Student Rally Sparks Response From Coal Industry

by: texaswild

Mon Mar 30, 2009 at 04:32 PM CDT

The students held a rally at the Texas Capitol Monday morning and followed up with more than 50 visits to their legislators. Students rallied behind calls to end dependence on coal and nuclear power and to create new green jobs with investments in wind, solar and energy efficiency.  

While the event went largely unnoticed by the media, the coal industry was apparently watching. The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity issued a statement following the event:

"The Re-energize Texas Summit rallies behind laudable goals including the continued development of renewable energy sources and increased energy efficiency measures; however the group's support of legislation to place a moratorium on new coal plants in Texas is misguided, economically unfeasible and environmentally unnecessary," said Joe Lucas, Senior Vice President of Communications at ACCCE.

The ACCCE statement appears to come in response to the students' support of legislation placing a temporary moratorium on coal-fired power plants without carbon capture and sequestration (SB 126, sponsored by state Sen. Rodney Ellis and its companion bill HB 4384, sponsored by Rep. Allen Vaught).

According to the National Wildlife Federation's Praween Dayananda:

"Halting the construction of proposed coal plants will help curb climate change and protect local communities from dangerous health impacts. Texas has incredible potential to produce renewable energy, clean up its skies, and become a leader in the new energy economy."

Speakers at the rally that scared the coal industry were Senator Leticia Van de Putte, Representative Tara Rios Ybarra, Doug Lewin from Senator Shapleigh's office and Public Citizen Director Tom "Smitty" Smith.

For more information about the summitt, go to www.reenergizetexas.org.

Texas students take on global warming

by: texaswild

Fri Jan 18, 2008 at 01:29 PM CST

I wanted to make sure the Burnt Orange community knows about the statewide global warming youth conference happening on the UT campus February 8-10. This is the first time students from colleges all over the state are getting together, creating a youth climate movement that will transcend individual schools.  

And while the conference is aimed at students and young people, it is open to all. So even if you are not a currently registered student, you can still attend. Go to www.reenergizetexas.org for more information.  

It's being put on by some of the same folks who organized PowerShift, the recent nationwide student conference that attracted over 5000 students and young people.  

From the media advisory....   

Hundreds of young adults from across Texas will converge in Austin February 8-10 for the first statewide youth conference on climate change. At the “Re-Energize Texas Summit, 300 college and high school students will learn about solutions to global warming and how to effectively put those solutions into practice.

"This is an incredible opportunity for young Texans to create a powerful youth coalition to make Texas a leader in safe, clean, just and affordable climate solutions,” said Praween Dayananda, Campus Field Coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation and one of the organizers of the Summit. “Students will learn what’s at stake and how to take action on campus and in their communities.”

Keynote speakers include wildlife biologist Dr. Camille Parmesan, Stonyfield Farm CEO Gary Hirshberg, commentator Jim Hightower, Reverend Lennox Yearwood of the Hip-Hop Caucus, Peter Illyn of Restoring Eden, Tom "Smitty" Smith of Public Citizen, Arlington mayor Robert Cluck, and Ted Glick of The US Climate Emergency Council. For more information, go to http://www.reenergizetexas.org/.