Hey folks! Just letting you know that I’m going to be taking a little summer-time breather from Public Citizen. All this advocacy awesomeness is my passion and has been invigorating, but I need to unplug for a little while. Expect to see me again sometime this July!
If you’re going to miss me, miss me — come out to Old Settler’s and say hi!
###
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 Uncategorized | Tagged citizen sarah, old settler's, Texas |
If you love and appreciate one or more of the following items, I’ve got a great idea for how to spend your weekend:
- Bluegrass
- Americana
- Camping
- Barbeque
- the Texas Hill Country
- Public Citizen
One out of six? Four, five, six? Excellent! Join us this weekend, April 15-18, at the Old Settler’s Music Festival,
a nationally known music festival featuring the best in roots and Americana music. The festival is held in the gorgeous Texas hill country, at the height of the Bluebonnet and wildflower season. Old Settler’s Music Festival offers great music and activities for the whole family.
The Festival is held at Salt Lick Pavilion and Camp Ben McCulloch, just minutes from Austin, located 11 miles south of Highway 290 West on Farm Road 1826.
We had so much fun last year, we had to make a video about it. Check it out and join us! We’ll have a booth and banners all over the place. Come on over and check us out. Say hello to the team, grab a couple stickers, and learn more about Public Citizen Texas and the work we do!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWD_ABh0glo&feature=player_embedded]
###
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 americana, Austin, barbeque, bluegrass, camp ben mcculloch, camping, hill country, old settler's music festival, public citizen texas, salt lick, Texas |
Say hello to Carol Geiger. Carol is a Public Citizen stalwart and our Office Manager and EarthShare representative. She’s seen our Austin office grow from three to eight people and move into our current location right across from the Capitol building. Carol is a self-proclaimed “non-profit junkie” and all around do-gooder.
If she had a superpower, Carol would want to show people the truth. This time its free; the next reading will cost you…in carbon taxes.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJtGn6Tmx_w]
###
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 Activism, carol geiger, get to know an activist, interconnected, non-profit junkie, public citizen texas, Texas |
Here are the weekly highlights from the Texas Progressive Alliance.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants to know why Republicans like Victoria’s DA Steve Tyler, Nueces County’s DA Anna Jimenez and (who could forget) Alberto Gonzales abuse their offices?
The Texas Cloverleaf thinks Rick Perry is eyeing 2012 before 2010 is even over with.
WhosPlayin is watching the situation in Flower Mound, where a group of citizens successfully petitioned to have an oil and gas drilling moratorium put on the ballot, only to get some mostly frivolous ethics charges filed against them by a former Town Councilman.
Continuing his examination of partisan voting trends, Off the Kuff looks at how voting changed in judicial races between 2002 and 2006.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson has an update as the runoff, to see who will challenge Rep. Diana Maldonado, approaches HD-52 GOP Runoff – issues take a back seat.
Bay Area Houston compares Sarah Palin’s intelligence on safe sex and nuclear disarmament.
They’re everywhere! They’re everywhere! Emissions, which are really toxins, are throughout the entire Barnett Shale area. Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.
McBlogger loves it when Bill Hammond of the Texas Association of Business let’s Teh Stupid flow freely.
FOX News’ 24-hour “War of the Worlds”-styled fearmongering caught the attention of PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.
This week on Left of College Station, Teddy reports on the how the campaign in the Republican primary for Texas Congressional District 17 has turned negative. Also, Teddy takes a first look at the College Station City Council Place 2 candidates and at the Bryan City Council Single Member District 3 candidates. Left of College Station also covers the week in headlines.
Libby Shaw asks a simple question over at TexasKaos – So, How will Rick Perry deliver access to affordable health care to Texas? . She points out that “According to new federal regulations, Rick Perry and the health insurance companies in Texas have 90 days to deliver a plan that will cover uninsured Texans.
Neil at Texas Liberal posted on the history of disco music. Disco Inferno! Learn The Interesting History Of Disco Music Despite the bad historical reviews disco receives, a new book says that the music was an important social indicator in a time of societal gains for women and gays.
###
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 alberto gonzales, Barnett shale, bill hammond, emissions, Ethics, eye on williamson, flower mound, health insurance, left of college station, mcblogger, nuclear disarmament, nueces county, off the kuff, oil and gas moratorium, Rick Perry, safe sex, sarah palin, south texas chisme, Texas, texas cloverleaf, texas liberal, texaskaos, toxins |
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… Continue Reading »
Posted in Global Warming | Tagged advanced metering infrastructure task force, Andrew Sauls, david power, get to know an activist, patrick reck, Public Citizen, ryan rittenhouse, smart meter texas portal, smitty love, Texas, Tom "Smitty" Smith, trevor lovell |
A guest column by Ted Nace of CoalSwarm:
Every day in the United States, on average, 65 people die due to particulates from coal plants. On average, each of these deaths represents 14 years of lost life.
