Public Citizen’s Texas office would like to thank all those who made donations to Earth Share of Texas through HEB’s in-store coupon promotion for April. Your donations will go toward supporting environmental work in Texas including the Texas office of Public Citizen.
Posted in Global Warming | Tagged public citizen texas, Texas |
The day after our radioactive waste importation webinar, the Texas Low Level Radioactive Waste Compact Commission announced that it would delay consideration of the rule that would have allowed the import of low level nuclear waste from the entire nation into Texas. The rule will not be considered now until at least June. This is great news!
The announcement came shortly after a letter signed by 15 members of the Texas Legislature was sent to the Compact Commission. The Commission’s interim director sited the need to “consider and respond to” the “more than 2,000 comments” (2,490 to be precise) submitted on the proposed rule as a primary reason for the delay. The majority of those comments were generated by the Sierra Club, and many others were generated or submitted by the other groups that helped organize the webinar. Continue Reading »
Posted in Nuclear | Tagged Nuclear, public citizen texas, Texas |
It’s a bitter sweet day here at Public Citizen. We’ve had another successful week despite the gulf catastrophe. But, we’re all a little sad because Andrew Sauls just finished the last day of his internship. Melissa “Mami” Sanchez is both proud of her fledgling for flying off and also dismayed to see the intern nest grow a little emptier. But that means she’s on the lookout for new eager interns if you’re interested in energy advocacy work shoot her an email at msanchez@citizen.org.
Andrew extends his sincere thanks to all of our staff for the knowledge, training, and expertise everyone has imparted. He left today’s staff meeting to warm cheers and handshakes. Andy’s off to Houston for the weekend to celebrate Mothers’ Day.
Now, the week in review…
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Andrew Sauls, Texas, week in review |
U.S. Nuclear Reactor Projects In Line for Loan Guarantees Pose Major Risks to U.S. Taxpayers.
The only taxpayer-backed loan guarantee bailout to be offered for new nuclear reactors – $8.3 billion for two reactors at Plant Vogtle in Georgia was dealt a setback in a decision by a Georgia judge that state officials illegally certified the project, according to the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) and Public Citizen.
Despite the push in Congress for more controversial loan guarantees for new nuclear reactors, the other two leading contenders for such bailouts – the South Texas Project at Bay City on the Gulf Coast (114 miles from San Antonio and 90 miles from Houston) and Calvert Cliffs in Maryland – are more unsettled than ever and now pose an even greater risk to U.S. taxpayers. Given this, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Sustainable Energy and Economic (SEED) Coalition and Public Citizen believe the Department of Energy (DOE) should overhaul its evaluation process before offering any new loan guarantees to nuclear projects .
DOE has stated that the $10 billion remaining in loan guarantee authority is only sufficient for one of the two projects and has requested another $9 billion in the appropriations supplemental to cover the second project. In its FY2011 budget request, the Obama Administration has already requested $36 billion in loan guarantee authority, a tripling of the nuclear loan guarantee program. Continue Reading »
The latest activist in our series is Public Citizen Texas’ Ryan Rittenhouse. Ryan is our anti-coal advocate from Cleveland, Ohio and has a B.A. in Communications from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania (a liberal arts school!). He is a part of the No Coal Coalition and is currently organizing opposition to the Tenaska and White Stallion coal plant proposals.
Sometimes, if you’re quiet, you can catch him sneaking outside the office to hug a tree.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FHhWCbEfCs]
###
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. Continue Reading »
Posted in Global Warming | Tagged public citizen texas, ryan rittenhouse, Texas |
|
Green Fund
|
 |
Earth Week in Texas brought a major victory for student environmentalists. Student bodies at 5 state universities voted in favor of campus “green funds.” The institutions are among some of the state’s largest – UT Austin, UT San Antonio, UT El Paso, Texas A&M University, and the University of North Texas – and the funds are expected to generate a combined $8 million for sustainability projects over their five year lifespan.
“The message was about investing in a greener future for our campus,” said Cameron Tharp who headed the campaign at the University of North Texas where 82% of students voted in favor.
