(Sierra Club is working hard to protect our air and water in Texas. If you can be there on Tuesday, you need to be there. - promoted by Katherine Haenschen)
There are times in history when regular people have paused in what they're doing to fight for a cause bigger than themselves. We've walked out of classes when necessary. We’ve taken a personal day or called in sick in order to be at the place where a major change is being made. No matter how big the challenge, Texans always rise to the occasion.
This Tuesday, February 2, we have another historical opportunity to make change.
The Environmental Protection Agency is hosting an important public hearing on ozone air quality standards, and we have a real opportunity to clean up our air and set good policy that will last decades.
The Sierra Club and the Clean Air Texas Coalition encourage you to travel to Houston this Tuesday for this important EPA hearing. Please play your part in creating a desperately-needed change at this pivotal moment in history. Texas families have the right to clean air, and now is the time to stand up and make your voice heard!
We know that the big oil, coal and chemical companies will be well represented. So let’s show the powerful pollution lobbyists that we won’t be intimidated. Let’s show that regular Texans are willing to take time out of their day to stand up for clean air. There are only three public hearings across the country, so let’s take advantage of this opportunity to make real change.
If you can't travel to Houston, then please go online and submit your public comment in support of stronger ozone air quality standards.
There are times in recorded history where people have paused in what they're doing. Walked out of classes. Taken a personal day. Called in sick in order to be at the place where a major change is being made. That's how important this coming Tuesday is. If you could take a day's break from what you're doing and profoundly change the world, would you? Would you do that on next Tuesday, February 2? This coming Tuesday is the day people are converging at the Houston Hobby Hilton for the EPA's hearing on new ozone limits that will seriously help clear up Texas air.
Sierra Club and the Clean Air Texas coalition are asking you to push away from the keyboard for one day and drive to Houston on next Tuesday, February 2nd to play your part in creating a desperately-needed change at this pivotal moment in history.
On Tuesday, February 2, the EPA is going to hear from Big Coal, the Oil and Gas industry, Chemical companies, and possibly highway construction companies and the auto industry that clean air standards are bad for business.
EPA must also hear from We who believe in change and are ready to make some change.
What EPA also has to hear and see is that a new Ozone Standard of 60 parts per billion will actually be great for the business of better breathing. Great for the business of saving billions of tax dollars spent on health care costs for the many people who suffer from asthma, respiratory illnesses, heart disease and other impacts of dirty emissions of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds. We have learned from over 1700 studies that ground level ozone is much more dangerous to breathe than we originally knew. That is why the EPA scientific panel advises this new, more protective ozone limit. The EPA needs to hear from millions of Americans who support cleaner air and the Tuesday hearing in Houston is getting the most build-up of the three hearings being held across the nation. Could you pause what you're doing and make a plan to be there and add your presence to that power?
Air Quality Standards are not only about saving Texan lives. That's their primary importance. At the same time, the new ozone rule is also going to significantly help transform an obsolete and problematic way of doing energy. EPA needs to hear from us about that, too -- that we support their proposal for tougher limits on ozone because we are ready now for clean energy -- more and more energy efficiency and more renewable power, particularly solar and also wind and geothermal.
The new ozone rule as it is implemented -- along with recently proposed, improved standards for carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, will help to expand the already dynamic clean energy economy in Texas and will help build the green jobs of our future. One of the ways this transformation will work is like this. We must now phase out burning coal for electricity. Coal-fired power plants are the largest ozone polluters in Texas' industrial sector. Energy companies must close the oldest, dirtiest coal plants in order for our counties and State to meet the new safe limit. The coal industry will be forced to revisit budgets for the 12 new coal plants proposed in Texas. They will need to let go of those projects because with the required new scrubbers new coal plants are not economically feasible. One energy producer working on shifting to wind development said, What is Texas? An oil state? Or an energy state? We say Texas is a saavy Energy state full of brilliant and visionary people who, instead of fighting clean air standards, must make this change. An improved ozone standard of 60 parts per billion is an enlightened requirement that will help Texans save dollars spent on health care costs and will help the energy industry do what it needs to do.
