Southwestern Electric Power Co. announced this week it was dropping plans to build a $4.5 billion wind farm in Oklahoma after Texas regulators gave a thumbs down.
SWEPCO says the facility would have provided "clean energy" at a lower cost to customers, including those in Texarkana.
The Texas Public Utilities Commission rejected the plan, with the Wall Street Journal quoting Chairman DeAnn Walker as saying, "I don't believe that the benefits are there for the ratepayers."
"The benefits are based on a lot of assumptions that are questionable," she added.
The plan had already been approved by federal regulators and those in Arkansas and Louisiana.
We want to know what you think. Do you agree with the Texas PUC that the benefits of the wind farm are questionable? Or do you think the decision was shortsighted and such a facility would provide long-term benefits to consumers?
Send your response (50 words maximum) to [email protected] by Wednesday, Aug. 8. You can also mail your response to the Texarkana Gazette Friday Poll, at P.O. Box 621, Texarkana, TX 75504 or drop it off at our office, 101 E. Broad St, Texarkana, Ark. Be sure to include your name, address and phone number. We will print as many responses as we can in next Friday's paper.
Last Week: Red River Mining?
Last week's question was about plans to mine sand from the Red River for fracking operations elsewhere. Do you support plans to mine sand from the Red River? Or do you have environmental or other concerns?
Anything that brings jobs and income to an area is good. Should not be any negative environmental impact for that area. It will bring increased tax revenue for the Fouke School District which will be welcomed. As far as the other taxes generated for the County, how much of that money will the Judge elect and the Quorum Court keep and spend in southern Miller County. We don't get much south of the Sulphur River.-J.S., Doddridge, Ark.
From www.facebook.com/texarkanagazette
- It doesn't surprise me. Anything good that could happen the people just see to it that it won't happen. For this reason Arkansas will always remain a poor state.
- I don't live in Arkansas. But! I would sell them my sand.
- Fracking is not good for the environment and results in various side effects drinking water contamination, methane pollution, sink holes, earthquakes, gas explosions, etc. Fracking should be outlawed, not supported.
- It's too close to the Louisiana line, let them worry about it. Just hope the trucks head south, east or west.
- Yes dredge and mine sand from RR it will help reduce future flooding.
- Not a fan of fracking environmental reasons, earthquakes, waste products but sand dredging needs to be done to keep shipping channels open.
- How long will it take? Will this be in operation for a couple of weeks, or will this take years?
- What did everyone forget about Samsand it's in Garland this is what they have been doing for the past 10 years so what's it really matter it someone else comes in an does the same thing.
- Oh God, I can just imagine what the roads will look like after this
- Arkansas politicians practically give away our natural resources for the sake of temporary low-paying jobs. These companies have turned south Arkansas into a wasteland then they move on. Our roads are in horrible shape, our streams polluted and we see acre after acre of clear-cut.
- Drill baby drill!