The Republicans of ACU recently conducted a survey on campus in cooperation with Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow to measure student opinion regarding the proposed clean coal Tenaska Trailblazer power plant.
We questioned nearly 20 percent of the ACU student body and found that support is nearly unanimous among students for building the power plant.
A total of 800 students were surveyed. The total student population at Abilene Christian University is slightly more than 4,500.
The first question asked students, “Do you support the construction of an advanced, new, clean coal electrical facility in Sweetwater, Texas?” The survey found that 86 percent of respondents support building the plant while 14 percent do not.
The second question on the survey addressed the water use issue that has been suggested as the most controversial aspect of the plant. When specifically asked about this issue, students continued to support the coal plant with 75 percent approval and 25 percent of respondents opposing.
CFACT Director Bill Gilles said, “We found that ACU students almost universally support the construction of the plant and even when made aware of the controversial aspects of the water use issue, students continue to support the plant at a 3-1 clip.”
This poll stands in sharp contrast to a telephone poll conducted by a professor who is a member of Abilenians Against Tenaska last October. The poll questioned 525 Sweetwater residents. It found that only 36 percent of residents oppose the plant’s construction and 47 percent of residents support it.
These polls show that while environmental alarmists may have the loudest voices, their numbers are few.

Aaron Escobedo, senior history major from Lemesa

President  ACU Republicans