These 65 deaths happen day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. They come in the form of heart attacks, asthma attacks, and respiratory problems.
The problem is that banal phrase: “on average.” There is never a dramatic explosion to point to, no television crew interviewing families. Just a grinding toll of anoymous suffering — 65 human beings, 65 families.
Anger begs for a villain. Our sense of justice needs an arrogant, crude, villain in a mustache. Yet the executives who operate the 600 coal plants that do the killing are smooth, personable, well spoken.
The old coal plants that do the killing could all be shut down using well-demonstrated efficiency programs and commercially available renewable alternatives. Continue Reading »
Posted in Global Warming | Tagged accident, Coal, coal miner, cost, death, disaster, Don Blankenship, Global Warming, mine, Mining, other coal deaths, ted nace, Texas, west virginia |
Statement of Tom “Smitty” Smith, Director, Public Citizen’s Texas Office
Today Texans proved that there is a very high demand for energy-efficient products and services when they made reservations for $23 million worth of appliance rebates in just eight hours, using up rebates in the first day they became available. This goes to show how eager Texans are to trade in their tired, energy-sucking clunkers for newer, more efficient models. Not only will this trade-in program reduce consumers’ energy bills, it also will reduce smog and global warming pollution.
Given this incredible demand, we urge the Public Utility Commission (PUC) to establish another appliance rebate program like this as part of the expanded energy efficiency program the agency is currently considering. We’re sure that the numerous Texans who were unable to make a reservation are disappointed and would jump at a second chance at additional funds. In order to make the money go further, the size of the rebates probably should be reduced to assure that more people can participate.
###
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 Efficiency, Energy | Tagged appliance rebate program, efficient appliances, Energy Efficiency, Public Citizen, public utility commiss, PUC, rebates, Texas, Tom "Smitty" Smith |
The words sound similar, but are they? Here are the definitions from Webster:
Climatology: the science that deals with climates and their phenomena
Meteorology: a science that deals with the atmosphere and its phenomena and especially with weather and weather forecasting
So even their definitions seem similar, at least on the surface. But as Stephen Colbert points out in this great segment, though Astronomy and Astrology might seem similar as well, they are quite different. Likewise with climatology and meteorology there are important differences that must be clearly understood if man-made global warming is going to be addressed.
Both are defined as “science” and both have schools and degrees associated with them. In truth, however, most of the people we call meteorologists are not scientists. They are news anchors with no advanced degrees of any kind, merely an undergraduate degree in journalism. Take John Coleman for example – the founder of the Weather Channel and much-touted global warming denier. He has no advanced degree of any kind. He is a journalist. Yet, for some reason, his opinion is considered by the general public, and particularly certain information outlets such as Fox News, to be on par with climatologists who have multiple doctorate degrees.
Most meteorologists the general public knows about are simply newscasters, not scientists. They don’t have any greater understanding of climatology than say, me for example. And trying to equate meteorology to climatology is as inappropriate as attempting to equate weather to climate (as many global warming deniers tried to do this past winter with their Snowpocalypse propaganda). Though weather can be affected by climate they are certainly not the same, and certainly need to have any relating trends proven over a multi-year period. If we want information and science, lets stick with the actual scientists and not a bunch of yahoo pundits looking to glorify their position.
###
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 anthropogenic, climate change, climatologist, climatology, colbert, debate, denial, denier, Global Warming, man made, meteorologist, meteorology, Texas |
UPDATE on the UPDATE: All gone! According to the Austin American Statesman, all appliance rebate money has been reserved. Hope you made it in!
UPDATE: Apparently the program got such a high volume of interest, they were having some problems with their website today! Go figure. Here’s an update, looks like there is still plenty of money in rebates left:
While we are still experiencing a heavy response and high traffic, the online rebate reservation system at Texas Powerful Smart has been restored to limited traffic as of 12:25 p.m. CT.
The latest numbers show over $15 million in rebates are still available. So, don’t give up.
The Texas Trade Up Appliance Rebate Program officially began today! Rebate reservations will continue to be accepted online at www.texaspowerfulsmart.org or via toll-free call to 1-877-780-3039.
Word from the Comptroller’s office is that they are getting swamped with requests for rebates. They sent out an email just now with the following:
We’re experiencing unprecedented response to the Texas Powerful Smart Web site and phones for the rebate reservations! Please keep trying!