If each of the funds is approved by its respective board of regents, Texas would have a total of 7 public colleges with green funds, including Texas State University and Austin Community College, both of which already have such funds in place. California currently has 10 public colleges with green funds, the most in the country. Continue Reading »
Posted in Efficiency, Global Warming, green jobs | Tagged public citizen texas, students, Texas |
What is happening? Black blood continues to ooze, pump, and explode into the Gulf. B.P., the Coast Guard, and the U.S. military are powerless to stop its wave of utter, incomprehensible destruction. Bigger than the Exxon Valdez spill. 100,000 or 200,000 or 500,000 gallons a day for going-on three weeks; an amount we will never be able to imagine. Canyons of crude death. Generations of flora, fauna, and ecosystems erased. Gone. For good.
And everybody shrugs their shoulders and talks about the costs. Everybody asks, “what was the cause?”
Does it take an engineer to explain why sucking the marrow out of the earth is a deadly process?
Now, today, a tanker truck exploded at a San Antonio refinery loading dock. Firefighters are struggling to control the blaze, spending most of their efforts to prevent the fire from spreading to the jet fuel and diesel storage facilities. Fire Chief Charles Hood does not sound optimistic.
The coal mine explosion in West Virginia. The coal carrier crash at the Great Barrier Reef. The burst pipeline in the Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge. The BP platform explosion and leak – the most devastating fossil fuel catastrophe in decades, perhaps ever. The TVA Kingston slurry damn failure just over a year ago in Tennessee (one of the worst disasters in history). The dozens of other “minor” accidents involving the harvesting of coal, oil, and natural gas. And, now, today, here in Texas, the latest explosion in humanity’s mad pursuit of 19th century fuel.
What does it all mean? Why do these things keep happening? What are YOU going to do about it?
###
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 Coal, Energy, Global Warming, Toxics | Tagged b.p., fossil fuel disaster, gulf of mexico oil spill, is the sky falling, oil spill, prreck, San Antonio refinery explosion, Texas, texas vox |
A new poll shows 70% of Texans oppose importing radioactive waste to Texas for storage in Andrews County. Yet a crucial vote on a new rule by non-elected members of a commission could make Texas into the radioactive waste dump for the nation, and perhaps the world.
Originally only Texas and two other states could send radioactive waste to West Texas. Now a rule proposed by the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission would let Waste Control Specialists (WCS) dump radioactive waste from 36 or more states, and potentially from around the world, in Andrews County. This is not what anyone bargained for – even the legislators who approved the original Compact Agreement.
With a possible vote looming on the horizon (tentatively scheduled for May 11th), yesterday the Texas League of Women Voters, Public Citizen, the Lonestar Chapter of Sierra Club, and the SEED Coalition sponsored a webinar to provide expert information on radioactive waste importation for city, county and state leaders. In addition to featuring experts on radioactive waste disposal the webinar panel included Representatives Lon Burnham (D-Ft Worth) and Robert Talton (R- Pasadena).
Coincidentally, this morning we learned the Commission has canceled their May 11th meeting stating publically that they are unable to deal with the over 2,400 comments they received on the rule in time for the meeting.
The Texas Low Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission was created in early 2009, with two commissioners appointed by Vermont and six appointed by Perry. Perry has seen $620,000 plowed into his coffers by Harold Simmons, a Dallas billionaire whose company Valhi, Inc. owns Waste Control Specialists, LLC. That kind of money could mean there would be pressure on the six Perry appointed commissioners to vote for the rule. (Read Texans for Public Justice’s Lobby Watch for more information about WCS and political contributions.) Continue Reading »
Posted in Nuclear | Tagged Nuclear, nuclear waste, Texas |
According to a new study published in the Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering on carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) by Michael Economides of the University of Houston and Christine Ehlig-Economides of Texas A&M University, clean coal is unlikely to prove a real solution to carbon emissions because the process of carbon capture and sequestration won’t prove feasible.
