Abilene Mayor Cannot Support Selling Water to Tenaska

In what (in my opinion) is a surprising announcement, Abilene Mayor, Norm Archibald, announced his opposition to the City of Abilene selling water to the Tenaska Trailblazer plant planned for near Sweetwater.

I don't know what this will mean to the Abilene City Council's actions scheduled for later this year, but it certainly adds a new wrinkle to the story. A public hearing is scheduled for July 29, 2010, and anyone interested in the outcome should consider attending.

You can also view Mayor Archibald's interview with KRBC and the KTAB live report of Mayor Archibald's announcement here.

Abilene City Council to Hold Hearing on Tenaska Water Request

The Abilene City Council will hold a public hearing on Tenaska's request to purchase water from the City of Abilene.

The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. at the Abilene Civic Center Conference Center.

Southwestern University Purchases Electricity Generated by Local Wind Energy

I have to plug my alma mater, Southwestern University, which became the first university in Texas to purchase all of its electricity from wind energy.

Read the story in the Abilene Reporter or at Southwestern's online newsroom.

Abilene City Council Holds Public Hearing on Tenaska Water Request

On December 3, 2009, the Abilene City Council held a public hearing on Tenaska's request to purchase almost 2 million gallons of treated waste water from the City of Abilene. The City Council took no action during the hearing, and will make the determination of whether to sell the water to Tenaska after the first of the year.

Proponents of selling the water to Tenaska touted the economic benefits and said the plant wouldn’t be detrimental to the environment.

Opponents said that the plant would hurt the environment and that the money the city would make from the sale wouldn’t offset the health dangers. They said the city shouldn’t sell water, even though it would gain hundreds of thousands of dollars each year from doing so.

Read full story in the Abilene Reporter News.

Tenaska Plant Could Add $146 Million to Local Economy

A proposed $3.5 billion coal-fired energy plant east of Sweetwater would add more than $146 million to the Abilene economy during its five years of construction, a study released today by the company shows.

Additionally, the study — conducted by J&A Consulting Group of Abilene — also concludes the Tenaska Trailblazer plant would mean an economic boost to the Abilene area of $1 million to $3 million annually during its 50-year operating life.

Read the full story in the Abilene Reporter News.