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Supporting Community Opposition to Polluting Methane Gas Power Plants

Public Citizen has a long history of supporting communities that are opposed to the development of polluting industries that threaten public health. In the early 2000s, when state leaders were pushing coal as a solution to reliability concerns, Public Citizen partnered with Texans with the prospect of new coal-burning power plants breaking ground in their communities. We listened to their concerns, researched permit applications, shared information, and helped line up legal representation.  

Now, we’re faced with a Gas Rush supported by state leadership in the name of reliability.  

The Texas Energy Fund provides $5 billion in low-interest loans and substantial completion grants for methane gas-burning electric generation.  On the surface, the TEF sounds like an investment in energy generation. In reality, it’s doubling down on the grid’s dependence on methane gas, the fossil fuel that failed to keep the lights on during Winter Storm Uri.

On August 29, 2024, the Public Utility Commission selected 17 projects totaling 9,781 megawatts (MW) to receive this taxpayer funding. The Commission received applications for 72 projects totaling 38,379 MW. And some of those projects that weren’t selected for state funding are still planning to move forward. One project initially selected for financing from the Texas Energy Funding was subsequently disqualified due to inaccurately listing another company as a partner

See the Texas Gas Rush projects currently tracked by Public Citizen

These plants bring health risks to the communities where they are built. Studies show that generating plants running on fossil fuels causes worse health outcomes for the people living nearby. That’s why, across the state, communities are organizing to fight back, 

Local Opposition

This grand plan to expand methane gas-burning power generation is already facing opposition.  

SUGAR LAND: Residents oppose a proposed 148 MW gas plant that wasn’t selected for Texas Energy Fund financing but is still potentially moving forward. Learn More

GRANBURY: Residents oppose a 300 MW gas plant selected for financing from the Texas Energy Fund.  
Learn More

LEE COUNTY: Residents oppose a 1,200 MW gas plant that applied for but did not receive funding from the Texas Energy Fund. A local protest group, Move the Gas Plant Committee, has been challenging this plant.
Learn More

KERRVILLE: Residents oppose a 124 MW gas plant selected for financing from the Texas Energy Fund. This peaker plant will be planned to be built in Colorado County, which is west of Houston. Guadalupe Riverkeeper, based in Kerrville, is interested in challenging this plant, but we are not connected to any group locally in Colorado County that is challenging this plant.
Learn More

CORPUS CHRISTI: Residents, led by CHISPA Texas, are opposing two proposed natural gas plants, an ENGIE Flexible Generation NA LLC 885 MW plant and a Howard Power Generation 271 MW plant, both of which were selected for financing from the Texas Energy Fund.
Learn More

CPS ENERGY: Residents oppose two natural gas peaking units totaling 444 MW. There are no locations confirmed yet, but CPS has said it is considering sites in Laredo, Corpus Christi, and near the South Texas Power Station.
Learn More 

Cause for Concern

AIR POLLUTION: Methane gas production, processing, transport and combustion are significant sources of air pollution. Most communities opposing local gas plant proposals are primarily concerned with local air pollution from the power plant. Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are one of the big concerns. NOx is a harmful air pollutant that reacts with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to create ground-level ozone. NOx and ground-level ozone can cause and worsen respiratory illnesses such as asthma. NOx is also a cause of acid rain and haze. Even more dangerous air pollution is often emitted at wellheads and methane processing facilities.  

WATER: Water use and water pollution are inextricably linked with methane gas. Fracking is responsible for 80 billion gallons of water use annually in Texas, often in arid and semi-arid areas with very limited water supplies. The disposal of fracking wastewater causes toxic contamination of water and land, resulting in various health problems, including birth defects. Methane gas-burning steam turbines use an average of 2,803 gallons of water per megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity produced.   

CLIMATE CHANGE: While methane gas power generation is often touted as the bridge fuel between coal and a renewable energy future, using more methane gas will worsen the climate crisis. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and a key driver of climate change. While burning methane produces much less carbon dioxide (CO2) than coal, methane released directly into the atmosphere causes 87 times more warming over a 20-year period than CO2. And a lot of methane is leaking directly into the atmosphere – so much that there’s no climate benefit to replacing coal with gas. 

HOW TO TAKE ACTION

    1. PERMIT NOTIFICATIONS: Sign up to receive email notifications for air emissions permits in your county (or any Texas county) using AirMail. This is the best way to ensure you don’t miss a permit application for a polluting facility near you.
    2. TEXAS ENERGY FUND LIST: Look at the map of projects selected for financing (and grants) through the Texas Energy Fund and other gas plant proposals. Even if they haven’t submitted permit applications, these projects are among the most likely to move forward because the state offers cheap and free money to help them.
    3. SUBMIT COMMENT/REQUEST CONTESTED CASE HEARING:

Submit a comment opposing the permit and request a contested case hearing before the deadline listed on the permit application notice. A contested case hearing is a legal process for challenging a permit application. Requests for a contested case hearing must:

  1. Be timely;
  2. List and affected party (ideally living or working within a mile or two of the proposed facility, but recreational use of the area could also be grounds and
  3. List how the affected party would be harmed by the proposed facility.