Redford Takes on `Goliath’ in Texas to Block Coal-Fired Plants

(Bloomberg) — The Sundance Kid is taking on “Goliath” to block the building of coal-fired electricity plants in Texas, the most power-hungry state in the U.S.

Robert Redford, the actor, movie director and longtime environmentalist, narrates “Fighting Goliath: Texas Coal Wars,” a documentary chronicling the efforts of a group of Texas mayors and citizens to block construction of coal-fired plants. The film will have its premiere tonight at a Waco theater hosted by the Redford Center at Sundance Preserve.


“There are no easy answers, no clear solutions,” Redford, 70, says in the 30-minute film. “There is only what each of us is willing to do.”

Texas is the nation’s biggest consumer and producer of electricity, according to the U.S. Energy Department. Peak demand surged 57 percent from 1991 to 2007. Companies favor coal plants because they are cheaper to build than nuclear reactors and less expensive to run than gas-fueled generators. Coal plants emit double the amount of carbon dioxide, linked to global warming, compared with those fired by gas, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Bloomberg