September 25, 2013

Shell announces Gulf Coast site for potential multibillion-dollar plant

Royal Dutch Shell has picked a site in Louisiana for a plant costing at least $12.5 billion that would turn natural gas into diesel, jet fuel and other liquids, the Louisiana governor’s office announced Tuesday.

Shell said the project, which is no sure thing, could help to harness more domestic natural gas to make transportation fuels. The company will continue to consider the option before making an investment decision at the site in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, according to the news release.

The plant would offer the benefit of displacing oil used to make fuels and other products and lowering emissions, since Shell says liquids produced from natural gas burn cleaner than those produced from oil.

It also would create at least 740 direct jobs with an average salary of $100,000, as well as at least 3,900 indirect jobs, according to the announcement. Louisiana State University estimates the project would have an economic impact of $77.6 billion over the construction period and the first 15 years of operation of the plant, according to the press release.

More at http://fuelfix.com/blog/2013/09/24/shell-selects-louisiana-for-possible-12-5-billion-plant/ .

Cross-posted to Environment & Energy Group.

September 25, 2013

World's largest wind farm coming to Hale County

Hale County is slated to become the site of the world’s largest wind farm, a recently formed energy partnership has announced.

Hale Community Energy says it plans to erect between 500 and 650 wind turbines on more than 122,000 acres within the next few years.

That pencils out to about 190 square miles. By comparison, Lubbock’s current city limits encompass about 124 square miles.

Four smaller wind-energy projects — Hale County Wind Farm, CottonWind Farms, Lakeview Wind Farms and East Mound Renewable Energy Project — together comprise the new, larger one. The project has the potential to generate 1,100 megawatts of renewable energy, according to Tri Global Energy, its parent company.

More at http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/2013-09-24/worlds-largest-wind-farm-coming-hale-county .

Cross-posted to Texas Group.

September 25, 2013

World's largest wind farm coming to Hale County

Hale County is slated to become the site of the world’s largest wind farm, a recently formed energy partnership has announced.

Hale Community Energy says it plans to erect between 500 and 650 wind turbines on more than 122,000 acres within the next few years.

That pencils out to about 190 square miles. By comparison, Lubbock’s current city limits encompass about 124 square miles.

Four smaller wind-energy projects — Hale County Wind Farm, CottonWind Farms, Lakeview Wind Farms and East Mound Renewable Energy Project — together comprise the new, larger one. The project has the potential to generate 1,100 megawatts of renewable energy, according to Tri Global Energy, its parent company.

More at http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/2013-09-24/worlds-largest-wind-farm-coming-hale-county .

Cross-posted to Environment & Energy Group.

September 25, 2013

Federal Judge Still Overseeing Discrimination Case After Bizarre Race Remarks

U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes

A federal judge in Houston who made bizarre remarks during a hearing on a racial discrimination case he’s overseeing will not step down. A 5th Circuit ruling last week, rejecting a petition to have Hughes recused from the case, appears to be the final word on the matter.

Jitendra Shah, an Indian-American engineer, sued the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in July 2012, alleging that the agency had discriminated against him on the basis of his race and religion. Shah wants U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes, a 72-year-old Reagan appointee, to recuse himself from the case because of comments Hughes made during a December pre-trial hearing.

In that ex parte hearing, during which only TDCJ lawyers were present, Hughes launched into a colloquy on Adolf Hitler’s use of swastikas, the origin of Caucasians and the futility of diversity programs at universities. He quoted Eleanor Roosevelt opining that “staffs of one color always work better.” It is not the first time Hughes’ views on race during discrimination cases have attracted attention. In January, the 5th Circuit admonished Hughes for dismissing a racist slur as “political” and opining that “no black individually and no blacks collectively owns [sic] the sensitivity rights to fried chicken or anything else.”