(EDITOR’S NOTE: It has been pointed out to us that many of these claims made by Dr. Economides may be overinflated or just plain spurious- a retort posted by NRDC here which we take very seriously. Because we don’t believe in just throwing blog posts down the memory hole, we want to give this big caveat, and watch for a further discussion on CCS from us.) Continue Reading »
Posted in Coal, Global Warming | Tagged carbon capture and sequestration, Christine Ehlig-Economides, Michael Economides, Texas |
As we round out an especially celebratory Earth Day Week, work at Public Citizen Texas is as fast-paced as ever. Though, today, our staff is pausing to celebrate a huge victory for all Austinites: yesterday, city council approved the Austin Energy Generation Plan.
Our staff worked their tails off to ensure that not only is the plan green and affordable but also that the process involved the public as much as possible.
We’re excited about the plan for its overarching goals:
1) Increase energy efficiency to 800 megawatts across the decade
2) Increase AE supply of renewable energy to 35% by 2020
3) Increase our solar production to 200 megawatts by 2020
4) Decrease our carbon emissions to 20% below 2005 levels by 2020
We’d particularly like to thank Matt Johnson and the Clean Energy for Austin coalition for all their hard work.
Now, the week in review… Continue Reading »
Posted in Global Warming | Tagged Austin State Representative Elliott Naishtat, Public Citizen, public citizen texas, Texas |
YeeeeeeeeeeeeeeHaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Today is a great day. Not only is this the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, but Austin City Council just gave every Texan a reason to celebrate: Mayor Lee Leffingwell and City Council passed the Austin Energy Generation Plan!
After two years of hard work, enormous inclusive cooperation and citizen participation, the council unanimously approved the proposed Austin Energy Resource, Generation, and Climate Protection Plan.
City hall attendants saw rigorous public approval–and some misguided contention–of the plan’s affordability and the process’ public participation during the public discussion. Council broke for citizen communications and an executive session before returning to approve the proposal.
Mayor Leffingwell spoke strongly in favor of the bill for both its environmental and economic responsibility, saying that global climate change will be the defining challenge of our era. Although it is a global problem, he said, Austin has a responsibility to do its part because “the sum of local policy is global policy.”
I caught up with Public Citizen’s David Power, Ryan Rittenhouse and Matt Johnson outside along with Sierra Club’s Cyrus Reed celebrating the fruition of their tireless efforts.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7kd71dD1pw]
Matt would like to thank all the members and supporters of the Clean Energy for Austin coalition for their hard work and dedication.
Congratulations! Go and celebrate Earth Day with jubilation!
###
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 Global Warming | Tagged austin city council, Austin Energy, Austin Energy Generation Plan, clean energy for austin, Cyrus Ree, david power, earth day, energy affordability, Energy Efficiency, matt johnson, Public Citizen, public citizen texas, Ryan Rittenhous, Texas |
The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has agreed to do what the state’s environmental agency should be doing by assuring that Tenaska’s commitment to sequester CO2 emissions can be enforced if this plant is built. While this deal may reduce some concerns about CO2, it doesn’t mean that this still isn’t a dirty old coal plant, and we will continue to work with the local opponents- the Multi- County Coalition-to oppose the permitting of the plant.
The devil is in the details and the metaphor is especially appropriate given the hellish consequences. Substantial questions still remain unanswered due to the confidential nature of the agreement. Is this deal dependent on cap and trade being passed? Does the deal really require that the coal plant will operate only if the carbon capture facility is also built and operated at least 85% of the time? Does the deal contemplate some other agreement for carbon capture without some federal cap and trade requirement for CO2? What happens if the off-takers don’t sequester the CO2? Can EDF take action against them if Tenaska is no longer a partner? What happens if the tertiary oilfields become saturated? What are the penalties? Do they have to shut down?
It is still unknown whether carbon capture and sequestration from coal is a viable part of the solution to climate change. Capturing and storing CO2 from one plant in Texas is one thing – capturing and storing the CO2 emissions from all the existing and proposed coal plants in the country is quite another.
