Justin Bieber tickets or early filing of AZ styled immigration reform . . . what to do, what to do?

November 10, 2010 by Citizen Carol

OMG, how excited are Texas Republicans to file their own Arizona-style immigration reform? You’d think this was the line for Justin Bieber tickets . . . NOT. . . Saturday afternoon, State Rep. Debbie Riddle pitched a make-shift campsite outside the floor of the Texas House of Representatives to make sure she was the first in line when the chief clerk’s office opened for early filing Tueday morning, spending Saturday and Sunday night sleeping on the lobby floor.

Instead of the much coveted Justin Bieber ticket, all Representative Riddle got was HB 17, (lower bill numbers are reserved for such mundane items like the budget) which is similar to Arizona’s SB 1070 and would allow police to check the immigration status of anyone they pull over for a traffic stop. Another early filing bill requires parents of public school children to provide proof of citizenship and/or immigration status, which would then be relayed to the state, as part of an effort to “identify and analyze any impact on the standard or quality of education” from illegal immigration. Yet another bill seeks to crack down on “sanctuary cities.”

Riddle, who made a name for herself as the spokesperson for the “terror baby” menace, also introduced two other bills (one that would increase the penalty for driving without a license, and one requiring valid ID in order to vote) whose intent seems to be to take on immmigration indirectly.

After a landslide election (the GOP gained 44 seats in the Texas house) and with the base so fired up that its leaders are literally squatting on the floors of the legislature, we can expect this to be an interesting session.

Posted in Texas Legislature | Tagged arizona, Debbie Riddle, Immigration, Texas |

Austin Redistricting Hearing

November 10, 2010 by Citizen Carol

Come one, come all. The House Committee on Redistricting is taking public testimony at hearings around the state regarding redistricting that will help shape the districts for both the house and senate of the Texas legislature, Texas congressional districts, and districts for the election of judicial officers or of governing bodies or representatives of political subdivisions or state agencies as required by law, including state board of education districts for the next ten years. After this mid-cycle election, we can expect a pretty draconian effort on the part of the Republicans to stack the redistricting disproportionately in their favor.

The AUSTIN REDISTRICTING HEARING will be held on November 17, 2010 at 10:00 A.M. at the Texas State Capitol, Underground Extension, Hearing Room E1.030, in Austin, TX.

For more information on redistricting, including links to video of earlier hearings in other communities around the state, see our earlier blog by clicking here

Posted in Campaign Finance | Tagged Austin, redistricting, Texas, tx |

Dallas town hall meeting focused on Railroad Commission

November 9, 2010 by Citizen Carol

Citizens and environmental groups concerned about possible air and water pollution from the Barnett Shale spoke out last night in Arlington. Nearly 140 people gathered to express concerns about the Texas Commission on Environment Quality (TCEQ) and the Railroad Commission (RRC).

Rita Beving, with Public citizen, says both face the Sunset Advisory Commission next month to see if they should change, or even continue to exist. She went on to say “Our state has failed in many ways to respond to the public. That’s why the EPA has stepped in to pull authority away from the TCEQ. Some of the people we’ve talked to have had horrible experiences including having their tap water catch fire.” Continue Reading »

Posted in Air Quality, Global Warming, Sunset, TCEQ | Tagged Barnett shale, natural gas, Railroad Commission, Sunset, Texas, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality |

Federally enforceable protections from toxic coal ash are within reach

November 9, 2010 by Citizen Carol

PLEASE HELP GENERATE 200,000 COMMENTS BY NOVEMBER 19th

If you have not already sent your comment to the EPA. simply send it using the links below. We can win this!

If you have been affected by coal ash contamination and have a personal or family story to tell, click here.

If you do not have your own story to tell, please click here.

Posted in Air Quality, Coal | Tagged Coal, coal ash, EPA, Texas |

News Roundup from TPA for November 9, 2010

November 9, 2010 by

The Texas Progressive Alliance remains committed to moving forward as it brings you this week’s blog roundup.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is still reeling from the republican blowout. Say goodbye to your Social Security and hello to Warren Chisum in your bedroom.

Off the Kuff starts to discuss a way forward from this election.

There was some good, some bad, and some ugly in last Tuesday’s election returns. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs has the deets.

After Tuesday’s Demageddon, Mean Rachel offers some advice as to what political candidates should do with their social media accounts after losing an election.

Len Hart at BlueBloggin has a few words on Election Postmortem: A Picture of Dorian Gray It is said that insanity is repeating a failed strategy in the expectation of one day getting a different result. Because that never happens, the nation is nuts! Just enough people always vote against their own interests to guarantee that wealth will continue to ‘trickle up’…

Andy Wilson over at Public Citizen’s TexasVox wants to point out that members of Congress who lost their re-election in Texas all had one thing in common: Opposition to climate change legislation.

