Environment Texas Blog

Check out our blog for the latest in the fight to protect Texas’ environment.

Judge Rules for Neches Wildlife Refuge

By luke - 07/06/2008 Last week, a federal judge ruled in favor of the creation of the Neches River National Wildlife Refuge in east Texas. The refuge was established in 2006 by the Fish and Wildlife Service with the support of a coalition of organizations including Environment Texas, Texas Conservation Alliance, Friends of the Neches River and others. Unfortunately, the city of Dallas and the Texas Water Development Board, under the direction of Gov. Perry, filed a lawsuit to block the refuge, seeking instead to dam the Neches River and flood the surrounding forests for use as a reservoir. The judge ruled that the plaintiffs failed to prove that there were no alternative sites for a reservoir.

Texas Energy Plan: More of the Same

By luke - 07/03/2008 While the debate about our energy future rages among the Presidential candidates, a similar debate is quietly taking place here in Texas. Last week, the Governor’s Competitiveness Council released a draft Texas Energy Plan to guide Texas’ energy decisions in coming years.

Mayor Wynn Speaks Out on Misinformation Campaign by Realtors

By luke - 2008/06/09 If you live in Austin, you might have heard radio ads or received flyers in the mail decrying a proposed policy to improve energy efficiency in older homes at the "point of sale". The Austin Board of Realtors, worried that efficiency upgrades might cause delays that cut in to their profits, have launched a campaign to confuse the public about the proposal. Here is the real story, straight from Mayor Wynn.

Who owns the sun?

By luke - 03/25/2008 Solar power is on the verge of hitting the big-time, close to achieving a scale and affordability that will allow it to replace dirty coal-fired power plants and significantly reduce global warming pollution. But a Texas agency has proposed rules that will create a serious barrier to solar’s widespread deployment. One of the ways solar can be cost-effective is if a homeowner is given credit by their utility for excess electricity put back on to the grid (known as “net-metering”). On Friday, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) issued a surprise proposed rule which create heavy burdens on customers wanting to install solar panels and provide financial rewards to the utilities, but provide no guarantees that customers who generate surplus electricity will ever get paid.

SXSW FILM: THEY KILLED SISTER DOROTHY

By luke - 03/05/2008

THEY KILLED SISTER DOROTHY On February 12th, 2005, Sister Dorothy Stang, a Catholic nun from Dayton, Ohio, was shot six times and left to die on a muddy road in the Brazilian Amazon. Who was this woman? Why was she killed? And what will be done about it? The answers may hold the fate of the rainforest itself.

Bryan Goes Solar!

By luke - 03/03/2008 The city of Bryan's municipally owned utility has become the third Texas utility to offer rebates for the purchase and installation of solar panels.

THE GREEN SCARE: How corporations created the "eco-terrorist" menace

By luke - 2008/02/27 sorry for the short notice, but i just found out about this. looks pretty interesting. THE GREEN SCARE: How corporations created the "eco-terrorist" menace When: Wednesday Feb 27, 7pm Where: GEO (Geology Building) 2.324

Clean Air Smells Like Money

By luke - 12/7/2007 10:58 am It used to be that business leaders might describe the odor of industrial emissions as the “smell of money”. But these days, money has an entirely different smell - that of fresh, clean air. While no state has likely made more money off of smokestack industries than Texas, the growing urgency of our state’s air quality crisis, combined with the emergence of new “cleantech” industries, is leading many entrepreneurs to new, clean ways to make money.

2007 in Review

By luke - 1/15/2008 5:52 pm Environment Texas played an integral part in delivering a number of important victories for our environment and health in 2007. Here are some of the highlights: WORKING TO SAVE THE CHRISTMAS MOUNTAINS On Nov. 6, the School Land Board voted to postpone the sale of the Christmas Mountains to private interests and instead give the National Park Service time to develop a proposal to add the land to Big Bend National Park.

Green Screen: Films From the Environmental Front

By luke - 6/19/2006 All summer, there's a great environmental film series happening in Austin. This Wednesday features two water-related films: "The River" and "River of Innocence"

New Film on Texas Parks Starring Ethan Hawke

By luke - 1/10/2007 On Thursday, January 25, Environment Texas Research and Policy Center will premiere Texas Parks At Risk, a short-film narrated by two-time Oscar nominee and Texas native Ethan Hawke.

Why the Christmas Mountains Should Not Be Sold

By luke - 9/13/2007 The School Land Board will vote on Sep. 18 on the proposed sale of the Christmas Mountains to a private interest. Here are the big problems with the sale: 1) BAD PRECEDENT. The Richard King Mellon Foundation, which donated the land and is one of the nation's largest funders of open space preservation, is expressly opposed to the sale. The lease they signed with the state says GLO has to get their permission to sell, but Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson (who chairs the School Land Board) says that provision won't hold up in court so he's ignoring it. The Statesman reported that Richard King Mellon Foundation officer Mike Watson wrote that if the auction goes through "the state [should] not look to the R.K. Mellon Foundation for any future help." Other funders may follow suit.

Parks and Wildlife Expo

By luke - 10/9/2006 This weekend Environment Texas participated in the fifteenth annual Texas Parks and Wildlife Expo. The Expo provides a chance for visitors to learn more about the Texas parks system and how they can do their part to preserve this precious resource. Businesses and organizations from across the state gathered this year to raise awareness about our state parks.

