Director's Message
I Heart Texas Gala
Love is in the air... and in the ground... and in the water! In 2016, the Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter turns 51, and we want to celebrate with an I <3 Texas party on Saturday, February 20, at The Oasis on Lake Travis (aka the Sunset Capital of Texas). Join us for a great evening featuring good food, Texas tunes, and the company of like-minded individuals committed to the Lone Star state. Show your commitment to our labor of love by buying your table or tickets today. With your help, we can ensure that Texas remains a healthy and vibrant place to live. (Contributions to the Sierra Club are not tax-deductible; they support our effective, citizen-based advocacy and lobbying efforts.)
Lon Burnam Wins Sierra Club Endorsement for Railroad Commissioner
The Texas election season is upon us! The Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter, through its Political Action Committee of Texas, announced its endorsement of Lon Burnam for Railroad Commissioner in the March 1, 2016, Democratic Primary. A former member of the Texas House of Representatives, Burnam served District 90 (Fort Worth) for 18 years, including recent service on the House Energy Resources Committee. The Sierra Club Political Committee of Texas supports candidates for elected office in Texas on a non-partisan basis who share the environmental goals of the Sierra Club through their voting records and position statements. To learn more about the Sierra Club Political Committee of Texas visit TurnTexasGreen.org.
A Tale of Two Republics
Outside the city of Eagle Pass on the Texas/Mexico border a coal-mining project is getting under way. The project was initially proposed in 1994; since that time seemingly everyone in the region has worked to ensure it never happens. Resistance has taken an unfortunate step backwards recently when the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality granted various permits and the U.S. Corps of Army Engineers streamlined a state process for coal mining. In November, to the dismay of locals, mining commenced. All of the coal is slated for shipment to Mexico to be burned in the Carbon energy plant in Coahuila - the dirtiest power plant in the hemisphere. On top of the regular downside to coal mining is the unique territory where it is located. The Rio Grande River basin is one of the oldest historical human settlement areas in all of the Americas and ancestral territory to many Native Texans including Carrizo, Coahuiltecan, and Apache. More than 100 archaeological sites would be threatened with destruction by dynamite blasting, surface mining, and chemicals (nitrification), which are highly corrosive underground. The proposed mine will completely destroy ancient burials, numerous artifacts, and sacred sites - many of which have not been identified. In violation of federal law, there has been no consultation with any tribes. Make this your long read today.
Budget and Tax Extension Deal Spells Good News For Renewable Development in Texas
First, the good news. The December agreement between Congressional leaders in Washington to approve a new budget and extend various tax programs favorable to renewable energy could well signal even greater development of wind and solar power in Texas. The agreement did come with some bad news, however: the U.S. lifted the nearly 40-year crude export ban, meaning crude oil in Texas is now being shipped to other countries without any processing or refining. The lifting of the ban is bad news for the climate. It doesn't help wean us off fossil fuels if we suddenly can export our fracked oil, and current low oil prices are unlikely to immediately spur new oil development in Texas. Oil drilling and production was down significantly in 2015 compared to 2014 levels as prices have waned. Renewables, on the other hand, received great news. Both the Investment Tax Credit (ITC), generally used by solar developers, and the Production Tax Credit (PTC), used by the wind industry, have been extended by several years with a gradual step-down over time. What does this mean for the Lone Star State? Cyrus Reed has more.
You Did It! Better Building Codes Are on the Way!
The State of Texas will officially update its building codes, which means new homes and businesses built in our state will be 10-23% more energy efficient. Readers of the Lone Star Sierran will recall that the Lone Star Chapter has been very active working with key legislators and the State Energy Conservation Office to pass legislation and adopt new standards for home and business construction. Those efforts paid off in January as it was officially announced that the new standards will be effective in September 2016 for homes and November 2016 for commercial and industrial buildings. Conservation Director Cyrus Reed commented, "This is good for our economy and anyone who pays an electric bill, good for our electric grid, and good for the environment as it will reduce pollution from fossil fuel power plants. We look forward to working with the building community, building code officials, and cities as they adopt and implement these new common sense standards. In addition, in part because so many Sierra Club members and supporters took the time to tell SECO they also want to ensure that builders, inspectors, architects, and city officials are capable of implementing these new codes, SECO will ensure trainings are provided to the builders, architect, and city officials on the new codes."
