The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has formally disapproved of Texas's flexible air permit plan after over a year of wrangling between the federal agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The EPA contends that the program, which has been managed by TCEQ since 1995, does not comply with the Clean Air Act. The state claims that its permitting process is effective in reducing air pollution and that the EPA's actions will unnecessarily hurt Texas' economy. The debate came to a head on May 25th, 2010 when the EPA took over control of an air quality permit for a Corpus Christi power plant and threatened to take over 39 more if the TCEQ did not change its permitting process.
At issue are Texas' controversial 'flexible permits' which allow facilities to group emissions from multiple smokestacks under one permit. In most other states, flexible permits are limited to minor emission sources, but in Texas they are given to large facilities, especially along the gulf coast. At larger facilities, a significant number of smokestacks could fall under the same permit, allowing some smokestacks to emit over the legal limit and raising concerns about the practical enforceability of emissions limits for each smokestack.
Perry isn't taking the affront to his stellar environmental record lying down. On June 14th, 2010, State Attorney General Greg Abbott filed a federal court challenge to the EPA's actions. The state is arguing that the EPA had a year from when TCEQ submitted the revised rules for the permitting program (1996) to act on them, but they did not do so until 14 years later.
"We are defending our flexible air permitting program because it works," said TCEQ Chairman Bryan W. Shaw in a press release. "EPA is not able to demonstrate how our program is less protective of the environment than the bureaucratic federal approach. EPA's philosophy of more bureaucracy by federalizing state permits will not lead to cleaner air, but will drive up energy costs and kill job creation at a time when people can least afford it."
Perry has been billing the conflict as an economic and states' rights issue more than an environmental issue, which may play well with voters, but hasn't convinced the EPA to back down so far.
If you run a red light in College Station and a police officer does not see you, do you still get a ticket? Depending on what red light you run the answer could be yes, and the city of College Station is attempting to increase the places in which that could happen. On February 18, 2008 cameras placed at four different locations in College Station began capturing video and photographic evidence of residents who ran red lights. The cameras have cause controversy and debate, and as the city prepare to place five more cameras in other locations residents have once again been voicing their opinions about the subject.
Even the purpose of the cameras is under discussion. Proponents of the cameras argue that the main purpose the cameras are to catch traffic violators and that a secondary purpose is to prevent traffic accidents. However, opponents of the cameras believe that the genuine motive for the cameras is to raise revenues. According to an article in The Eagle, College Station Traffic Engineer Troy Rother said that "the goal of the program is not to raise money."
There is strong public support for red light cameras. When asked if they supported red light cameras in the "most dangerous intersections" 69% supported the idea, according to a recent poll by Public Opinion Strategies (POS). The analysis of the poll by POS found that support for the cameras was strong through all demographics and political ideologies.
(I was at this event and it was very interesting to see and listen to Brewster's speech. Austin's creative economy I think is the future, but the question for now is, can it be organized into a meaningful electoral coalition. I did like the forward looking nature of McCracken's arguments. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
Disclaimer: I am a supporter of Brewster McCracken for Mayor of Austin.
I just got home from the Creative Convergence event for Brewster McCracken, which was held at Momo's on W. 6th Street. It was a fun experience and I thought it reflected many truths about Brewster as a candidate and about the mayoral race in general.
First of all, the turnout would have been considered large under normal conditions, and it eventually got so crowded that I had great difficulty getting to the bar to order my next pint of Fireman's #4. But the turnout was particularly large when one considers that the event had been promoted entirely through social media (I myself learned about it from Facebook). No phone calls were made, no mailings were sent out, and yet the place was still packed. Brewster said that it was probably the biggest turnout for any Austin political event that had been promoted solely through social media.
Brewster was introduced by Thom Singer, who made a lovely speech in which he touched on a topic that I have lately mentioned here on the Burnt Orange Report: namely, that many people criticize Brewster McCracken as being "ambitious" or "visionary". To point out the absurdity of this argument, Mr. Singer quoted a poem recently penned by Paul Graham, Cities and Ambition.
Great cities attract ambitious people. You can sense it when you walk around one. In a hundred subtle ways, the city sends you a message: you could do more, you should try harder.
In short, being ambitious and having bold visions for the future is a positive trait, not a negative one. I think that the man currently sitting in the Oval Office has proved that decisively, despite how often his political enemies (Democratic and Republican) have denounced him for having his head in the clouds.
