With the regular session behind us and energy and environmental issues not likely to find a place in the special session, it’s a good time to look at what we accomplished.
Our wins came in two forms – bills that passed that will actually improve policy in Texas and bills that didn’t pass that would have taken policy in the wrong direction.
We made progress by helping to get bills passed that:
- Expand funding for the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) by about 40%;
- Create a program within TERP to replace old diesel tractor trailer trucks used in and around ports and rail yards (these are some of the most polluting vehicles on the road);
- Establish new incentives within TERP for purchasing plug-in electric cars; and
- Assign authority to the Railroad Commission (RRC) to regulate small oil and gas lines (these lines, known as gathering lines, are prone to leaks); and
- Allows commercial and industrial building owners to obtain low-cost, long-term private sector financing for water conservation and energy-efficiency improvements, including on-site renewable energy, such as solar.
We successfully helped to stop or improve bad legislation that would have:
- Eliminated hearings on permits for new pollution sources (the contested case hearing process is crucial to limiting pollution increases);
- Eliminated additional inspections for facilities with repeated pollution violations;
- Weakened protections against utilities that violate market rules and safety guidelines;
- Eliminated property tax breaks for wind farms, while continuing the policy for other industries;
- Granted home owners associations (HOAs) authority to unreasonably restrict homeowners ability to install solar panels on their roofs; and
- Permitted Austin City Council to turn control of Austin Energy over to an unelected board without a vote by the citizens of Austin.
We did lose ground on the issue of radioactive waste disposal. Despite our considerable efforts, a bill passed that will allow more highly radioactive waste to be disposed of in the Waste Control Specialists (WCS) facility in west Texas. Campaign contributions certainly played an important roll in getting the bill passed.
We were also disappointed by Governor Perry’s veto of the Ethics Commission sunset bill, which included several improvements, including a requirement that railroad commissioners resign before running for another office, as they are prone to do. Read Carol’s post about this bill and the issue.
With the legislation over and Perry’s veto pen out of ink, we now shift our attention to organizing and advocating for a transition from polluting energy sources that send money out of our state to clean energy sources that can grow our economy.
We’re working to:
- Promote solar energy at electric cooperatives and municipal electric utilities;
- Speed up the retirement of old, inefficient, polluting coal-fired power plants in east Texas;
- Protect our climate and our port communities throughout the Gulf states from health hazards from new and expanded coal export facilities;
- Fight permitting of the Keystone XL and other tar sands pipelines in Texas;
- Ensure full implementation of improvements made to TERP; and
- Develop an environmental platform for the 2014 election cycle.
Our power comes from people like you getting involved – even in small ways, like writing an email or making a call. If you want to help us work for a cleaner, healthier, more sustainable future, email me at kwhite@citizen.org. And one of the best things you can do is to get your friends involved too.
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