Two-thirds of Texans oppose the construction of new proposed coal-fired power plants, with 47% strongly opposing, while an overwhelming 81% reject Governor Perry’s executive order to fast-track the plants’ permits, according to a survey of 600 randomly selected Texas residents released Dec. 6 by the Environmental Integrity Project. The survey, conducted by Opinion Research Corporation, a global polling organization, even addressed factors such as political party affiliation – finding that only 22% of Republicans favored Perry’s fast-tracking tactics. While 82% of respondents voiced concern about the increased health risks associated with the plants, 47% said they are “not aware at all” of Governor Perry’s fast-track orders. Additionally, 74% of Texans would prefer to see major conservation efforts undertaken to offset a significant portion of the electricity that’s required from the new coal plants, according to the study. “Texans do not want to see the state shortchange the deliberate review that should take place to determine what would be very serious environmental and health downsides of these needlessly dirty power sources,” said EIP Counsel Ilan Levin. Former EPA Regulatory Enforcement Director Eric Schaeffer founded the EIP in 2002 after he resigned in protest of Bush Administration efforts to weaken the Clean Air Act and other environmental laws. “To say that Governor Perry has no mandate from the public for his plan to rubber stamp these dirty power plants may be the understatement of the year,” Levin said.

In her nearly forgotten capacity as state comptroller, Carole Keeton Strayhorn just released "Undocumented Immigrants in Texas: A Financial Analysis of the Impact to the State Budget and Economy." Strayhorn says it's the "first time any state has done a comprehensive financial analysis of the impact of undocumented immigrants on a state's budget and economy, looking at gross state product, revenues generated, taxes paid and the cost of state services."

Cutting to the juicy stuff, her statement continues: "The absence of the estimated 1.4 million undocumented immigrants in Texas in fiscal 2005 would have been a loss to our gross state product of $17.7 billion. Undocumented immigrants produced $1.58 billion in state revenues, which exceeded the $1.16 billion in state services they received. However, local governments bore the burden of $1.44 billion in uncompensated health care costs and local law enforcement costs not paid for by the state."

The report is available at the comptroller's Web site here.

What? Another Inauguration?
Rick got elected,
Now he wants to have a ball.
Aw, do we have to?

Reality Bites
Unfortunately,
The date is already set.
There's no turning back.

Don't Forget Ice
This is all for Rick.
We mustn't disappoint him.
Pretend to have fun.

Xanax at Work
Who is Rick, anyway?
Just some guy in jeans and chaps.
He has pretty hair.

Our Future Governor?
Pretty much like Dewhurst.
Except Dewhurst is nicer.
And has more money.

Save the Date
Oh, about that ball.
It's January 16.
Why do I feel blue?

The Texas Country Reporter has been at it for a while; I remember seeing his down-home dispatches covering the state ever since I was a child. Well the show isn't resting on its laurels; they've got a pretty sizable YouTube presence, which is where we found this alternately alluring and terrifying video: a restaurant in Snook, Texas which serves chicken-fried bacon.

We repeat: Chicken. Fried. Bacon.

Citizen's communications today brought a bit of disheartening news: it sounded like perennial local candidate and homeless advocate Jennifer Gale announced she was moving to Dallas to run for mayor. With the Dem wave washing over Big D, hopefully her political fortunes will rise faster there. Probably not, but you never know. Hopefully she'll keep us apprised on her campaign Web site.

Here's another interesting bit of Galeanalia, from the world's most accurate encyclopedia (so take it with a grain of salt): In 2004, Leslie Cochran challenged Gale "to a debate at the University of Texas student union on the topic of who should best represent the homeless. Gale declined to participate unless given $50 of food from the Wendy's restaurant inside the union. The event organizers declined."

UPDATE: A reliable source emails that Gale moved here from the Big D, and has made her mayoral intentions known there before. It still doesn't make it any easier...

For those of you jonesin' for more Mart, yours truly has a run-down of the council debate last week in Beside the Point, while Katherine Gregor traces the history and future of the controversial project in Developing Stories.

With Futrell recusing herself from the Wal-Mart case, due to "rumor" of a conflict of interest (some rumor), we hearken back to a quote from her earlier this year. Astute readers may remember that Bill Moriarty, former head of the Austin Clean Water Program, was ousted by Futrell over what she characterized as perception of a conflict of interest.

The offending passage, from the pages of the Chronicle (It should be noted this ran in Michael King's column less than a week after submission of the Northcross site plan, and Futrell's COI filing):

"Whatever the contractual details, Futrell said, it would appear to the public that "under the program that he manages, he was in a position to influence the hiring of the person that he was living with.

"To me," the city manager continued, "that raises a judgment issue, that raises a conflict of interest issue, and that raises a realm of influence issue. ... These are high-level principles with a whole host of ramifications." Faced with that apparent situation, says Futrell, the city had no choice but to go to Earth Tech and request that it replace Moriarty."

Familiar, no?

With all the hubbub here at Chronic HQ, we almost forgot the news. The Spring Condominiums open their sure-to-be-luxe marketing center today at 5:30pm. Be a part of the first condo wave downtown, while they're still expensive!

Press release after the jump, along with some more contemplative words on the condominium Waste Land.

In what will hopefully be the day's last smattering of Wal-Martritude, we see that Responsible Growth for Northcross has a newly redesigned Web site, complete with a blog, a Cafe Press store, and downloads for signs, bumper-stickers and "the Top 10 Reasons Why Wal-Mart Is Wrong for Northcross."

You know, people always say Wal-Mart leeches money out of local communities, but judging by the little cottage industry they've created, they're already giving back!

p.s.: "The City Hall demonstration will be December 14. Tentatively at noon. Check back regularly for updates." Yowsa!

In Austin, sometimes it's déjà vu all over again...

Take our wild and wooly Wal-Mart quiz!!! Roll-back your thinking caps and fill in the blanks in this statement from the mayor! For extra points, name when it was made!

"I am not opposed to Wal-Mart doing business in Austin. Under the right circumstances, they are a welcome addition to our local economy. But with regard to Wal-Mart’s proposed store development at choose from (a,b,c,d) inside, my message to Wal-Mart is clear and simple: “The proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter development ... is in the wrong place, and now it is entirely up to Wal-Mart to make the right choice and locate the project elsewhere.”

"I want to emphasize that although the City of Austin has no legal recourse to prevent the proposed development of a Wal-Mart Supercenter at ???, I, as Mayor, will continue to vigorously represent to the corporate leadership of Wal-Mart the opinion that I share with many in Austin: ??? is not ... suited for large-scale retail."