Some 300 Telfair Residents Reject Nearby Power Plant Construction

SUGAR LAND: In a tense and charged meeting to discuss the effects of a Gas Power Plant in Sugar
Land, more than 300 residents told City Mayor Joe Zimmerman that they don’t want the plant to be constructed close to their homes. Telfair HOA had organized the meeting on 5th September in Sugar Land Museum to let residents speak with the City Mayor & Councilors. The prime reason for the residents to oppose the plant is the detrimental effect on their health due to pollution from the plant.

Mayor Joe Zimmerman said that the plant was being considered to tackle the power shortages and will only operate 30% of the time to supply power at time of peak power demand. He also said that the plans are in the initial stage and most of the environmental studies are yet to be done. However, an overwhelming majority of the residents didn’t
want the polluting power plant and suggested many alternative ways to deal with the issue.

Telfair HOA President, Sanjay Singhal, who moderated the session, told the mayor that a polling of Telfair residents showed that over 86% of the Telfair residents oppose the plant. He requested the City Council to stop the project now or put it on ballot for Sugar Land residents to determine the way forward. Some experts from medical field who spoke at the Go Pro!e plant highlighted the increased chances of Cancer and other diseases due to the pollution from the plant. Many residents expressed the concern that the city is prioritizing profit over people and appealed to the
City council to listen to people’s demand and stop the project. The meeting was marked by frequent clapping and booing. As the meeting progressed, the chanting to stop the plant grew louder, resulting in Mayor Joe Zimmerman and the Council member abruptly leaving the room with a police escort. Residents expressed their disappointment on how the City leaders walked out on the residents.

A similar meeting in New Territory 2 weeks ago witnessed the same feeling by the residents and City staff walked out of that meeting also abruptly. It is yet to be seen if the City will listen to the residents and stop the plans for the
power plant or will move ahead with their plans. — Sanjay Singhal, President, Telfair HOA