This Co-Gen is to run on Sub-bituminous coal, not lignite. If they wanted to fire it on lignite they needed to put the plant in East Texas, not Odessa.
Even though there is plenty of lignite in East Texas, there are a number of powerplants in Texas burning Sub-bituminous coal, from Wyoming's Powder River Basin, because that coal has much more energy and much lower emissions than lignite.
Well good for you; you answered the question!