In January, Shah asked Hughes to recuse himself from the case, arguing that the judge had demonstrated bias and couldn’t rule on the case impartially. Hughes refused to rule on the motion and Shah took the matter to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Last week, the 5th Circuit rejected Shah’s petition and Hughes remains on the case. In a filing with the court, the judge defended his remarks. “Discussion of history and race does not evince a bias against people who are Indian, Hindu, both, or anyone else,” he wrote.

More at http://www.texasobserver.org/federal-judge-still-overseeing-discrimination-case-bizarre-race-remarks/ .

September 25, 2013

Coppell Dad Starts Small Organ Donation Charity, Rewards Himself With Six-Figure Salary

This is what 13-year-old Taylor Storch left behind when she died in a skiing accident three years ago: a heart, which went on to beat in the chest of a 39-year-old mother in Arizona; two kidneys, which saved two separate people in Colorado; two corneas, which helped restore sight to two others. In other words, life.

That, ostensibly at least, is what's being referred to by Coppell-based Taylor's Gift, the foundation her parents established in her memory. Alternately, it could be interpreted as another byproduct of Taylor's legacy: a handsome, six-figure salary for dad.

According to tax documents filed for 2011, the most recent year available, Todd Storch earned $100,000 per year as the foundation's president and collected another $8,500 in expenses.

For the head of a small nonprofit, that salary is high. For the director of a small nonprofit that had total revenues of $163,000 for that year, that figure is astronomical.

More at http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2013/09/coppell_dad_starts_small_organ.php .

[font color=green]Profiting off the death of a daughter-->disgusting![/font]

September 25, 2013

(Dallas) DART Delays Vote on Domestic Partner Benefits After Board Members Walk Out in Protest

At some point, after a year-plus of hand-wringing and delays, the push for DART to offer benefits to the domestic partners of employees took on an air of inevitability. Two weeks ago, the DART board's administrative committee overwhelmingly voted to move forward with a "plus-one" plan, allowing unmarried employees to cover one unrelated adult. On Tuesday, DART's committee of the whole, comprised of all 15 board members, did the same, all but ensuring final passage at the regular DART board meeting later in the day.

But then, board members Michael Cheney and Randall Chrisman walked out, leaving the already depleted board without the 10-person quorum required to take a vote.

Chrisman, a commercial real estate broker appointed to the board by the cities of Carrollton and Irving, couched his opposition in terms of legal and financial uncertainties.

He told The Dallas Morning News that the "plus-one" police was an attempt to "get around the law" and that he's concerned about the impact of rising healthcare costs on the agency.

More at http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2013/09/dart_delays_decision_on_domest.php .

Cross-posted at Texas Group.

September 25, 2013

DART Delays Vote on Domestic Partner Benefits After Board Members Walk Out in Protest

At some point, after a year-plus of hand-wringing and delays, the push for DART to offer benefits to the domestic partners of employees took on an air of inevitability. Two weeks ago, the DART board's administrative committee overwhelmingly voted to move forward with a "plus-one" plan, allowing unmarried employees to cover one unrelated adult. On Tuesday, DART's committee of the whole, comprised of all 15 board members, did the same, all but ensuring final passage at the regular DART board meeting later in the day.

But then, board members Michael Cheney and Randall Chrisman walked out, leaving the already depleted board without the 10-person quorum required to take a vote.

Chrisman, a commercial real estate broker appointed to the board by the cities of Carrollton and Irving, couched his opposition in terms of legal and financial uncertainties.

He told The Dallas Morning News that the "plus-one" police was an attempt to "get around the law" and that he's concerned about the impact of rising healthcare costs on the agency.

More at http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2013/09/dart_delays_decision_on_domest.php .

Cross-posted at LGBT Group.

September 25, 2013

Feds, Jindal clash over possible resolution of school vouchers suit

The U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday its controversial lawsuit over Gov. Bobby Jindal's school voucher initiative could be resolved quickly now that Louisiana has agreed to provide key documents about a program that might have reversed desegregation gains in 13 school systems. Jindal called the feds' announcement a "PR stunt" and repeated his demand that they drop the suit altogether.

