Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Global Warming’ Category

Dallas EPA hearing on CO2

Posted in Air Quality, Global Warming, tagged , , , , on February 18, 2011 |

Dr. Al Armendariz (EPA Region 6 Director)

Dr. Al Armendariz (EPA Region 6 Director)

The EPA and Texas are in a dispute over whether the EPA can legally regulate greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, and whether it has a right to issue greenhouse-gas permits in Texas when the state refuses to do so.

It become necessary on Jan. 2nd for the nation’s largest new industrial expansions – chiefly power plants, cement kilns and major factories – to have permits showing how they will use “best available control technology” to reduce greenhouse gases.  That action derived from a 2007 decision in which the U.S. Supreme Court said the Clean Air Act authorizes limits on greenhouse gas emissions.

In every other state except Texas, state agencies began issuing the permits, or plan to do so after their procedures are in place and provided the EPA with a written plan on how they intended to procede.  Texas has refused to take part, saying the EPA overstepped its authority and usurped the state’s rights by regulating greenhouse gases. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the state agency charged with regulating air pollution in Texas, has joined Abbott and Perry in opposing the EPA, filing a lawsuit and issuing a written statement saying the state’s position has been well-documented.

On January 14, 2011, scores of Texans backed the Environmental Protection Agency and blasted Texas officials at a hearing in Dallas on the federal takeover of greenhouse-gas permitting in the state.  Who didn’t attend the hearing – the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Nearly every speaker who did attend the hearing, however, expressed little or no confidence in Texas officials’ ability or desire to protect the environment.

If you have the time, we invite you to watch our taping of the hearing. (more…)

Read Full Post »

PLEASE MAKE ONE CALL THIS MORNING FOR HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , on February 17, 2011 |

We are truly in danger of losing the coal ash fight because of two anti-coal ash amendments tacked onto the House budget legislation.  We anticipate that the first amendment (No. 10) will be on the floor THIS AFTERNOON.

These two amendments, Amendment 10 offered by Congressman Cliff Stearns (R-FL) and Amendment 217 offered by David McKinley (R-WV), would prevent EPA from regulating coal ash as a hazardous waste by explicitly preventing the funding of a subtitle C rule.  If passed, the amendments, which are nearly identical, would require EPA to regulate coal ash as a nonhazardous waste under subtitle D.  EPA’s only option would be to issue guidelines for states that not mandatory and that are unenforceable by EPA.  The amendments would maintain the status quo of lax (or absent) state oversight of coal ash dumping and would guarantee that polluters will have the legal right to continue to dump coal ash in unlined pits and ponds. 

Earthjustice is asking you to call your representative in Congress TODAY and ASK THEM TO VOTE NO ON AMENDMENTS 10  AND  217. 

Your calls will make a difference.  Even if we lose in the House, if the margin is not great, we may be able to defeat the amendment in the Senate.

Calling is simple: Locate the telephone number of your member of Congress by using the link below – just insert your zip code.  http://www.contactingthecongress.org/

THANK YOU for your help at this critical time.

Read Full Post »

Gasland’s Oscar under attack by industry

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , , on February 15, 2011 |

Industry groups began raising objections to the movie “Gasland” when the documentary first aired on HBO last June.  However, they recently stepped up their attacks when Gasland was nominated for an academy award. 

Energy in Depth, a group representing a coalition of industry groups including the Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Assn. and the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers. sent a letter to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences arguing that “Gasland” should be ineligible for best documentary feature because, in their opinion,  it contains inaccuracies.

While other industries have launched public relations campaigns to discredit documentaries — health insurers targeted Michael Moore‘s “Sicko” in 2007,  and Dole challenged a 2009 documentary called “Bananas!” — this is the first time an industry group has appealed directly to the academy.

Compared with documentaries like “Sicko” or the environmental film “An Inconvenient Truth,” “Gasland” has been seen by relatively few people.  The film took in only $30,000 in a small theatrical release in the fall.  But in recent months Fox has shown “Gasland” to members of Congress and at the Environmental Protection Agency, and held community screenings in 100 cities.  But that is the prerogative  of the filmmaker. 