Newly Discovered Uranium Sparks Mining Interest Despite Environmental Consequences
Former Sierra Club intern Evan Waring could let it go. Even though his internship ended in December, he continued to research uranium mining following a recent USGS study indicating more uranium existed underneath Texas than previously thought. Proponents may see this as good news. But others, including many who live near existing in situ mining areas, may see the environmental and public health risks as too high a price to pay for the low-carbon energy that nuclear power purports to provide. The more Evan dug, the more problems he discovered, like how regulators such as the TCEQ allow their own rules on cleaning up mine sites and protecting groundwater to be sidestepped by mining companies. Given the post-Paris climate summit momentum, there may be renewed public interest in nuclear power. But it comes with a great cost and risk. Despite the post-Fukushima mood many of us have been in, we need more people like Evan digging a little deeper into the assumptions we hear about nuclear power's benefits.
Peggy Day Given Alamo Group's Highest Award
Outgoing Alamo Group Chair Peggy Day was not expecting to receive the group's highest award at the club's annual holiday party December 15. Making the award was Loretta Van Coppenolle, longtime Alamo Sierran, who urged Day to join the Alamo Group in 2008. Day joined that year and was immediately asked to join the Executive Committee, subsequently becoming Vice Chair. The following year she succeeded Lloyd Cortez as Chair and remained in that position until a few days ago. During the past year, Day was Co-Chair with Terry Burns, who has now succeeded her. Asked if she feels that she accomplished anything during her tenure as Chair, she answered in the affirmative, stating that accomplishments can be measured by comparing how San Antonio is today with how it was 15 or 20 years ago. Progress has been made. Our hats are off to you, Peggy!
Remembering Michael Hoke
We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Michael Hoke, the newly elected Chair of the Sierra Club's Golden Triangle Group, on January 13 at the age of 67. Michael was active in several environmental and conservation organizations including Golden Triangle Sierra Club. From the Beaumont Enterprise: "Michael Hoke had the official honors to prove he was an outstanding science teacher, but the certificates can never show the love of learning he instilled in thousands of students." Hoke dedicated his adult life to preserving nature and teaching future generations to be kind to the world. The Record Live noted that "Hoke was very instrumental in the construction of Shangri La Gardens and making the facility the world recognized facility it has become. He was employed with the Stark Foundation and Shangri La for 11 years before retiring in 2013."
100th Anniversary of National Parks Service - Big Bend Is Calling Your Name!
The National Park Service is turning 100 this year. We'll be celebrating the lands, waters, wildlife, and experiences that make our national parks some of the most special places in the world. From NPS: "The National Park Service and National Park Foundation are working closely with partners and stakeholders across the country to ensure that the Centennial is more than a birthday. We want people everywhere to embrace the opportunities to explore, learn, be inspired or simply have fun in their 407 national parks, as well as understand how the National Park Service's community-based recreation, conservation, and historic preservation programs positively impact their own communities." We know of one great big and beautiful National Park right here in Texas. The Big Bend! Mark your calendars in May. There are four days of events planned to celebrate 100 years of the National Parks Service, including FREE CAKE AND PUNCH on the Chisos Mountain Lodge porch! To learn more, visit the Big Bend Conservancy website.
Regional Roundup
- A Federal court rejected a fossil fuel industry effort to delay implementation of the Clean Power Plan - the historic action to curb climate disrupting carbon pollution from existing coal plants. Our team in Washington had something to say about it.
- Cathy Wallace, Irving Impact and Sierra Club member, was highlighted in this great long read on earthquakes, seismic maps, and fracking wastewater injection wells in the The Dallas Morning News. Great work spreading the word, Cathy!
- You know the name Koch. You should know the name Wilks too. Billionaire Farris Wilks (from Cisco) and his brother Dan made much of their fortune from the fracking boom of the last decade, and now they want to influence elections. The Texas Tribune has more.
- The same Texas City Marathon refinery that spewed catalyst dust on the people of Bayou Vista last year caught fire and burned three people.
- With the horrible situation in Flint, Michigan, at the top of our thoughts, some may be wondering, is there lead in Travis County drinking water? Short answer, yes.
- But let's end on a positive note. Check out this great editorial in the Houston Chronicle stressing the importance of water conservation (login required). Funding is available to utilities for water conservation programs through SWIFT, but the deadline for the second round is rapidly approaching. Share this editorial with your water utility!