You can also follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates. Use the hashtag: #txrebate
###
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 Efficiency, Energy | Tagged comptroller's office, Energy Efficiency, rebate reservations, Texas, texas powerful smart, texas trade up appliance rebate program, Twitter |
Statement of Tom “Smitty” Smith, Director, Public Citizen’s Texas Office
We are thrilled – but not surprised – that because of a growth spurt in the development of wind energy, Texas has met its renewable energy goal 15 years ahead of schedule. Each time Texas has set a renewable energy goal, the state has achieved it far in advance of the deadline set by the Texas Legislature. That’s because Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) policies are incredibly effective at stimulating new technologies and economic growth.
RPS policies are also remarkably successful at reducing air pollution and global warming gases. This program has resulted in 9 million fewer tons of carbon dioxide and reduces emissions of nitrous oxide, or NOx, by 15,000 tons per year and as such should be heralded as one of the state’s most effective environmental programs. The success of this initiative goes to show the positive outcomes that can be reached when environmentalists and business communities work together.
In 1999, the Texas Legislature created a Renewable Portfolio Standard that required all utilities to get at least 3 percent of their energy or a statewide total of 2,000 megawatts from renewables by 2020. In 2005, that goal was increased to 5,880 megawatts by 2015, with a target of 10,880 megawatts capacity created by 2025, which is the target that has been met. At the time of its implementation, this legislation was the most aggressive in the country. Similar policies have proven successful at creating demand for renewable energy throughout the United States, but nowhere have they been as successful as Texas. In Texas, these policies have resulted in the creation of as many as 83,000 jobs, according to Public Citizen studies.
Texas should adopt the same policies to encourage the growth of non-wind renewable energy such as solar, geothermal, biomass, agricultural methane and landfill gas. Texas has become a leader in wind as a result of carefully crafted policies like the RPS, but there is no reason we can’t do the same and become a leader in non-wind renewable energy as well. The Public Utility Commission and the Texas Legislature have the opportunity to develop other sources of renewable energy and thereby bring economic growth to Texas. This is happening elsewhere, but not in Texas, because we lack the specific incentives for non-wind renewables that other states have jumped to adopt.
The current success would not have been possible without the hard work of environmentalists, large wind producers like the Wind Coalition, the Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association (TREIA), environmental groups, church groups and rural county officials who worked together on what has become one of the state’s largest job creation programs and boon, through increased property taxes, to educational services in rural communities. Our thanks go out to these parties, and we certainly hope that in 10 years, we can applaud the similar success of solar and geothermal energy due to a non-wind RPS.
###
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, Renewables | Tagged Carbon Dioxide, nitrous oxide, non wind rps, Public Citizen, public utility commission, renewable energy, renewable portfolio standard, rps, Texas, Texas Legislature, Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association, TREIA, wind coalition |
Our hearts are with the victims of the West Virginia mining disaster. Reports now indicate that the explosion claimed the lives of 25 workers, making this the worst mining disaster in 25 years. Huffington Post is pulling together a list of places where you can donate to support the victim’s families.
The mine is owned and operated by Massey Energy, who has a terrible record of safety violations. At the mine where the disaster occurred, 57 violations were reported in March alone, including “repeatedly failing to develop and follow a ventilation plan.”
Massey is responsible and should be held accountable for this tragedy, but instead they are “actively contesting millions of dollars of fines for safety violations at its West Virginia coal mine where disaster struck yesterday afternoon.”
###
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 | Tagged donate, huffington post, massey coal, massey energy, Texas, west virginia mining disaster |
Important update! The first day you can make a reservation for the Texas Trade Up Appliance Rebate Program has changed from April 5 to April 7, starting at 7 a.m. CT.
We know from past experience that reservations for programs like this fill up quickly. If you don’t make a reservation Wednesday, you may be put on a waiting list or miss out entirely on this opportunity.
Texas residents can receive rebates for replacing old appliances with new, more efficient models. Rebates range from $45 up to $1,000 and may be even more if you qualify for additional rebates through your electric utility.
Go online or call 1-877-780-3039 toll free to make your reservation. You don’t need a specific model in mind, just the appliance category. Then, purchase your qualified appliance at any Texas retailer starting April 16.
Reserve your appliance trade up April 7, starting at 7 a.m. CT. Save money and conserve water and energy with the Texas Trade Up Appliance Rebate Program!
Posted in Efficiency, Energy | Tagged appliances, Energy Efficiency, Texas, texas trade up appliance rebate program |
Have you really really been wanting to get a flywheel energy storage (FES) project going, but were short a million or two? The window of opportunity to apply for your share of the $3 million available for the New Technology Implementation Grant (NTIG) Program will be opening soon. Now’s your time to shine!