Sierra Club, American Lung Association, Health Professionals for Clean Air, Galveston-Houston Association for Smog Prevention (GHASP), Environmental Defense Fund, Public Citizen, Environment Texas, are asking you to please join us! We need you to help make this Big Change happen. Consider breaking out of the usual week's pattern and come to Houston with us. Here's what's planned:
All Day Starting at 9:30 AM EPA Ozone Hearing, Hilton, Hobby Airport, Houston, Sign up to speak or Register your comments on a card.
10:45 Activists Gather in Grand Ballroom across the hall from the Hearing
11:00 Press Conference. Who's speaking
Mary Partridge, Chair, American Lung Association USA
Wendi Hammond Attorney and 2 year old son Jonah, with Kids for Clean Air
Stuart Abramson, Pediatrician, Health Professionals for Clean Air
Matthew Tejada, Director, GHASP
Neil Carman, Clean Air Program Director, Sierra Club
Alejandro Sarvansky, Environment Texas
Possibly others, elected officials and 14-year old with asthma invited
12:00 Free Texas BBQ Lunch with Veggie Option. Afternoon is open for you to speak at the hearing or register your comments.
7:00 Sierra Club and Clean Air Coalition Rally and free Dinner in Grand Ballroom across from Hearing
Senator Rodney Ellis confirmed to speak at Rally!
7:30 Last chance to sign up to speak at Hearing Hearing will run until last person signed-up has had a chance to speak.
Hundreds of Texans from all walks of life rallied to Roll Beyond Coal on Halloween, Saturday, October 31.
There were 200 people in Dallas including speakers -- Representatives Carol Kent, Lon Burnam, Robert Mikloss, and Dallas Council Member Linda Koop.
There were 200 also in Austin including MC Ian Davis and speakers Representative Eddie Rodriguez, Austin Council Member and bike advocate Chris Riley (He stood up for the City's Climate Protection Agreement) and Dr. Kimberly Carter of Austin Physicians for Social Responsibility (She really nailed the seriously SCARY part of the Halloween message about Texas coal pollution).
100 oeople came out in the sparking city by the sea, Corpus Christi where their Clean Economy Coalition is in a contested case hearing this week along with Sierra Club over the proposed and quaintly named Las Brisas, 'the Breezes' coke plant. Corpus speakers included two physicians -- a family practioner from Aransas Pass, Dr. Lorraine Stehn, pediatrician Dr. Kevin Hopkings, Stacy Barrera, President of the TAMU-CC Young Democrats, former REpresentative Arnold Gonzales and Hal Suter of the Sierra Club.
There was also 50 people rolling beyond coal in Beaumont and 35 in Alpine, Texas. Calmly scared half to death about rising coal costs, health and environmental impacts of 12 new Texas coal plants http://www.texas.sierraclub.or... , they are taking action to stop the second wave of the Texas coal rush and promoting instead clean air, clean power, green jobs, and the availability of water in the future.
Coal Plant Pollution means Attainment of Federal Air Quality Standards Shot to Hell
"These 12 new coal plants are a significant jump to the 17 operating coal plants we already have in Texas," said Rita Beving with Dallas Sierra Club. "Whether it's the nearby plants being built east of Waco or the one proposed as far away as Abilene, the wind carries coal plant pollution north to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and will only exacerbate our ability to reach attainment."
The Dallas-Fort Worth area is currently in non-attainment of required federal clean air standards, as is Houston and the Beaumont-Port Arthur area. Austin, San Antonio and the north east Texas area have early action compacts and are near non-attainment. New federal air quality standards coming this Fall (70 ppb)will mean that several additional regions of Texas will go into non-attainment.
Many states around the nation have dropped plans for coal plants, letting Texas run far ahead in a horrible lonely lead in the opposition direction. With Michigan trailing at only 4 proposed new coal plants, Texas has the largest number still moving in various stages of permitting - contested case hearings, appeal, and construction. With the grotesque rate of acceptance of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), a whole army of new coal plants could go online next year emitting their enormous tonnage of pollution as they rev up to a full-throttled, smog-spewing, global warming, lung-clogging, nerve-shattering, mind-numbing, and heart-stopping blast of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, mercury, and carbon dioxide. See the fact sheet list of the proposed coal plants in Texas and the gory truth on their cumulative emissions numbers.