TXsharon who blogs at Bluedaze recently flew to EPA headquarters in North Carolina to present four case studies of health impacts caused by natural gas extraction in the Barnett Shale. She met with the top rule makers in the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards who are working on new rules for the oil and gas industry. They said it was “incredibly strong evidence.”

A day after the election, Letters From Texas identified dark clouds on the horizon for victorious Republicans. Later in the week, he detailed the first cloud up to bat: the state budget.

Lightseeker, over at TexasKaos tries to figure out where we are and where we go next, after the mid-terms. Check it out.

While things were rough at the ballot box in the northern hemisphere, in Brazil the political left won a third consecutive national victory. Even on the darkest days, there is always progress being made someplace in the world.

After a campaign-work related hiatus, Capitol Annex returns to active blogging with a new look, a new logo, and this post addressing the growth of food service jobs in Texas and why the growth of low wage jobs sill eventually cause the Texas economy to grind to a halt.

Posted in News Roundup | Tagged south texas chisme, Texas, texas progressive alliance, warren chisum |

Watch the “Story of Electronics”

November 9, 2010 by Citizen Carol

A new online film, the “Story of Electronics”, is available to watch today, Tues, November 9.

This is the newest in the series of the excellent, user-friendly Story of Stuff web-films about excessive consumerism and waste.

The Story of Electronics tells the story of how electronics are really “designed for the dump” and not made to last or made for recycling.

Watch the film at www.storyofelectronics.org and tell your friends about it.

Posted in Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, green jobs, Toxics | Tagged Business, Electronic waste, Electronics, environment, recycling, Texas, The Story of Stuff, Waste Management |

Week two of the Delay trial underway

November 8, 2010 by Citizen Carol

Last week we wrote a little about what was happening in the early days of Tom Delay’s criminal trial. To recap and then sum up last week, in their opening statements, prosecutors said that Tom DeLay took part in a scheme to illegally channel corporate money into Texas legislative races in order to strengthen his power and influence.

As a result of DeLay’s scheme, Republicans won a majority in the Texas House and then pushed through a congressional redistricting plan engineered by DeLay that would strengthen the Republican hold on Texas. Republicans won a majority in the Texas House in 2002 and congressional redistricting sent more Texas Republicans to Congress in 2004.

The 2003 redistricting was extremely controversial, particularly because of the role played by Delay. Texas had never undertaken redistricting mid-decade without it being ordered by a court. Legal challenges to the redistricting plan were mounted on several fronts. In 2006, the Supreme Court upheld the statewide redistricting as Constitutional, but struck down Congressional District 23 as being in violation of the Voting Rights Act’s prohibition of racial gerrymandering. Continue Reading »

Posted in Campaign Finance | Tagged Texas, Tom Delay |

Redistricting and the mid-cycle election

November 7, 2010 by Citizen Carol

Republican gains in Congress were the major stories for the national media, but it is the party’s gains in down-ballot local state house races that may have created the most lasting protection for the GOP‘s new majority in the House of Representatives.

Once every decade, state legislators begin the process of redrawing congressional districts to reflect changes in population. A by-product of this process is that it can serve to insulate representatives from future difficult re-elections.

According to the nonpartisan National Conference of State Legislatures, Republicans will now hold about 53 percent of state legislative seats across the country, gaining at least 680 seats this election, the largest gain by either party since the mid 60s.

At issue are two different procedures:
Reapportionment: The number of seats in the U.S. House is fixed by law at 435. Every 10 years, after the Census has counted the population, some states gain House seats, others lose them to reflect shifts in populations.

Redistricting: In most states, state legislators, with advice from expert demographers and lawyers, obligatory input from citizens and with the final say of the governor, draw the new congressional district lines. State legislators draw the maps for 383 of the 435 seats in the House.

In most cases, governors can veto remapping plans and sometimes force legislatures dominated by the opposing party to alter plans to help protect his party’s incumbents. This will not be the case in Texas this go-round since the Republicans dominate both state houses and hold the governorship.

The remapping takes into account the population shifts within states, the desire to protect incumbents and, of course, partisan advantage. At the margins, partisan mapping, or gerrymandering, can help one party keep a seat or make the party competitive in a place where it hadn’t been before. (In a 2004 decision, the Supreme Court essentially ruled that the partisan gerrymandering doesn’t violate the Constitution.)

In eight states, bipartisan or nonpartisan commissions handle the task. This is not the case in Texas.