What the industry has done in writing the letter to the academy was to draw more attention to the movie than it otherwise would have gotten.  This kind of action might actually result in more members of the academy voting for it. They’ve revitalized the life of this labour of love documentary.

In “Gasland,” director Josh Fox learns that the land near his Pennsylvania home has been designated for hydraulic fracturing or fracking, a process that involves blasting water, sand and chemicals into underground rock to extract oil or gas. Fox, whose previous film “Memorial Day” was about the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq, sets out on a road trip to fracking sites around the U.S. to learn more about the process.

The academy understands its role does not include that of an investigatory agency, and the members will make their decisions on this year’s documentary category as they have done in the past.  Whether or not the film wins an Oscar, the past months have done more to increase public awareness of this industry practice (a December poll conducted for the nonprofit Civil Society Institute found that 45% of Americans very or somewhat aware of the controversy about fracking.) than the many news stories about the problems communities have experienced, and we hope that the state and federal regulatory agencies will work to ensure the industry applies this process in a way that is not hurtful to citizens who live around fracking sites.

###

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.

Read Full Post »

Opinion: Combs’ wind energy report lacking facts

Posted in Global Warming, Renewables, tagged , , , , , on February 14, 2011 |

Guest contributer - Paul Sadler

Paul Sadler is the executive director of the Wind Coalition, and a former Texas state legislator.  He responds to the recent comptroller report which he believes did not accurately represent the job creation potential of wind energy. 

If we are to believe a recent report from the comptroller’s office (“An Analysis of Texas Economic Development Incentives 2010”), wind energy creates only 500 jobs in Texas.

And if we are to believe another claim by the comptroller’s office, a weekend of Formula One racing at a taxpayer-subsidized track in Austin will bring 5,000 jobs. In other words, even though Texas is the sixth-largest producer of wind energy in the world, with enough installed capacity to power 2.5 million homes, we are supposed to believe it produces one-tenth the number of jobs as expensive cars driving along a track.

Texas Comptroller Susan Combs has indicated she does not believe the statute authorizing her report on economic development incentives allows her to look at the total economic impact of wind energy as she did for a Formula One race.

So, let’s introduce some facts missing from the comptroller’s report. (more…)

Read Full Post »

TransCanada sues to access pipeline land in South Dakota, Texas may be next

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , , on February 13, 2011 |

TransCanada has filed more than a dozen lawsuits to condemn land along the route of its Keystone XL oil pipeline in western South Dakota, trying to force the 47 percent of the landowners who hadn’t signed easement agreements along the states portion of the Keystone XL route, even though it hasn’t received the federal permit it needs to go ahead with the project.

The lawsuits come at a time of growing opposition to the 1,660-mile pipeline, which would carry oil from tar sands fields in Alberta, Canada, and pass through several states, including South Dakota, on its way to terminals on the Gulf Coast. Environmentalists have joined landowners to lobby against the project all the way down the route, from Montana to Texas.

Because the project would cross an international border, TransCanada also needs a presidential permit from the State Department. The decision, which hinges on the results of an amended environmental impact statement, will be forthcoming within weeks and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is inclined to grant it.

Keystone Pipeline Route

Proposed Keystone XL Pipeline Route

Landowners in Texas along the pipeline who haven’t been happy with their dealings with Keystone XL have already received letters threatening eminent domain action and Senators Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls) and Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock) recently filed a bill (SB 18) that appears to be favorable to pipeline projects in their use of eminent domain and is moving through the legislature quickly.  Citizens in the Barnett Shale region have already begun to express concerns about how this might affect their property rights.  Those along the Keystone XL pipeline route, might want to keep an eye on this bill too.

###

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

Read Full Post »

Senate to hear testimony on February power outages

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , on February 11, 2011 |

The Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce will convene in a joint hearing with the Senate Committee on Natural Resources at 8:30 a.m. on February 15, 2011, in the Senate Chamber.  The purpose of the hearing is to receive updates on the power outages of February 2nd through 4th and to discuss the status, preparedness, and responsiveness of current operating procedures.  Invited and public testimony to be taken.

