Public Citizen 2011 Legislative Priorities
20% Solutions to Pollution and Higher Energy Costs
Click here if you wish to get updates on what is happening on these priorities during the legislative session.
20% reduction in energy use by 2020
- 2% reduction each year based on 2010 use
- Omnibus efficiency bill
- On-bill financing
- Create an energy efficiency coordinating council
20% renewable portfolio standard by 2025
- Non-wind renewable portfolio standard
- Solar incentive bill
- On-bill financing
- Net-Metering
- PACE
Clean Up old coal
- Retire 4 to 6 old coal plants which most heavily affect the non-attainment areas and emit between 36 and 44 million tons of CO2 each year and replace with natural gas plants, energy efficiency, renewables and storage
- 20% reduction in ozone and PM emissions will be required by federal law by 2015
PUC reforms
- Move system benefit fund ( low income assistance) out of the budget
- Increase the efficiency goal to reduce energy consumption by 2% each year by 2020
- Require disclosures of the amount of incentives received by efficiency contractors
- Consider energy storage in dispatch and in transmission permitting and planning
TCEQ improvements
- Permitting
- Enforcement
- Citizen participation
- SOAH Hearing judgement should be final or heavily weighted in approval of permits.
Nuclear waste
- Prohibit importation from non-compact states
- Require any state sending waste to Texas to join the Compact and pay a minimum $25 million that would go into a remediation fund to become a member of the Compact
Department of Information Resources
- Pass a new electronic freedom of information act
Railroad Commission
- Prohibit fundraising and receipt of campaign contributions except during election season
- Establish an efficiency program
- Move gas rate setting to the PUC
- Move uranium and coal mining regulation to the TCEQ
- Require green well completions
Campaign finance
- Protect Texas’ ban on election contributions from Unions and Corporations
Protect Texans from Eminent Domain abuses
Pass a no smoking ordinance statewide
Bills of Interest this session
HB 2184 (Lewis) – Low Level Radioactive Waste Dump
- HB 2184 – moving forward, but now more questions
- HB 2184 – A Texas-Sized Plan for Nuclear Waste
- March 25th – Still the bill of the day!
- March 24th – Bill of the Day
SB 18 (Estes/Duncan) – Eminent Domain
- STOP: Stop Tarsands Oil Pipelines – Voices From Texas Landowners
- TransCanada sues to access pipeline land in South Dakota, Texas may be next
HB 450 (Lucio III) – HOAs and Solar
SB 875 by (Fraser) – roll back Texas nuisance law that predates the Clean Air Act, protecting businesses that emit greenhouse gases from enforcement actions, civil lawsuits or criminal claims.
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