Former TCEQ Commissioner Larry Soward says the dispute over the Texas flexible air permitting program not working can be easily fixed if the TCEQ will just listen to the EPA’s concerns and go from there. “Get on with the business of getting the program compliant with the Federal Clean Air Act and get those permits that have been issued that are not compliant, get those adjusted to make them compliant.” Soward says changing the air permitting program to make it compliant won’t cost the state jobs. “These same companies are operating in other states with fully compliant air programs, they’re not losing jobs, the companies aren’t moving away or shutting down, and the same will be true with Texas.”
Soward was appointed Commissioner by Rick Perry in 2003. Here's what Perry said in his speech at Soward's oath of office ceremony:
I know Larry Soward is the right person to serve as a Commissioner at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality because I have worked side by side with him for many years...By virtue of more than 25 years of public service in high-level positions, and his background in environmental and water law, Larry Soward is imminently qualified to serve as the newest TCEQ Commissioner.
You could say this just by looking at his resume, but I know it because I have gotten to know the tremendous person that Larry is. Larry is a humble, hardworking Texan who believes in providing great customer service to the citizens of this state, and who has a deep and abiding love for the natural resources we must protect: the air that we breathe, the water that we drink, and the land that we live upon...
Larry is a good man and a devoted public servant. Texas is blessed to have him.
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