The hearing will begin with invited testimony divided up into 4 panels of witnesses.  The panel makeup is as follows:

Panel 1

  • Barry Smitherman, Chairman, Public Utility Commission of Texas
  • Trip Doggett, President and CEO, Electric Reliability Council of Texas
  • Michael Williams, Commissioner, Railroad Commission of Texas
  • Bryan Shaw, Chairman, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
  • Sheri Givens, Public Counsel, Office of Public Utility Counsel

 Panel 2

  • David Campbell, Chief Executive Office, Luminant
  • Ned Ross, Director, Government Affairs, Direct Energy
  • John Ragan, Regional President, NRG

Panel 3

  • Brenda J. Pulis, Senior Vice President of Operations, Oncor
  • Wade Smith, President and Chief Operating Officer, AEP Texas
  • Larry Weis, General Manager, Austin Energy

Panel 4

  • Dick Erskine, President, Atmos Pipeline Company
  • Scott Doyle, Division Vice President, Texas Operations, Centerpoint Energy
  • Steve Turk, Vice President of Operations, Southern Division, Chesapeake Energy

Following the invited testimony, the committees will take testimony from the public.  You may submit written testimony, please submit 24 copies with your name on each copy to the Committee staff at the hearing, and please provide an electronic copy at your earliest opportunity.   If you would like to speak during public testimony, please limit oral remarks to three minutes.  Only those providing oral testimony will be listed as witnesses on the record, but you can still submit written testimony even if you are unable to speak at the hearing.

Live Video will be available on the Senate website

Senate Business and Commerce Committee Members
Committee Clerk:

Chair:

 Kimberly Selinger

Sen. John Carona
Vice Chair: Sen. Chris Harris
Members: Sen. Kevin Eltife
  Sen. Craig Estes
  Sen. Mike Jackson
  Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr.
  Sen. Leticia Van de Putte
  Sen. Kirk Watson
  Sen. John Whitmire
 Senate Natural Resources Committee Members
Chair: Sen. Troy Fraser
Vice Chair: Sen. Craig Estes
Members: Sen. Bob Deuell
  Sen. Robert Duncan
  Sen. Kevin Eltife
  Sen. Glenn Hegar
  Sen. Juan Hinojosa
  Sen. Mike Jackson
  Sen. Robert Nichols
  Sen. Kel Seliger
  Sen. Carlos Uresti

Read Full Post »

Peak Oil resurfaces with the release of new Wikileaks cables

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , , on February 10, 2011 |

PEAK OILWhile not a huge fan of Wikileaks, I find this new release from them to be of interest.  We haven’t heard folks talking much about “peak oil” in a while, but a recent Wikileaks release confirmed what many have believed for years, that Saudi Arabia’s oil reserves may have been exaggerated by as much as 40%, or 300 billion barrels.

“Peak oil” is a term that was coined several years ago to short-hand a theory that we may be reaching a point when oil extraction cannot be expanded and that we’ll decline from this peak—perhaps rapidly—creating a spike in oil prices or a huge demand for alternatives.

The London Guardian has published the referenced cables and you can see them yourselves by clicking here.

Matthew Simmons’ Twilight in the Desert, made the case that Saudi Arabia’s production capacity had already maxed out, and Business Week published an article three years ago based on internal Saudi documents saying much the same thing.

Saudia Arabia has been able to pump 12 million barrels a day in short spurts but only 10 million barrels on a steady basis.  Production capacity just isn’t going up. Some other Middle Eastern countries and Central America have more production capacity if they can develop it, but Saudi Arabia increasingly looks like it’s peaked already. And if that’s true, it probably means that the global peak in production, which was delayed a few years by the recession, may not be too far away.

Our future is going to be increasingly oil free whether we like it or not.  Even more reason to invest in wind, hydro, geothermal and storage solutions now.

