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Archive for November 18th, 2010

Sunset Report Takes Half Step Forward, More Change Needed at State Environmental Agency

Posted in Air Quality, Sunset, TCEQ, tagged , , on November 18, 2010 |

Today, the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission staff released their report on the Texas Commission on Environental Quality.  The Sunset Avisory Commissioners will meet to take public testimony – December 15th or 16th and will vote on their recommendations to the legislature on January 12, 2011. 

The public can respond to the Sunset staff report up until the Commissioners meet.  To read a copy of the report, click here. To access the form for submitting your comments on the staff report, click here.  You can submit comments to the Commission up to the date that the Commissioners vote on their recommendations to the legislature.  To submit a comment, click here.

Below is a statement from the Alliance for a Clean Texas (ACT).  The ACT partner organizations include: Sierra Club, Public Citizen (Texas office), Environmental Defense Fund, Texas IMPACT, Air Alliance of Houston, Texas Campaign for the Environment, Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) Coalition, Environment Texas, Texas League of Conservation Voters, ReEnergize Texas, the Enviromental Integrity Project, Texas Center for Policy Studies, Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance, Hill Country Alliance, National Wildlife Foundation, Clean Water Action and the Baptist Commission on Christian Life.   

Is the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) – the state’s environmental agency – doing a good enough job protecting the health of Texans?  The Sunset Advisory Commission Staff Report on TCEQ, issued today, is a first step in answering that question.  The report contains a number of positive recommendations that, if adopted by the Sunset Advisory Commission and ultimately enacted by the Texas Legislature, will help strengthen the TCEQ in carrying out its responsibilities to protect the environment and public health for all Texans. However, the report failed to make recommendations to resolve a number of chronic problems plaguing the agency. (more…)

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Public Citizen and Sierra Club Pleased with RailRoad Commission Sunset Recommendations

Posted in Sunset, tagged , , , on November 18, 2010 |

NO RRCPublic Citizen and Sierra Club agreed with many of the recommendations made by the staff of the Sunset Commission that was released yesterday for the Railroad Commission, but more must be done to protect the health and quality of life of all Texans. 

“Overall these recommendations, if adopted, will create a leaner, smarter agency – with a name reflecting its mission – the Texas Oil and Gas Commission. Eliminating the 3 fulltime elected commissioners and other changes would save the state an estimated $23 million a year. Under staff recommendations natural gas rate-cases would be moved to the Public Utilities Commission (also under Sunset this year), and enforcement disputes would be moved from being resolved by a judge beholden to the agency to the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH). In addition the Commission would end the promotion of propane as a fuel, and rely more on administrative and regulatory fees to pay for their activities, rather than depend on general revenue” said Andy Wilson, a policy analyst for Public Citizen who studies good government, campaign finance, and climate change.

Advocates point out problems that are still likely to occur if staff recommendations are adopted, due to overlapping regulatory authority with other state agencies over issues including oil and gas drilling, coal ash waste, and uranium mining. “Sunset Staff has failed to clearly define which agency (TCEQ or RRC) will deal with what regulatory aspects of oil and gas drilling, particularly in the Barnett Shale,” said Cyrus Reed, Conservation Director of the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. He added, “Texans deserve a single agency to regulate coal ash waste and uranium mining, rather than have regulatory authority at two different agencies, which confuses both industry and the general public.”

“Fracking or drilling in suburban areas represents one of the largest environmental issues facing Texas today.  Letting the Railroad Commission and TCEQ continue to share turf here is essentially punting,” added Wilson.

“Moving to an appointed board rather than an elected one is a smart choice, removing the inherent conflicts of interest and partisan politics created by our campaign finance system,” said Wilson.  “According to our analysis, over half of all campaign contributions to incumbent members of the Railroad Commission come from industries they are in charge of directly regulating.”

“However, there is no need to have a 5 person board when a 3 person commission will do.  Changing to this kind of board is already estimated to save $1.2 million— having a three person board will increase savings in this tight budget year,” added Wilson.

Also, according to Texas Open Meetings laws, two members of a five person board may confer with one another in private, while a three person board can only conduct business in public, open meetings.  “That could be a case of two steps forward, one step back,” said Wilson.

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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.

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Study finds Texas coal plants foul neighboring states’ air

Posted in Air Quality, Coal, tagged , , , , on November 18, 2010 |

Image by davipt via Flickr

Coal fired power plant

Coal-fired power plants in Texas are responsible for dozens of bad air days in neighboring states each year, according to a new analysis released by the Sierra Club.  The report attributes as many as 64 days of harmful levels of smog in Oklahoma to Texas’ coal plants. It also ties the plants to as many as 20 days of unhealthy air in Arkansas and up to 16 in Louisiana.

The report supports earlier concerns raised by Oklahoma officials about the potential impacts on their state from the nearly 30 coal-fired plants either operating, permitted or proposed in Texas.

The attorney general for Oklahoma asked the federal Environmental Protection Agency in May to require Texas to show that the new plants will not foul the state’s air before issuing permits for construction. (more…)

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