Human Health Impacts http://www.texas.sierraclub.org/press/newsreleases/HealthImpactsfromTexasCoalPlantPollution.pdf
Corpus Christi cardiologist, Dr. Greg Silverstein said, "In Corpus Christi, we already experience twice as much asthma as the state average. If the Las Brisas petcoke plant is allowed to go forward with the huge annual emissions of smog and smoke in their permit application, we
will see a significant increase of even more asthma in Corpus Christi and the surrounding towns. I am concerned about my patients and all the people of Corpus Christi."
Coke is regulated similarly to coal and it emits the same nasty pollutants. See just what effects coal and coke plants have on human physiology in the attached Fact Sheet.
Coastal Bend doctors of the Nueces County Medical Society and the Tri-County San Patricio-Aransas-Refugio Medical Society passed resolutions opposing the permitting of the hilariously-named Las Brisas (the Breezes) coke plant. Corpus Christi citizens from all walks of life united across class, Hispanic and Anglos, men, women, children, and the elderly crowded into a room that couldn't contain their opposition at last February's preliminary hearing in which a large number of individuals and organizations including the Clean Economy Coalition and the Sierra Club received 'standing' for a contested case hearing which began today, Monday, November 2.
Clean Energy Solutions and Green Jobs on the brighter side of the Dark Ages
"There are many reasons to oppose coal plants - they cost too much, make people sick, contribute to global warming, and use enormous amounts of water," said Eva Hernandez, Regional Organizer for Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign. "Another reason is that they are a huge dangerous diversion from the clean power and green jobs economy that Texas is so perfectly suited for and already leading."
Roll Beyond Coal is a project of Sierra Club's Climate Recovery Partnership and the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. In Texas, Sierra Club is fighting to stop new coal plants and clean up and phase out old coal plants. Sierra Club's environmental partners include our 14 Regional Sierra Club groups, lawyers on the Texas contested case hearings the Environmental Integrity Project, running buddies Sierra Student Coalition, Public Citizen, and a cast of dozens of awesome Texas organizations.
Slide show with photos from all rallies coming soon! Stay tuned to Lone Star Chapter of Sierra Club on Burnt Orange Report!
Texas Secretary of State Phil Wilson announced early this afternon that he was stepping down from his position effective July 6. At the time, Wilson, who has only served as Secretary of State for a year, said he was leaving to pursue "other opportunities."
It sure did not take long to identify those "other opportunities."
Five hours after his initial announcement, the Star-Telegram's PoliTex blog reported that Wilson will become a senior vice-preisdent for Luminant, "the wholesale subsidiary of Energy Future Holdings -- that is, the company that used to be TXU Corp."
Wilson, of course, isn't the first top government official to go directly from big government to big business. In March 2007, Bruce Gibson, the long-time chief of staff for Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, went directly from that office to become a legislative consultant for TXU.
The move came just as TXU was fighting consumer groups over legislation that potentially could have hampered the multibillion-dollar deal that led to the creation of Energy Future Holdings ...
David Campbell, chief executive officer of Luminant, said Wilson will make a great addition for the company. "He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our leadership team and complements our current efforts in public affairs," Campbell said in a prepared statement.
But Andrew Wheat, an analyst with the Texans for Public Justice watchdog group, said the state needs "revolving door" legislation to prevent officials like Wilson and Gibson from going directly from high-profile government posts to positions with businesses seeking favor with the state.
"It's too bad -- this state has a revolving door that is absolutely out of control," said Wheat. "It would be good to have a significant cooling-off period, if not an out-and-out prohibition."
A spokeswoman for Energy Future Holdings said officials there have not yet decided whether Wilson will work as a lobbyist for the company.
This is getting out of control. Let's hope a new Democratic majority in the Texas House can put an end to these practices for good.
Texans for Public Justice (TPJ) has released a startling "Lobby Watch".
TXU and its suitors spent up to $17 million in lobbying expenditures during the recent legislative session. An 83-person-strong lobby force roamed the capitol halls on behalf of the utility to successfully fight off rate-rollbacks and oversight. The $17 million spree does not include political contributions or money spent on public relations consultants.
The total $17 million had a breakdown of $11 million and paid propaganda (media), $6 million in paid lobbying, and around $200,000 in gifts. I wonder if using that $17 million to decrease Texans soaring electricity costs would have been a better investment.
The single best wrap-up on transportation issues can be found at our good friends at Eye on Williamson County, who have become the "Grits" on transportation issues.