Currently, the House Committee on Redistricting is taking public testimony at hearings around the state regarding redistricting that will help shape the districts for both the house and senate of the Texas legislature and Texas congressional districts.

TexasVox will post information about hearings in your area as the information becomes available. Click here to read an earlier blog about hearings with links to archived video of hearing around the state that have already happened. If you are concerned about the impacts of redistricting on your state and congressional representation, plan on attending and testifying.

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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.

Posted in Campaign Finance, Texas Legislature | Tagged Democratic, gop, redistricting, republican, State legislatures, Texas, United States Congress |

Energy Efficiency: Bulbs to Use and Books to Read

November 6, 2010 by

We use more electricity now than ever, and since 2007 our energy usage in Texas is outpacing population growth. How many of us charge our cell phones or laptops all night so they’re ready for use in the morning? Or perhaps run the AC 24 hours a day during the blazing Texas summers? Several years ago the Legislature passed a bill to bring down our consumption, but there’s still much to be done. On one hand, legislation can continue to push down the maximum levels of energy consumption, thereby compelling energy companies to utilize more efficient forms of energy. On the other, consumers and business owners can decide to individually pursue energy efficient technology, such as light bulbs, solar panels, and more efficient appliances.

Both suppliers and consumers must pursue energy efficiency to push it into the mainstream. It’s the simple market equation of supply and demand—but who is going to push first? Will energy companies supply more efficient forms of energy, or will consumers demand it until it really catches on?

While trolling the halls of Legislature during the last session and passing around information on efficient energy, I was pulled into a conversation between two gentlemen in one of the offices. We discussed a slew of topics, including the Austin rodent problem of Fall 2008, the general usefulness of cats, and (prompted by my flier) light bulbs. One gentleman was insistent that LEDs do not provide near the quality of incandescent bulbs, and therefore refused to use them in his home. I was not exactly sure how to respond to that (I’m no bulb expert) but in my research I found the video posted below.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv-mr3VLW34]

So why aren’t these alien light bulbs everywhere? Some are too expensive for the average consumer, but I had no idea that so many varieties exist. Since they save so much on energy usage, why aren’t they more popular? Continue Reading »

Posted in Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming | Tagged bulb, CFL, Compact fluorescent lamp, consumer, demand, efficient, Efficient energy use, Energy, energy conservation, Hot Flat and Crowded, incandescent, Incandescent light bulb, LED, Light-emitting diode, supply, Texas, Thomas Friedman |

STP Nuclear Plant (Units 1 & 2) up for renewal

November 5, 2010 by Citizen Carol

NRC ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF LICENSE RENEWAL APPLICATION FOR SOUTH TEXAS PROJECT NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

The 22 year old South Texas Project (STP) Units 1 and 2 are up for renewal and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced today that an application for a 20-year renewal of the operating licenses is available for public review.

The plant’s current operating licenses for Units 1 and 2 will expire on Aug. 20, 2027, and Dec. 15, 2028, respectively. A 20 year license extension would have the two units in production well past their initial life expectancy, and the onsite spent fuel rod storage, well – that’s a whole other can of worms.

South Texas Project Units 1 and 2 are both pressurized-water nuclear reactors, located 12 miles southwest of Bay City, Texas. When they were built, these plants were projected to have a 30 to 40 year life expectancy and STP says it has enough underwater storage capacity on site to safely store spent fuel for the licensed life of the plant. Since it is up for a 20 year renewal, let’s hope that that means they have enough spent fuel storage capacity for at least that long. They haven’t been very forthcoming about what their hoped for expansion would mean for their spent fuel storage capacity, continuing to hold forth the promise of a long-term storage solution (Yucca Mountain being the most frequently touted option). But with the development of Yucca Mountain in limbo, and the NRC extending the period for onsite storage past the production life of a plant, it seems likely that an off site long term storage solution is unlikely anytime soon.

The licensee, STP Nuclear Operating Co., submitted the renewal application Oct. 26. The application is available on the NRC website at this address: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/licensing/renewal/applications/south-texas-project.html. The NRC staff is currently conducting an initial review of the application to determine whether it contains enough information for the required formal review. If the application has sufficient information, the NRC will formally “docket,” or file, the application and will announce an opportunity to request a public hearing.

For further information, contact Carmen Fells or Tam Tran at the Division of License Renewal, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop O11-F1, Washington, D.C. 20555; telephone (301) 415-6337 for Carmen Fells and telephone (301) 415-3617 for Tam Tran.

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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.