###

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

Read Full Post »

Fact check :( Examining Gov. Rick Perry’s take on the state and its budget by the DMN

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , on February 10, 2011 |

The Dallas Morning News took a look at Governor Rick Perry‘s State of the State address and folks around the state had some interesting thoughts on the veracity of his statements.  Click here to read the story.

For those who didn’t watch Governor Rick Perry‘s State of the State address, we have provided the text of his prepared remarks. (NOTE: Gov. Perry frequently deviates from prepared text.)   Or you can watch it below.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/D_XtuWREyao&rel=0&hl=en]

If you did watch or after you read the speech, we’d really like to get your thoughts on, what some have termed, a view of Texas that is part of an alternate reality.

  Governor Rick Perry – State of the State 2011 (more…)

Read Full Post »

Texas Democracy Foundation’s Next Generation Leaders

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , on February 10, 2011 |

In the evening following a day of rolling blackouts, the Texas Democracy Foundation, publishers of the Texas Observer, identified and introduced to the community a new generation of progressive leaders for Texas. 

We are proud to announce that our very own Andy Wilson and Trevor Lovell were named to be among this year’s Next Generation Leaders.

Andy Wilson

Andy Wilson

Trevor Lovell

Trevor Lovell

 

Click here to read the Texas Observer’s article.

Read Full Post »

Climate change deniers beget climate change deniers

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , on February 9, 2011 |

Congressman Fred Upton (R-Michigan)

Congressman Fred Upton (R-Michigan)

Michigan’s Fred Upton, who became the chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in early January, is a climate change denier, reversing a position he took when he told his home town paper, the River Country Journal, in 1999 that, “Climate change is a serious problem that necessitates serious solutions. Everything must be on the table – particularly renewable sources of energy like wind and solar, nuclear power and clean coal technologies.”

In an interview this week at a public forum with journalist Ron Brownstein, when asked to explain why a bill he introduced with Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) challenging an Environmental Protection Agency finding portrays climate change as “possible.”  Upton said, “I have said many times, and there was a report a couple of weeks ago that in fact you look at this last year, it was the warmest year in the last decade, I think was the number that came out. I don’t — I accept that. I do not say that it is man-made and I know from the hearings that we had that even if cap and trade had been enacted, it would not have changed the temperature by a tenth of a degree, virtually anywhere in the world.”   The video of that interview went viral Tuesday.

Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott

Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott

So when the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott appeared today before a subcommittee of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, complaining that the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulations are, in his opinion, contrary to the Clean Air Act, his complaints were not met by unsympathetic ears. (more…)

Read Full Post »

Was there a gas shortage during the rolling blackouts? Not if you had the right contract.

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , , , , on February 8, 2011 |

The Texas Railroad Commission added an emergency item to their agenda today so it could hear from the Texas Energy Reliability Council about natural gas service’s impact on the rolling blackouts that swept the state.  They told the Commission that Texas was never in danger of a natural gas shortage during last week’s statewide deep freeze and no electric generating company with an “uninterruptible” contract for gas had to do without.

Of course, one could also read that as gas supplies could have been interupted at generating facilities that chose to purchase their fuel under contracts offered at a lower price, but with the risk that delivery cannot be absolutely guaranteed in all circumstances.  That is, in fact what happened, so if those plants had been able to get delivery of natural gas, it is possible that the state might have been in danger of a natural gas shortage.

During the prolonged winter storm, gas production in the Barnett Shale was shut down as well as some others around the state. But that short-term gap in supply was filled by tapping reserves warehoused in underground salt domes, at least for those power plants that had uninteruptable contracts.

But be forwarned,  the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) warns that more blackouts might be needed as state braces for Arctic Blast Round 2 and  issued another plea for conservation, especially during the peak-use hours of 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., saying the grid is still down some 2,700 megawatts of capacity and that rolling blackouts might return with the next round of sub-freezing weather.

ERCOT said tomorrow’s peak demand is projected to exceed 54,000 megawatts between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. , and then top 58,000 megawatts between 7 and 8 Thursday morning. That would surpass the current winter peak demand record of 56,334 megawatts, which occurred Feb. 2.

