesel. The argument is between local residents allied with environmentalists and local residents allied with the coal industry. One side says that the plant will pollute the other says we should give millions in tax abatements to build this plant because it will mean jobs.
Right now, I can tell you they are both wrong.
First off, screw the environment. There, I said it. The truth is that the biggest concern of environmentalists in this instance has been air quality and I just don't see this plant as being a problem. In terms of local air, at least. This isn't a canyon and we're not surrounded by mountains. There's not going to be a layer of smog over Greater Waco if this plant gets built. The thing that should be a bigger concern would be mercury poisoning the local water and fish. The water is already fucked anyway and I wouldn't eat a fish caught within a 100 miles of here. What is this plant going to do, make the fish even more deadly?
And the people clamoring to get jobs at all costs, even at the expense of the local water and food, are just fools. It is that kind of thinking that got us problems with environmental issues in the first place.
No. The reason to oppose this plant is because it is a stupid idea.
I'll tell you why, too. Because coal is non-renewable. And as we're learning with oil, things get expensive when they get rare, and coal is at or near its peak. That means it is all downhill from here. Can you really say you would build a business that you know will eventually be prohibitively expensive to run?
Seriously, with coal and oil, the longer your business is around, the closer it is to being out of business. That is just a stupid way of going about things. With coal, we have what, maybe 50 years until we're out, if that? Why spend all that money to build a power plant you know is going to have to be replaced in the next few decades.
The thing that makes the most economic sense is to build something that produces electricity using renewable resources. Everyday, electricity from wind and solar farms gets closer to the customer's grasp. Why not get on the bandwagon early so we can get the party started?