Posted in Energy, Global Warming, Nuclear, Toxics | Tagged Energy, Life expectancy, Nuclear Power, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, South Texas Nuclear Generating Station, Texas |

Losers on Election Day in Texas had one thing in common: Opposition to climate legislation

November 4, 2010 by

Two (possibly three) members of Congress in Texas lost their seats in the Republican (and outside money) tsunami that swept the country-Rep. Chet Edwards, Ciro Rodriguez, and Solomon Ortiz – whose race is at this point still too close to call, but he trails his opponent by several hundred votes. Many in the punditocracy have tried to come up with one common denominator to explain the Republican tidal wave, and some have settled on the vote on climate change legislation, HR 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) or Waxman-Markey. Politico jumped (the shark?) to this conclusion: “House Democrats who voted for the 2009 bill to cap greenhouse gas emissions – dubbed cap-and-tax by GOP opponents – had a terrible night.”

But this is widely debunked, first in this piece from Think Progress’s Wonk Room blog: Continue Reading »

Posted in Campaign Finance, Global Warming | Tagged 2010 elections, ACES, Campaign Finance, chet edwards, ciro rodriguez, independent expenditures, outside money, Solomon Ortiz, stealth PACs, Texas |

Hearing to reconsider allowing radioactive waste shipments from around the country into Texas scheduled November 13th

November 4, 2010 by Citizen Carol

The Texas Low Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission TLLRWDCC will meet in Midland, Texas a week from Saturday (November 13th) to reconsider adopting a rule that was withdrawn in July that would allow for export of low-level radioactive waste for management and disposal from facilities outside of the Texas Compact, this will be followed by a host of generator petitions to ship low-level radioactive waste to Texas facilities. For those that have been following our blogs on this, that means to the Waste Control Specialists (WCS) facility in Andrews County out in West Texas. The Compact Commission will receive public comment, discuss and take formal action, as appropriate, on items on the agenda below until it adjourns.

November 13, 2010 at 10:00 a.m.

University of Texas of the Permian Basin
Center for Energy and Economic Diversification
1400 Farm-To-Market Road 1788 N
Midland, Texas.

To see the proposed rule, click here.
To see the proposed additions to the draft rule from Compact Commision chair, Mike Ford, click here.

TEXAS LOW-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL COMPACT COMMISSION AGENDA Continue Reading »

Posted in Nuclear, Toxics | Tagged environment, Low level waste, Nuclear, nuclear waste, radioactive waste, Texas, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, united states department of energy, WCS |

Texas House Speaker Race Decided?

November 3, 2010 by Citizen Carol

Texas House Speaker Joe Straus of San Antonio (District 121) has released the names of 122 lawmakers who he says have pledged him their vote for speaker, giving him enough support for another term (of that number 79 of the 99 elected Republicans are included).

Speaker Straus says he believes the race for speaker is over, but he is being challenged by Rep. Warren Chisum, a conservative Republican from Pampa, TX (District 88), who says the race is not over.

Texas Speaker races can be quite interesting. We’ll keep you updated.

Posted in Global Warming | Tagged Joe Straus, Speaker (politics), Texas, Texas Legislature, warren chisum |

A Brave New Republican Energy Future?

November 3, 2010 by Citizen Carol

According to Bloomberg, electricity producers such as NRG Energy Inc. and Southern Co. will benefit as the new house Republican majority promotes nuclear power as part of clean-energy legislation. They go on to point out that cap-and-trade was denounced in ads by candidates of both parties, and they expect a fight over plans by the Environmental Protection Agency to impose its own restrictions on carbon emissions.

They also anticipate that renewable-energy legislation next year would encourage construction of nuclear and “clean- coal” plants.

For those close to the Barnett Shale, House Republicans will probably resist efforts to limit hydraulic fracturing, a technique used in drilling for natural gas in which chemically treated water is pumped underground to loosen rock and let gas flow, and a process that has been of significant concern to Texans in the Dallas-Fort Worth air shed. The EPA is currently conducting a study of potential environmental impacts of the practice.

The Republican takeover of the House also puts Representative Doc Hastings of Washington state, an opponent of new restrictions on offshore oil and gas drilling, in line to take over the Natural Resources Committee. Hastings denounced a measure, that would have removed a $75 million cap on liability for leaks, and would bar BP (the company responsible for the Gulf of Mexico deep water oil spill off the coast of Louisiana) from new U.S. leases.

I’m sure you can see where this could be taking U.S. energy and environmental policy. If you are concerned, consider making a donation to Public Citizen as we head into a new political era.

Donate Now

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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.

Posted in Air Quality, Energy, Global Warming, Nuclear | Tagged Barnett shale, Coal, Energy, Natural Resources Committee, Nuclear, public citizen texas, renewable, Texas, United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce, United States House Committee on Natural Resources |