Border Fence and Wildlife

By luke - 5/22/2007 - 2 Replies Here's an important article from the Dallas Morning News about the threat posed to wildlife from a planned border fence.

Step it Up Global Warming Rallies

By luke - 10/26/2007 Folks should definitely check out the upcoming Step it Up rallies on global warming. "On November 3rd, Americans will demand real leadership on global warming. From coast to coast, we'll rally in our communities and invite our politicians to join us. We'll see who rises to the occasion and who has a real plan to tackle the defining challenge of our time. One year before the election, let's make sure the world witnesses our national call to action: Step it Up, It's time for Climate Leaders"

Polar Bears Drowning, Eating Each Other

By luke - 6/13/2006 If the horrific stories of polar bears drowning because global warming is melting the Arctic ice shelf wasn't bad enough, new research reported by the Associated Press suggests polar bears may be resorting to cannibalism because "longer seasons without ice keep them from getting to their natural food".

Year in Review: 2006 Meant More Parks, Wind Power for Texas

By luke - 12/29/2006 2006 saw important victories and setbacks for the environment in Texas, with progress for natural areas and wind power, but new threats to Texas’ air and water quality emerging.

Utilities Launch Opposition to Renewable Standard

By luke - 8/1/2007 Tomorrow the US House will vote on an amendment by Reps. Udall (D-NM) and Platts (R-PA) to require 20% of the nation's electricity to come from renewable sources like wind and solar by the year 2020. The vote is expected to be very close and the utilities, manufacturers and other opponents are going all out to defeat the amendment.

Opposition to Parks Funding Emerges

By luke - 10/3/2006 Although the Legislature currently spends less than one-tenth of one percent of the budget on state parks, some politicians and lobbyist organizations think that’s too much...Their solution? They propose selling off state parks.

Bill Would Shield Companies From Liability For Water Contamination

By luke - 5/7/2007 I sent the following letter to members of the Texas House of Representatives on Monday urging them to oppose HB 1927, which would let oil and chemical companies off the hook for contaminating water supplies with the chemical MTBE. The good news is that the bill continues to be postponed, a good sign that the bill's author, Rep. Warren Chisum, doesn't have the votes to pass it. The deadline for the House to pass House bills is this Thursday.

Enough Trash Talk Already!

By luke - 10/23/2007 by Gina Meagher, Environment Texas Intern At 9:00 this morning there was a public hearing concerning the trash deal BFI is proposing to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. BFI Waste Management wants to build upon their trash empire because they believe there will not be adequate room for the accumulating trash piles.

On Smog day, Austin City Council speaks out against new coal plants

By luke - 6/8/2006 On yet another day in Austin in which state environmental officials have warned that our air is not safe to breathe, the Austin City Council passed a resolution opposing the construction of 16 new coal-fired power plants in Texas unless critical air quality mitigation steps are required.

Lobby Day Feb. 26, 2007

By luke - 12/5/2006 Save the date! The Alliance for a Clean Texas has set February 26 as the date for our lobby day for the 80th Legislature.

Citgo Guilty of Breaking Environmental Laws

By luke - 7/3/2007 Congratulations to our friends at the Citizens for Environmental Justice for years of hard work to draw attention to air quality violations in Corpus Christi-area refineries.

Environment Focus of Governor's Race

By luke - 7/25/2006 What a difference four years makes. In the last gubernatorial election in 2002, nary a word was mentioned by the candidates about Texas' significant environmental challenges. This time around, Texas' poor air quality, struggling parks system and dependence on dirty energy are getting lots of attention by the leading candidates.

SXSW Film: King Corn

By luke - 3/7/2007 See the film that will change the way you eat! King Corn, a feature documentary about two friends, one acre of corn, and the crop that created the fast-food nation, is having its world premiere next weekend at SXSW.

New hope for Christmas Mountains

By luke - 10/16/2007 Good news and bad news on Christmas Mountains. The good news is that the National Park Service (NPS) is now working to acquire the Christmas Mountains to add to Big Bend National Park. This would be an ideal solution as the mountains were first purchased in order to protect Big Bend's viewshed. The bad news is Commissioner Patterson says he won't sell to NPS, because they don't allow concealed handguns on their properties. This is ridiculous and we can't stand for it. Patterson is only one vote on the School Land Board, the other two are appointees of Gov. Perry and Lt. Gov Dewhurst. Please call Gov Perry at 512-463-2000 and Lt. Gov Dewhurst at 512-463-0001 and urge them to "direct their appointees on the School Land Board to stop the sale of the Christmas Mountains and allow Big Bend National Park to manage the property."

Great Environmental Events Coming up

By luke - 5/25/2006 There are lots of great environmental events coming up in the next few weeks.

Drive Stake Through Heart of Energy Vampires

By luke - 10/30/2006 By driving a stake through the heart of energy vampires and other energy wasters, Texans can prevent the increased pollution of our precious air, waterways and wildlife habitats. They can also help reduce utility expenses and minimize our dependence on foreign fossil fuels.

Environment Texas T-Shirts On Sale

By luke - 6/20/2007 Environment Texas now has t-shirts, baby gear and mugs for sale. You can check out our online store here.

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