The two sides are set to meet in court Nov. 22 to discuss what the Justice Department calls two still-unresolved questions, in a case that has become a national flashpoint for debate over both private school vouchers and Jindal's political ambitions. Justice's announcement came in an open letter from Peter Kadzik, principal deputy assistant attorney general, to U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, who last week asked the department to reconsider its petition.

Officially called the Louisiana Scholarship Program, the state's voucher law lets low-income students in public schools with low scores attend participating private schools, mostly at taxpayer expense. In the current school year, about 8,000 students were given vouchers capped at about $8,500.

The Justice Department petition, filed in U.S. Eastern District Court in New Orleans, seeks to bar the state from automatically assigning vouchers next year to students in 34 school systems that are under long-standing school desegregation orders. That's about half the school systems in the state. The affected systems include Plaquemines, St. John the Baptist and St. Tammany parishes.

More at http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2013/09/feds_jindal_clash_over_possibl.html#incart_river_default .

September 25, 2013

Craig James threatens legal action over Fox Sports firing

Attorneys representing former NFL running back and Republican senatorial candidate Craig James said on Tuesday they are prepared to proceed with legal action against Fox Sports unless it takes steps to return James to the air as a college football analyst on Fox Sports Southwest.

Liberty Institute, a Plano law firm that specializes in religious freedom cases, said in a three-page letter sent Tuesday to Fox Sports officials that the network committed “a severe violation of Mr. James’ religious liberty” by hiring and then dismissing him based on lifestyle-related comments made during his 2012 campaign for a U.S. Senate seat.

“Fox Sports has an opportunity here to resolve this in a friendly way and get this behind everybody, and we are hopeful that is what is going to happen,” said Hiram Sasser, an attorney with Liberty Institute. “We are not interested in the blame game. We’re interested in resolving the issue and getting Craig back on the air.”

-snip-

During a candidates’ debate during his Senate campaign, James was asked, “Do you think people choose to be gay?” and replied, “I think it’s a choice, I do. … They are going to have to answer to the Lord for their actions. We should not give benefits to those civil unions.”

More at http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2013/09/craig-james-takes-legal-action-against-fox-sports-southwest-for-abrupt-dismissal/?cmpid=hpbn .

Related threads:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12101479 (Football Group)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/113731688 (LGBT Group)


Cross-posted in LGBT Group.

September 25, 2013

Craig James threatens legal action over Fox Sports firing

Attorneys representing former NFL running back and Republican senatorial candidate Craig James said on Tuesday they are prepared to proceed with legal action against Fox Sports unless it takes steps to return James to the air as a college football analyst on Fox Sports Southwest.

Liberty Institute, a Plano law firm that specializes in religious freedom cases, said in a three-page letter sent Tuesday to Fox Sports officials that the network committed “a severe violation of Mr. James’ religious liberty” by hiring and then dismissing him based on lifestyle-related comments made during his 2012 campaign for a U.S. Senate seat.

“Fox Sports has an opportunity here to resolve this in a friendly way and get this behind everybody, and we are hopeful that is what is going to happen,” said Hiram Sasser, an attorney with Liberty Institute. “We are not interested in the blame game. We’re interested in resolving the issue and getting Craig back on the air.”

-snip-

During a candidates’ debate during his Senate campaign, James was asked, “Do you think people choose to be gay?” and replied, “I think it’s a choice, I do. … They are going to have to answer to the Lord for their actions. We should not give benefits to those civil unions.”

More at http://blog.chron.com/sportsupdate/2013/09/craig-james-takes-legal-action-against-fox-sports-southwest-for-abrupt-dismissal/?cmpid=hpbn .

Related threads:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12101479 (Football Group)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/113731688 (LGBT Group)


Cross-posted in Football Group.