November 2012PDF 5.57 MB - South Plains Electric Cooperative

ILLUSTRATION BY CARL WIENS
CURRENTS
More on Wind
Wind power is not all clean and
economically friendly energy. It is
heavily subsidized by the U.S. and
Texas governments. Otherwise no
company would invest in the projects.
They involve the massive
destruction of trees—mowed down
to make way for hundreds of miles
of transmission lines. Land use and
the privacy of hundreds of
landowners are taken for the lines.
Neighbors are affected by the view
of wind generators and the hundreds
of transmission towers. They
are not compensated or even
asked.
JOHN VAN MOORT | PEDERNALES EC
Water Issues
The “Water for All?” [August] issue
should be read by everyone in
Texas. Water is a critical issue, and
changes in attitude and laws need
to be made now. Our groundwater
districts were created to protect our
well water, yet the rule of capture
allows the districts to be sued if
they impose water withdrawal
limitations on large users.
TERRY FENDER | COOKE COUNTY ECA
I have just read the article written
by Andrew Sansom in your August
magazine. To say that I was
shocked is an understatement. I
take exception to the paragraph
that reads: “In this regard most
water rights in Texas are dedicated
to agricultural use for irrigation,
and much remains antiquated and
inefficient. The inefficiency magnifies
a conundrum. While so much
water is committed to agriculture, a
section of our economy that is basically
flat, municipal growth is
booming and thus producing the
greatest future demands for water.”
Letters, emails and posts from our readers
Wind Energy
Regarding “The Windup …” [August], it is essential to understand
another side to wind energy.
It is highly variable and produces the least in the late summer
when air conditioning-related demand peaks. That means
91 percent of the wind capacity has to be backed up by other,
more reliable sources of generation, such as natural gas.
It is highly dependent on subsidies. The industry predicts
dire consequences if the federal tax credit of 2.2 cents per
kilowatt-hour is not extended beyond 2012. Wind energy production
also receives renewable energy credits as the result of
the state-mandated renewable energy portfolio standard. At
the local level, county and school district property tax abatements
are common.
Installations are massive. One of the number of wind farms
in the Abilene/Sweetwater area covers nearly 100,000 acres.
Ratepayers, not wind developers, will pay for the $6.9 billion
grid transmission system that will move wind energy
from remote areas in West Texas and the Panhandle to metropolitan areas.
Hopefully, this information will contribute to a more balanced view of
the potential of wind power.
ROBERT WEATHERFORD, PRESIDENT, SAVE OUR SCENIC HILL COUNTRY ENVIRONMENT | CENTRAL TEXAS EC
Editor’s note: A longer version of this letter is at TexasCoopPower.com.
To say most of the water rights
are for agriculture is wrong. Cities
have large permits for water. While
taking a shot at agriculture, he says
nothing about millions of homes in
cities wasting water with inefficient
water systems to water carpet grass
and fill swimming pools. Lastly he
dismisses agriculture as a waste of
water. I wonder if he realizes a
good portion of the food he eats
comes from Texas agriculture?
As a co-op, formed to supply
rural customers, I can’t believe you
would print such a one-sided article.
PERRY DONOP | CENTRAL TEXAS EC
It is irresponsible not to educate
readers about the water contamina-
tion and obscene use of freshwater
in hydraulic fracturing, also known
as fracking. The process injects a
mixture of water, chemicals and
sand underground to create fractures
through which natural gas can
flow for collection.
Fracking requires millions of gallons
of freshwater for each well. The
water will be contaminated with
chemicals and cannot be cleaned
and reclaimed for safe drinking.
Instead it is injected under extreme
pressure into wastewater wells.
These wells can cause great risk for
further groundwater contamination
and have been associated with the
many minor earthquakes Texans are
experiencing.
LANE GOSNAY | FAYETTE EC
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TEXAS CO-OP POWER VOLUME 69, NUMBER 5 (USPS 540-560). Texas Co-op Power is published monthly by Texas Electric Cooperatives (TEC). Periodical Postage Paid at Austin, TX and at additional offices. TEC is the
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TexasCoopPower.com November 2012 Texas Co-op Power 5