That's a mouthful.

The Lone Star Sierra Club is prodding Dallas utility TXU, now doing business as Luminant, to solidify its commitment to cancel applications to build eight new coal-fired power plants – made as part of its private-equity buyout deal earlier this year – by changing the permits’ dismissal status at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to dismissed “with prejudice” as opposed to “without prejudice,” as is stands now, which makes it easier to refile them, the Sierra Club says. TXU also recently applied to become part of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, a group of corporations calling for mandatory greenhouse-gas regulations. If accepted, it would join fellow megautility NRG Energy Inc. NRG and TXU operate the two worst greenhouse-gas polluting power plants in the state, dually ranked numbers 45 and 50 globally for CO2 pollution.
In other climate change news, six Midwestern states and one Canadian providence just signed the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord, a regional multisector cap-and-trade program. And finally, Rainforest Action Network reports thousands turned out in more than 50 cities nationwide last Friday to protest Citi and Bank of America’s investments in new coal-fired power plants and dirty coal extraction methods such as mountaintop-removal coal mining.

Like manna from black helicopter heaven, the Daily Kos alerts us to to a steamy crossover in the tin-foil hat universe:

John Zogby is polling for Ron Paul supporter and conspiracy theorist entrepreneur Alex Jones.

Which makes perfect sense when you thing about it. As the only Republican candidate with a – gasp! – reality-based foreign-policy platform (i.e., getting us the hell outta Iraq), Ron Paul's made waves. But the rest of his platform is two-clicks away (or less) from Jones' paranoiac bloviation. The following:

"So called free trade deals and world governmental organizations … are a threat to our independence as a nation. They transfer power from our government to unelected foreign elites,"

may sound like a rambling suited for your next survivalist potluck, but no – it's there in Paul's "On the Issues" page. But really, bravo to this synchronicity – what a rich, and heretofore untapped (to my knowledge), cross-demographic slice of crazy!

But wait – there's more!

What do Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton have in common? Both have been tarred with the brush of being advocates of socialized medicine. Admittedly, Romney hasn’t got to the point where he gets his own “Hillarycare” style moniker, but he’s being pummeled by his presidential primary opponents because of the health bill he signed into law while governor of Massachusetts. They’re decrying it as a flash of communism – which is baffling, because what both candidates have come up with is the antithesis of socialized medicine. It’s mandatory private insurance.

The Massachusetts law, which comes into effect on Dec. 31, says that all residents of the state have signed up for a private insurance plan or lose their state income tax personnel exemption. By comparison to Hillary’s proposals (which would give tax credits for insurance premiums and allow the uninsured to buy into Medicaid or the same private programs that are open to federal employees), Romney’s old plan actually has a more aggressive "big government" spin. Well, aggressive like a frisky Chihuahua.

After millionaire trial lawyer Mikal Watts dropped his Democratic candidacy for the U.S. Senate, Houston state Rep. Rick Noriega probably began gearing up for attacks from the right as he looked ahead to challenging Republican John Cornyn for his position as Texas’ junior U.S. Senator. Now he’ll have to put those preparations on hold while he fends off an attack from his left.

Corpus Christi high school social studies teacher Ray McMurrey announced his candidacy today in Austin for the Democratic nomination, saying he wants to be the Texan Paul Wellstone and “to reestablish the integrity of what I teach, and what American democracy is about, and who American democracy should serve.”

You Tube excerpts here, shot by the Houston Chronicle's R.G. Ratcliffe:

Local goo-goo gadfly and energy conservation proponent Paul Robbins points out the upcoming League of Women Voters Meetup With City Council and County Commissioners is open to the public – if you cough up 25 bucks, that is. Dismayed that the public's gotta pay to "to meet and exchange ideas with City Council Members and County Commissioners," Robbins writes Chronic with the following:

"The crusade for citizens to regain use of City Hall takes a strange twist. In this Chapter, citizens have to pay to see elected officials in a public building, but I cannot hold a press conference without permission. I don't think this is illegal, but it is not a shining populist moment."

Maybe not, but it sure is cheaper than buying dinner across the street at III Forks. Have you seen David Armbrust's expense tab lately? Ouch!

After the fold, more details on the LWV meetup.

After a run of speculation, Gov. Rick Perry has finally announced the date for the special election to replace the retired Anna Mowery in House District 97. The election will take place Dec. 18, with early voting Dec. 10-14.

The race will now pit first round winner, Democrat Dan Barrett, against his next-rated Republican, Mark Shelton. Bipartisan, pro-public-school political action committee Texas Parent has now endorsed Barrett, as has the League of Conservation Voters (for his support for tougher regulation of new power plant construction), the United Educators Association and a handful of other unions. Shelton, on the other hand, has got the National Rifle Association and the Texas State Rifle Association on his side.

Of course, it could all be a little moot. The run-off winner would only hold the seat until the 2009 regular session, and with no obvious special session in sight, it would take a committee appointment to make this more than an honorific placeholder win, or a stepping stone to the 2008 general election. Still, the Downtown parking is always nice.

Houston state Rep. Rick Noriega won’t have a clean shot at the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate after all – Corpus Christi high school teacher Ray McMurrey announced Tuesday that he is throwing his hat in the ring, as well. Although on the Democratic ballot, he says he’s running as a "populist independent." "I feel like I’m the only real progressive in the race,” McMurrey told the Chronicle.

McMurrey will officially announce his candidacy today at the home of D'Ann Johnson and Alan Pogue, 1604 E. 11th, at 2pm.

The winner of the Noriega-McMurrey (and theoretically, possibly more candidates) race will then challenge Republican incumbent John Cornyn.

The Corpus Christi Caller-Times has been reporting on the saga of major Democratic donor Mauricio Celis, who was indicted Friday on charges of theft, perjury, impersonating a lawyer, and impersonating a police officer. On Monday, the Caller-Times reports, Celis surrendered to police and bail has been set at $50,000. Celis is accused of improperly making legal referrals, including at least a couple to San Antonio trial lawyer Mikal Watts, who was a candidate for U.S. Senate until last month. Watts stated his reason for leaving the race was the toll the campaign was taking on his young children, but there has been speculation that he bailed because of the connection to Celis. Watts has denied that Celis' troubles played any role in his decision.

So stoked to hear that one of this century's best actors will give the story of Harvey Milk the justice it deserves. From Spicoli to a dead man walking to a special Beatles fan, Sean Penn has had range, depth, and soul. All needed for his upcoming role in Gus Van Sant's "Milk, the story of the country's first out-and-vocal gay politician, who was assassinated in 1978, because of his vibrant, unabashed self-awareness.

It's refreshing to tell the stories we need to tell.