Speaking of Grits for Breakfast, they have a special post from Mie Lewis of the national ACLU Women's Rights Project about the children at the Texas Youth Commission.
According to an AP release, Texas is doing more damage than any other state in producing carbon emissions.
The Associated Press analyzed state-by-state emissions of carbon dioxide from 2003, the latest U.S. Energy Department numbers available. The review shows startling differences in states' contribution to climate change.
[...]
Texas, the leader in emitting this greenhouse gas, cranks out more than the next two biggest producers combined, California and Pennsylvania, which together have twice Texas' population.
We spent much of the session debating TXU and the KKR and their want to build any coal plants.
The AP story, points to our lack of energy diversity and dependence on coal for energy. Texas has prime real estate for renewable energy from wind and solar facilities and the ability to diversify into coal gasification or natural gas. Instead of doing the right thing, friends of carbon are rationalizing our brown environmental policies.
The Texas state agency charged with monitoring the environment declined to comment on carbon dioxide emissions. Spokeswoman Andrea Morrow said the gas "is not a regulated pollutant." Frank Maisano, a lobbyist and spokesman for Bracewell Giuliani, which also has offices in Texas, defended the state saying, "these net exporters of energy are always going to produce more carbon dioxide."
It is time for us to make our state more green and if our Governor and state agencies won't do it, then it is up to us to get our cities and counties to help.
Leeland Temple, who lives in a 14 x 60-foot trailer house on Post Oak Road, was in disbelief when he opened up the bill, which stated if the amount was not paid by May 3 his electricity would be cut off.
"They're crazy. They have lost their minds," he said Friday. "They're even crazier if they think I'm going to pay that."
Indeed, Mr. Temple, they have lost their minds. I recall my own ill fate with their company when I moved into a condo and did not receive a bill for more than 3 months in 2002. I asked TXU how often did I have to call and actually beg to billed? They finally billed me with an estimated $800 in one fell swoop. I eventually went to the Better Business Bureau, which resulted in TXU eating the entire bill.
As an ordinary citizen who is not a political consultant or activist, I tend to be non-confrontational when it comes to facing off with a large-scale entity. However, over the past few years, with false radio advertising and gimmick "savings" programs launched by TXU, I decided that it was time for me to express my view to the giant corporate body that my patience with them is as thin as dental floss. So here is the letter. Please let me know what you think.
Dear Sir or Madam:
I just read an email sent to TXU customers regarding your refer-a-friend program. What a joke. You guys already have a reputation for cutting the throats of us customers in just the right place- the pocketbook. From your false advertising on radio about how these hired guns supposedly switched back to TXU and experienced massive savings to your so-called bill savings plans, not many people are buying your schemes. After all, even conservative legislators who were part of the deregulation plan a few years ago are shaking their heads in disbelief. The Public Utility Commission is ready to put TXU's head on the chopping block for good reason.
In order to regain the public trust, all you have to do is one thing. Actually make yourselves competitive again, and TXU will no longer have the resonance of a four-letter word. While other energy providers (even startup ones) are looking great compared to TXU, you guys have an opportunity to re-earn your reputation. But until then, expect an even greater fallout- one more recently multiplied by a letter of one of your top execs to shut down some of your power plants. I myself am considering a switch. Last month, I was home a total of maybe four nights. My electric bill was $50 for four nights. And I hardly had any lights on, much less my air conditioner or heater. Who is setting those rates? The local taxicab company owner?
If TXU can, for the first time, demonstrate that it is willing to be a consumer-friendly corporation, I will be one of the first to stand up and applaud. But until then, I am on the verge of making that phone call to begin service with a provider that a) does not look to bankrupt customers for even little usage, b) is not a company that has made setup of service and other points of customer service difficult for customers by providing overseas service assistants who are virtually impossible to understand and c) does not laugh at state regulators and other public officials who are standing up for the rights and well-being of consumers.
When outside investment bankers try to take over Texas' biggest utility company with no oversight and no accountability, concerned Texans ask: "Why would the Texas Legislature take this risk?"
On Tuesday, February 2, the EPA is going to hear from Big Coal, the Oil and Gas industry, Chemical companies, and possibly highway construction companies and the auto industry that clean air standards are bad for business. 