The idea behind the program is to incentive new technology that uses renewable energy and reduces emissions, specifically regulated pollutants from point sources. Ideal applicants would be would be electricity storage projects related to renewable energy like Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES), pumped hydropower, sodium sulfur storage batteries, and flywheels — but really any new technology that reduces emissions will qualify! This is by no means free money though, it is a rebate and you must be able to match grant funds with a little moola of your own.
Applicants will have 3 opportunities to cast their line at the big grant fish. After the first go-round, if all of the money has not been granted out to renewable energy storage technologies, advanced clean energy projects (cough cough, clean coal) will have an opportunity to apply. After that application period, if there is any money left, the grant will once again be open to energy storage projects. And next year, they’ll do the whole thing all over again!
The grant is the result of hard-won legislation passed in the spring of 2009. The original legislation put the pool of money at $10 million, but that amount was cut significantly due to Governor Perry’s attempts to balance the budget out. We’re pretty sad that the Guv cut funds from this program to encourage both Emerging and Advanced technologies, but it certainly wasn’t up to us. Hopefully Texas entrepreneurs will be able to do well with what is available, and we’ll see new technology supported and significant emissions reductions as a result.
###
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 advanced clean energy projects, clean coal, compressed air energy storage, flywheel energy storage, hydropower, new technology implementation grant program, point source pollution, renewable energy, sodium sulfur storage batteries, Texas |
The Texas Progressive Alliance welcomes the start of the new baseball season with another highlight reel of the week’s political activity.
Off the Kuff looked at how voting returns changed in Texas from 2004 to 2008 in the Presidential and judicial races.
Aruba Petroleum: The Epic Fail of the Barnett Shale. Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS now brings you 55 posts to document this failure of epic proportions.
Marshmallow Peeps make sweeping endorsements of Democrats on The Texas Cloverleaf.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wonders why Republicans and Republican suck ups act like bleeping thugs? New Perry appointee, Nueces County DA Jimenez, threw out the board certified attorneys to bring in her cronies and HD 76 rep Norma Chávez is channeling Karl Rove.
The last chapter (?) in the sad saga of Stay Bailey Hutchison is read aloud by PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.
Sure April Fools Day is over, but this was funny enough to share again. Sarah Palin to Replace Michael Steele as Chair of the GOP. Bay Area Houston continues to be full of wit.
This week on Left of College Station, Teddy takes a first look at the Bryan mayoral candidates, and this week he will be taking a look at the candidates for College Station City Council Place 2 and Bryan City Council Single Member District 3. Left of College Station also covers the week in headlines.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson posts on the GOP’s latest posturing and states that it’s time for Gov. Perry and the Texas GOP to put up or shut up.
Neil at Texas Liberal wrote about undersea volcanoes in the Gulf of Mexico that shoot out asphalt. Who knew?
WhosPlayin says animal welfare actvists in North Texas are claiming a victory in their fight against puppy mills: After months of weekly picketing by Texans Exposing Petland, the Lewisville, Texas Petland store is closing down.
###
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 april fools, aruba petroleum, Barnett shale, bryan, governor perry, gulf of mexico, kay bailey hutchison, lewisville, mayoral candidates, michael steele, Norma Chavez, nueces county, off the kuff, petland, sarah palin, south texas chisme, Texas, texas cloverleaf, texas progressive alliance, volcanoes, voting returns, welfate |
April 5, 2010 by Citizen Carol
New federal statistics indicate the decarbonization of our nation is starting to happen. Wind power is on the rise, big time; rooftop solar is coming down in price and large scale utility solar is beginning to be considered.
In 2008, 19,000 megawatts of new generating capacity went online. Around 8,300 megawatts of that were from wind and only 1,600 from coal with much of the rest from natural gas. Over the next few years, utilities are planning to put 27,000 megawatts of capacity on line, only 5,000 of which is coal — and 11,000 of which is wind power.
If solar (both distributed and large scale utility generation) gets a foothold combined with storage in the next several years and we pursue energy efficiency efforts agressively, we could dramatically reduce the need for the development of new fossil fuel generation.
###
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, Global Warming | Tagged climate change, Coal, decarbonization, natural gas, rooftop solar, Texas, utility solar, wind |
« Newer Posts - Older Posts »
Hey folks! Just letting you know that I’m going to be taking a little summer-time breather from Public Citizen. All this advocacy awesomeness is my passion and has been invigorating, but I need to unplug for a little while. Expect to see me again sometime this July!