Today’s hearing at the Railroad Commission was the first public review of the circumstances surrounding the rolling blackouts. It focused solely on natural gas supplies and production.

A more comprehensive hearing will occur Feb. 15 when the Senate Business and Commerce Committee meets jointly with the Natural Resources Committee to review issues surrounding the outages.

If you want to watch today’s hearing, you can catch it online at www.texasadmin.com.

###

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

Read Full Post »

NRC holding public meeting March 2nd for STP’s environmental review for their license renewal

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , , , , , on February 8, 2011 |

"Come Unto Me", a depiction of Jesus...

"Come Unto Me", a depiction of Jesus Christ at Cedarvale Bay City Cemetery - on Wikipedia

The U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold two public meetings on the environmental review of South Texas Project (STP) Nuclear Operating Co.’s application to renew the operating licenses for the STP nuclear reactors near Bay City.

The public is invited to attend and comment on environmental issues the NRC should consider in its review of the proposed license renewal.  Formal comments on environmental issues should be provided during either of the scheduled sessions.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011
          In the afternoon from 1:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.
          In the evening from 7:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m.
                      NRC staff will host informal discussions an hour prior to
                      each meeting to answer questions and provide
                      additional information about the process.
Bay City Civic Center located at 201 7th St. in Bay City, Texas,

The meetings will include an NRC staff presentation on the license renewal process, after which members of the public will be given the opportunity to present their comments on what environmental issues the NRC should consider during its review.

For planning purposes, those who wish to present oral comments at the meeting are encouraged to contact Tam Tran, email at tam.tran@nrc.gov or telephone at 301- 415-3617. People may also register to speak before the start of each session. Individual comment time may be limited by the time available.

Both South Texas Project Units 1 and 2 are pressurized-water nuclear reactors, located 12 miles southwest of Bay City, Texas. The plant’s current operating licenses for Units 1 and 2 will expire on Aug. 20, 2027, and Dec. 15, 2028, respectively.

Read Full Post »

Texas Railroad Commission jumping into the discussion about the rolling blackouts.

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , , , , on February 7, 2011 |

The Texas Railroad Commission added an emergency item to tomorrow’s agenda so it can hear from the Texas Energy Reliability Council about last week’s rolling blackouts impact on natural gas service.

The meeting starts at 9:30 am on Tuesday, February 8th at the William B. Travis Building.  Watch it online at www.texasadmin.com.

Read Full Post »

Thousands rally to protest global warming

Posted in Global Warming, tagged , , on February 5, 2011 |

Thousands rally to protest global warming

Photo by Greg Vaugh of Kansas

Heard from a friend yesterday, he’s originally from Connecticut, so unlike us south Texans, thinks one should drive around as long as you can see more than just the outline of a car covered in snow.  He ventured out at noon to get coffee and groceries at the Whole Foods in downtown Austin, but the roads were still frozen in the shadows and almost everything was closed down, so he turned around and headed home.
Family in Corpus Christi, TX emailed and said that the sleet came in fast yesterday and  they had over 100 accidents after it started.   Cars were stranded, then abandoned on some of the overpasses.  All the highway causeways (bridge crossings over the bays) and major bridges were closed by 7pm Thursday night and were not expected to reopen until noon on Saturday.   It got above freezing by noon on Friday, but temperatures dipped below freezing again by sundown.
Let us know what things were like in your community during the past few days.

Read Full Post »

An unusual day in Austin, TX

Posted in Climate Change, Global Warming, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on February 4, 2011 |

Here is a photo of Austin, Texas as a winter wonderland –  shared by a friend on facebook who lives in Arkansas.  If you are interested some other amazing photographs of Austin in snow by this photographer, you can go to Stanford Moore’s website by clicking here.

Austin in winter

A stunning photo by Stanford Moore

If you didn’t catch it last week, check out MSNBC’s Today Show host Matt Lauer interview with CUNY physics professor, Michio Kaku, about possible causes of these wild winter storms.  Click here to watch the segment.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »