Aug 26, 2006 2:33 pm US/Central
TXU's Donations To Perry Raise Questions
AUSTIN (AP) ―
Utility provider TXU donated $5,000 to Gov. Rick Perry's campaign in November, just a few weeks after Perry signed an executive order speeding up state permitting for coal-fired power plants.
TXU's retired chairman, Erle Nye, also gave the Perry campaign $2,000 the day the order was signed Oct. 27 and another $25,000 in April.
That month, Perry and TXU executives jointly announced the company's plan to build 11 new coal-burning power plants, mostly in East and Central Texas. The proposal has sparked opposition from environmentalists who say the units will increase air pollution.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell criticized the fast-tracking of permits for the coal-fired plants Friday, saying Perry was overly influenced by "polluters who write big campaign checks.
Perry spokesman Robert Black said Saturday that the November donation from TXU's political action committee was one of several $5,000 donations received from the same event in Dallas.
"The latest conspiracy theory ... doesn't hold any water because the fact is this donation was from a fundraiser," said Black. "We received 150 donations at that event."
Black said the speedier permitting process doesn't relax environmental protections, but instead cuts in half the time that administrative law judges can take to complete a contested case.
"Governor Perry has one of the best records in the nation on the environment," Black said. "Donors that give to him recognize that he's very fair in his approach to protecting the environment. He's not an environmental extremist like Bell and his followers."
Dallas-based TXU had previously donated $16,000 to Perry in 2002 and 2003.
Nye, who retired as TXU chairman in June 2005 and was appointed to the Texas A&M University Board of Regents by Perry, has given the governor $148,000 since Perry took office.
TXU spokeswoman Kimberly Morgan said the contributions simply show the company's support for the political process.
"TXU sees this as an opportunity to take a proactive role in maintaining relationships with our leaders to develop public policy," she said.
Tom "Smitty" Smith, Texas director of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, said utilities are trying to rush approval of new power plants before the courts can rule on whether they should consider less-polluting facilities.
"The fast-tracking of these plants is due to a secret deal between Gov. Rick Perry and TXU last October," Smith said.
TXU officials and members of the governor's staff met about two weeks before Perry's order was issued. Morgan said she didn't know if the proposed coal plants were discussed.
"There is a drastic need for more power (in Texas)," she said. "We're in the power business."
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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