“Tomorrow, when I wake, or think I do, what shall I say of today?” — Vladimir, Waiting for Godot
The Public Citizen Texas Week in Review
Tom Smitty Smith was in Andrews County this week meeting with concerned citizens about the proposed nuclear waste dump. Last spring the TCEQ approved the waste dump, threatening the health of all Texans and the Ogallala Aquifer.
David Power was in the Rio Grande Valley educating citizens about P.A.C.E. (Property Assessed Clean Energy) districts and the proposals for financing such solar system and energy efficiency retrofits. David has been working with ICLEI, Sierra Club, and Environmental Defense Fund, touring Texas cities to generate support for P.A.C.E. legislation, with the latest presentations in Brownsville and McAllen to non-profit and local government workers. He recommends that you look at the city of Boulder’s program to learn more.
Ryan Rittenhouse continued preparing for EPA hearings regarding new ozone attainment standards. On Tuesday March 16th, Public Citizen and Sierra Club will be hosting this event. Ryan is also researching and preparing a grant to fight the proposed construction of a new tar sands pipeline, which would bring the world’s dirtiest oil from Canada all the way to Houston.
Trevor Lovell and the campus green fund initiatives continued to move forward under ReEnergize Texas’ “Think Green ? Think Green Fund” campaign. Student governments at UT San Antonio and the University of North Texas have both officially sanctioned student votes on green funds. If the initiatives pass at both campuses, the funds will generate about $3.5 million over their five-year lifespans.
Sarah McDonald led an intern workshop on utilizing the media for energy advocacy. She taught Mona, Andrew, and Patrick how to use media and social media tools to get coverage for environmental issues and how to tap into the online activist community.
Melissa Sanchez went to Houston along with Environment Texas and Sierra Club and presented the current coal plant situation in Texas to Hispanic media, including print, TV, and radio outlets. After the presentation, she gave a Spanish interview to Univision Dallas and Univision Austin on how the Fayette Coal Plant factors into the Austin Generation Plan and our Clean Energy for Austin Campaign.
Intern Mona Avalos wrote her first blog (Yea!) on the National Wildlife Federation and Sierra Club’s report on water conservation.
Intern Andrew Sauls put together a contact list of the municipal properties East of I-35 to invite them to a webinar related to enregy. He also wants to let Austin know about free music shows for SXSW.
Intern Patrick Reck continued taping interviews for the Get to Know an Activist series. Patrick is also continuing to research how the United States spends its human energy through the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He vents his frustration at the extensive missing data through song.
Thanks for reading.
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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.
