County backs Summit

Ector County commissioners approved a resolution Monday showing support for Summit Power Group Inc.’s $1.7 billion coal gasification plant that is planned for construction in Penwell.

The project, which was awarded a $5 million economic development grant later in the day by the Odessa Development Corp., didn’t require any financial commitment from the county at this time. The project is expected to provide more than 1,000 jobs during construction and 150 permanent jobs with a $5 million annual payroll.

The plant, which should be completed in 2014, is designed to capture 90 percent of the carbon dioxide it produces. The CO2 will then be sold for enhanced oil recovery in the Permian Basin.

It was that last part that caught the ire of Odessan Daniel Fitzgerald, who addressed commissioners before they voted on the resolution.

"In six years, it will kill the Penwell area completely," said Fitzgerald, a retired oil contractor. "This area is not suitable for it."

Injecting the CO2 into oil wells allows more barrels to be produced, almost 200-300 daily, Fitzgerald said. But Fitzgerald, who compared the project to a similar one in Wickett during the 1980s, said the CO2 will strip the oil wells dry and in turn damage the local and county economy.

"They’re looking at the big money right now," Fitzgerald said. "In 10 years time, we’re going to lose all our revenue from the oil."

Judge Susan M. Redford, however, said Fitzgerald is "comparing apples to oranges" in predicting what could happen with the potential project based on what happened with the Wickett project more than 20 years ago. She said she believes the county would benefit greatly from the Summit project, which in turn would boost the local economy.

In other business, the county considered a request from First Baptist Church to rent risers from the Ector County Coliseum for an event at the CAF.

The commissioners approved the use of the risers, which would serve as a stage, but Commissioner Freddy Gardner was against loaning the risers out.

"My main concerns is the liability," Gardner said. "It doesn’t matter what you have people sign, (if someone gets hurt) they’re gonna come after the county."

Commissioner Greg Simmons, who abstained because of his membership at the church, said he’ll pay the $600 rental fee.

"I don’t mind," Simmons said.

He’s up for re-election in March, but he said his donation was simply done for his church and not to earn votes. "Most of my church members are gonna vote for me anyway, I hope," he said.

A special session was also held Monday afternoon where the commission heard an annual report from CareHere, the health care company that operates the Ector County Wellness Center.

According to the report, from Sept. 1, 2008, to Aug. 31, 2009, Ector County annual claims cost per employee declined 1.5 percent from $7,378 to $7,267. Redford said the county saved $409,000 by employees using the Ector County Wellness Center instead of private physicians.

The commissioners also:

>> Accepted a donation of 120 yards of Pit Run Caliche from Howard Golden in the amount of $360.

>> Agreed to give Title IV Judge Kathy Wilson and her staff access to the images in Ableterm and Idocket.

>> Tabled the 2009 Inventory Report.

>> Approved assets that were noted as junked, dismantled, trade-in, during the 2008-2009 inventory.

>> Authorized the human resources department to register for an account with the Texas Department of Public Safety Records service.

>> Approved out-of-state travel for an investigator in the medical examiner’s office for training in St. Louis.

>> Approved out-of-state travel for Octavio Carrillo and Charlie Pierce to attend the National Facilities Management and Technology Conference and Expo in Baltimore in March.

>> Tabled a request for a fire alarm system control panel upgrade at the Ector County Detention Center at the Ector County Courthouse.

>> Approved five line-item transfers totaling $1,512.

OA staff writer Geoff Folsom contributed to this story.