Brewster's speech itself was tailored to the audience: in this case, digital artists, musicians, and other people involved in the "creative economy". He reflected on his own creative efforts in the writing of his novel (which, as he humorously pointed out, never got published), and discussed how the creative energies of Austin are not only a source for cultural innovation, but can serve as a powerful engine of job creation and thus contribute to the strength of Austin's economy.
He also stressed one of the ideas he often hits on: in the midst of the present economic turmoil, our city should be determined not merely to survive, but to emerge from the crisis as a better and stronger community than it was when the crisis began. Listening to him speak reminded me of why I decided, back in 2005, that I would support Brewster if he ever ran for mayor: he understands the practical problems facing our community and plans to deal with them decisively, but he also has ambitious visions for the future of our great city. Some might want to merely hunker down and ride out the storm, but Brewster is a man who sees the opportunities within the present troubles and wants to take advantage of them.
Speaking personally, that's the kind of person I want as my mayor.
Cornyn has stepped in it again. Congress just sent President Bush a bill to guarantee children's health care. More Republicans than expected voted for it. But Bush is threatening a veto. Cornyn did not have the courage to stand up to the White House. He let our children down.
The day after the veto, we need to be ready to hold a rapid-response rally to tell Congress -- and Cornyn in particular -- to overturn the veto.
If enough Republicans buck Bush on this bill, we'll break the logjam in Washington. If we fail, millions of children will go without the medical care they need, just because their families can't afford spiraling health insurance costs.
This struggle will set the stage for the fights to come. The event details are:
Rally for Our Children's Health Care
Federal Courthouse - I-37 & Shoreline
Federal Courthouse, 1133 N. Shoreline
Corpus Christi, TX 78401
Date and Time To Be Announced
(Good local report. We'll take this time to say these are the types of journals our readers should expect to see promoted most often -- local accounts, largely positive in support of Democrats that can't be found in the mainstream media. Good work, Colin. - promoted by Burnt Orange Report)
Mikal Watts' Laredo fundraiser was well attended by 50 or so Laredo-area electeds and community leaders.
Rep. Richard Raymond gave a great introduction. Sens. Zaffirini and Uresti were in attendance.
The rundown:
2 District Judges,
Laredo City Manager,
Laredo Mayor,
Democratic Party benefactor Rene Barrientos (who also gave $100k for the DSCC fundraiser),
lots of attorneys,
several activists.
The Texas Democratic Party has hit the ground running in 2006 and has launched the TDP Road Trip, which starts in Austin and ends in your neighborhood.
What’s the TDP Road Trip? It’s our effort to reach out to Democrats across Texas – whether it’s sending out emails to voters about Republicans wasting your tax dollars to hire DeLay cronies or sending our field staff to all corners of the state or making an updated voter file available nine months before the election.
(Cross posted at B and B. Many here are no doubt familiar with the details of this race, but I thought I'd post this here just in case there are those who have only been following peripherally.)
There is a heated Democratic primary campaign going on for the state senate district that encompasses my neck of the woods. The long-time incumbent, Frank Madla, is being challenged by state representative Carlos Uresti.
This district is geographically huge. (Here's a map.) It contains much of southern and western Bexar County, a broad finger into my area of northwest Bexar County, and a vast expanse of sparsely-populated west Texas—practically all the way to El Paso, several hundred miles away. Despite that great rural and desert expanse, nearly half the voters of the district reside in the San Antonio metropolitan area.
A couple months back, upon hearing of Uresti's challenge to Madla, I asked for more information to help me make up my mind who to support and vote for. Sure enough, the local blogging community has come through, providing extensive coverage of this race. (No doubt they wouldn't have bothered if I hadn't asked. Right?)
In particular, San Antonio bloggers Matt at Just Another Blog, Cincinnatus at The Jeffersonian, and Eddie at The Red State have posted repeatedly about events in the Uresti-Madla battle. Joining them has been Houston blogger Charles Kuffner at Off the Kuff and the Austin group blog Burnt Orange Report, which published interviews of both candidates in late January.
This has been an extremely negative campaign, virtually right from the start in December. The rationale for Uresti's run is that Madla has not represented the people of his district well and not been a good Democrat. Uresti's supporters, which include all of the blogs mentioned above (I have not seen a pro-Madla blog), have not been shy in tearing down Madla's recent record.
