This week’s string of fossil fuel disasters–a Chinese coal carrier striking the Great Barrier Reef and dumping tons of oil into the Pacific Ocean, an oil pipeline spilling into the Louisiana Delta National Wildlife Refuge at the same time an Exxon Mobil barge was dredging off coast for oil exploration, and the tragic coal mine explosion in Montcoal, West Virginia–has left all of us saddened and wondering if the finger-wagging backlash will help spur the changes we work towards every day.
These events affirm the facts that environmental and human destruction are part of the costs of fossil fuel energy. If you cannot accept the resulting ecosystem destruction and loss of life, then you cannot accept fossil fuels as the dominant source of your energy.
I know: its frustrating, and changing our energy portfolio feels like its beyond our control. But, we can all make little changes in our own lives. And we won’t realize until years down the road how much those little energy conservation choices matter.
So, channel that sadness into resolve. Be the change you want to see.
At Public Citizen Texas, we hope that this little blog is a light. A light that shows you the good of the people of Texas. The strength of people working together to change energy policy and consumption habits.
We want to lead by example and empower you to do the same.
The week in review…
David Power remotely attended a series meetings with the Public Utility Commission‘s advanced metering infrastructure task force as part of an on-going process to manage electricity transmission data. The meeting topics included implementation and deployment of the first meter data portal, home area network specification and design, the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO), and the Home Energy Star appliance rebates.
The Smart Meter Texas Portal can be found at SmartMeterTexas.com. The Smart Meter can help you: monitor your usage, manage your costs, and raise awareness of your carbon footprint.
Trevor Lovell and ReEnergize Texas has been working to launch the Summer of Solutions program. The program debuted in Austin last summer, and this year’s program will build upon the enthusiasm and success of the Think Green Fund campaign.
Ryan Rittenhouse continued to organize the upcoming town hall event in Bay City to educate the public on the proposed White Stallion coal plant. Learn more about resistance to the proposal at NoCoalCoalition.org, and stay tuned for more information.
Intern Andrew Sauls kept working on his Green Cities report. He has been raising some challenging questions about the benefits and short-comings of a publicly owned utility (POU) versus an investor owned utility (IOU).
Intern Patrick Reck continued work on the Get to Know an Activist series (whew, video editing is time consuming!). Patrick, Mona, and Andrew all enjoyed Trevor Lovell’s workshop on coalition building.
Tom Smitty Smith has returned from vacation and hopped right in the saddle. Everyone is glad to have him back and is working to spread the Smitty Love.
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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.
