Bay City Tribune

Matagorda County rice farmers and representatives from Public Citizen have formed action groups to oppose the progress of White Stallion Energy Center.

The two groups met Thursday, Feb. 4, at the Bay City Service Center to discuss issues concerning the proposed energy center and to form an action plan.

Smitty Smith, Public Citizen Texas director, and Ryan Rittenhouse, Public Citizen Texas coal block assistant, offered their help to work with farmers in any action they chose to take to oppose a White Stallion LCRA firm water permit.

"Talking with a bunch of people around here, they suggested that perhaps the biggest economic impact of this plant would be on the rice farmers and the associated agricultural industries in this part of the world," said Smith.

"As we began to take a look at story after story coming out about the drought, it became pretty clear to us that the impact of this, in terms of the local community, was probably going to be felt most in terms of what it did to ya'll by interrupting your water flow and your ability to continue growing rice in this part of the world."

Smith explained that White Stallion, along with two other proposed power plants - STP's expansion in Wadsworth and a similar coal-fired plant in Corpus Christi - would pull well over 100,000 acre-feet of water from the lower Colorado river basin per year.

According to LCRA statistics, there are only 43,000 acre-feet of unreserved firm water in the river basin, White Stallion would remove 36,000 acre-feet alone.

"When you get more industry down here that wants firm water, eventually, they're going to take it from us," said Paul Sliva, Matagorda County rice farmer.

"The problem is fresh water is too rare to use to create power with. That's our problem. There's just not enough fresh water. If they want to use brackish water then that would be better."

Haskell Simon, Matagorda County rice farmer and water issues consultant, said from his understanding, if LCRA had firm water that was yet to be unallocated, they could do very little to withhold the contract.

Smith told the farmers, from his experience, it would be easier to win a battle over a firm water permit with LCRA than with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

"Having done this now for over 25 years, I'd rather be in a fight with LCRA because I've got a shot at winning there than with TCEQ where my shot is much narrower," said Smith.

"So I think there's an opportunity there to do something about it."

Sliva volunteered lead the farmer's advisory board in an effort to stay in touch with the LCRA board of directors and local public officials regarding their opposition.

"As rice farmers and water users we need to let our public officials know how we feel about this," said Sliva.

Harley Savage, Matagorda County rice farmer, said he thought opposing the water permit would be the best way to stop the energy center's progress.

"If we cut their water off, we cut their head off," he said.

Clive Runnells, Matagorda County rice farmer, volunteered to lead a group that would set up meetings with Senators Glenn Hegar and Joan Huffman - both members of the Sunset Review Committee - to make them understand the ill effects they believe White Stallion would have on the agricultural industry and environmental health.

Army Corps of Engineers is taking public comments on White Stallion's application to dredge the Colorado River about eight miles south of Bay City for the plant to put in barge loading docks.

Smith told the group that making comments in the form of opposition letters to the Army Corps of Engineers would be another effective way to have the project stalled due to lack of permitting for their needed infrastructure.

Rittenhouse told the farmers to make weekly calls to their public officials and send letters on a regular basis.

"Time after time we've seen these guys just go away because the people have stood up and fought," said Smith.