The net output of this plant will significantly reduced by the energy consumed by carbon capture and dry cooling, making some the emissions per MWh of output far higher than other similar pulverized coal plants. Another big question is why is Texas getting stuck with a pulverized coal plant by Tenaska when they are building an IGCC plant in Illinois which far cleaner?
This is not the first deal of its kind in Texas. Public Citizen and the Sustainable Energy and Economic Development Coalition (SEED) reached an agreement with Nu Coastal Corp. to offset 100% of its CO2 from its Calhoun County plant. That plant has been sold to a new company which leads us to question if EDF can take action against the new permit holders if Tenaska is no longer a partner?
This deal doesn’t solve the questions about water availability, waste disposal and the damages done by coal mining.
In summary this still is a dirty old coal plant and we’ll oppose it.
###
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 Global Warming | Tagged climate change, Coal, Global Warming, public citizen texas, Texas |
[vimeo 10526826]
On March 16, 2010 Sierra Club, Public Citizen, Downwinders At Risk, Texas Campaign for the Environment and other concerned environmental organizations and individuals held a public meeting to submit comments to the EPA regarding their newly proposed ozone standard. State representatives and staff from Region 6 of the EPA were there to hear comments. These are the video comments that were recorded by those who did not get an opportunity to speak in front of the panel. These video comments were submitted to the EPA.
###
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 Global Warming | Tagged attainment, dallas, downwinders at risk, EPA, o3, ozone, ozone standard, pollution, Public Citizen, region 6, Sierra Club, smog, standard, Texas |
Wanna do something green to start off Earth Week? You can do this from your desk. Quick and easy:
Austin City Council will vote on this forward-thinking energy plan this week! Clean Energy for Austin is a coalition that exists to support council passing this plan. Learn more at www.cleanenergyforaustin.org.
Public Citizen, Sierra Club, Environment Texas, Environmental Defense Fund, SEED Coalition and others endorse this plan but we need your help! Spread the word, and look forward to more easy actions as the week unfolds.
*You’d totes get a ton of karma points if you got 5 people to sign on. You’ll also get a high-five from me, which you can claim on Thursday at City Hall.
Posted in Coal, Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, green jobs, Renewables, solar | Tagged Austin, Austin Energy, clean energy for austin, Energy Efficiency, environment texas, environmental defense fund, renewable energy, resource and climate protection plan, SEED Coalition, Sierra Club, Texas |
Texas is growing. In fact, we’re one of the fastest growing areas of the country. Growing communities and growing business usually means building more power plants, which would add to our already significant air quality problems not to mention all of the greenhouse gases we would spew.
But, rather than building Megawatts, we should be looking at Negawatts, or “creating” energy by simply using less of it, or at least so says a new study from Duke University’s Nichols Institute and Georgia Institute of Technology.
This would save us from not only pollution and global warming, but also from the cost of building new power plants. Efficiency gives a double payback, because not only are you not paying for more oil, gas, and coal, you save money on your electric bills because you use less electricity. And no, efficiency doesn’t mean turning off your air conditioner more in the summer so you sweat more– it means properly insulating your home to keep the cool in and the hot out, or vice versa in the winter, and it means using a better a/c unit that gives you more chills for less bills.
How much money? Well, investments in efficiency would save $13.7 billion in 2020 and $21.5 billion in 2030. These savings are equivalent to the amount of energy used by almost a million Texas households, or an average savings of $330 per household a year. Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, we also get Jobs, Jobs, Jobs: 96,300 jobs by 2020, and 132,100 new jobs from efficiency in 2030.
And how do we get these magical green jobs and billions in savings? Why, through efficiency mandates, similar to the ones proposed in federal green energy bills like Waxman-Markey. Unfortunately, those goals were too weak to really produce the type of change we need, so it’s up to the Senate to do better. Early word of a draft bill by Senators Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman doesn’t look promising, and could even be WORSE than the anemic efficiency investments and mandates in Waxman-Markey.
Posted in Efficiency | Tagged ACES, climate change, Efficiency, green jobs, Kerry Graham Lieberman, senate climate bill, Texas, Waxman-Markey bill |
">spousal
Citizen Vox Blog
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 | 31 | ||||
