Today marks the beginning of the 84th Legislature - a body that has a lot of new faces and a lot of competing agendas. While this isn't our first rodeo, we always feel enthusiastic about this time of (every other) year. There are several issues we will focus on for the next 140 days under the pink dome. We'll be talking about them a lot and we'll need your help fighting to protect Texas' environment and people, so stay tuned! To get you started, here are our legislative priorities.
2015 TEXAS LEGISLATIVE AGENDA
The Sierra Club’s state legislative priorities for 2015 are stated under seven issue categories: clean air, clean energy solutions, safe radioactive waste management, defending citizen and local government participation in environmental decision-making, oversight of oil and gas operations, adequate funding for public lands, wildlife and clean air, and ground water conservation and management.
Clean Air
Reduce toxic and other air pollutant emissions, including greenhouse gas emissions, from existing industrial plants and electric power plants to meet new and existing Clean Air Act requirements, prevention of air quality deterioration by new and existing coal-fired power plants, and improved allocations of funding to existing programs like the “Drive A Clean Machine” and the Texas Emissions Reduction Program to reduce air emissions from vehicles.
Clean Energy Solutions
Expand requirements and incentives to achieve greater savings from energy efficiency and increased use of utility-scale and distributed renewable energy sources to address concerns about climate change, assist low-income utility customers, decrease health and environmental risks from fossil fuel generation, meet the true needs for electric power generation, and promote the development of new jobs, economic opportunities, and enhanced energy industry profits and public savings. Defend against legislative efforts that would eliminate or weaken the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard and the Energy Efficiency Resource Standard.
Specific goals include:
- Allow utilities more flexibility to meet and exceed their required energy efficiency goals and increase reporting requirements for municipal and electric cooperative efficiency efforts.
- Ensure that distributed and utility-scale solar generators get paid a fair market value when they produce energy at peak times.
- Modify Texas law to promote and allow financing mechanisms for residential and commercial energy efficiency and solar energy including special Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) districts and on-bill repayment and financing.
- Ensure that requirements to allow demand response to participate in energy markets move forward.
- Making onsite solar power more accessible to all Texans.
Safe Management of Radioactive Waste
Ensure that Texas does not add to its current radioactive waste burden by increasing the volume or number of categories of imported radioactive waste, including preventing the importation of high-level radioactive waste, transuranic waste, and depleted uranium to our waste site in Andrews County or other proposed sites.
Defend Citizen and Local Government Participation in Environmental Decision-Making
Expand and defend the rights of citizens and local governments to be involved in all aspects of environmental permitting, oversight, enforcement, and the development of safeguards. Sierra Club will seek to strengthen the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) during its “Sunset” legislation process, including: ensuring that the burden of proof stays with the applicant, strengthening citizen and local governments’ role in oil and gas regulation at the Railroad Commission of Texas, and defending against any attacks that would limit the rights of citizens and local governments to participate in environmental permitting, enforcement, and development of safeguards.
Oversight of Oil & Gas Operations
Further enhance the oversight of the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas including: better pipeline safety and tar sands safeguards, improved reporting requirements for water used in hydraulic fracturing, and better safeguards and notice requirements for underground injection wells, including prevention of seismic activity; and promote water recycling and “green completions” on new wells to prevent flaring, venting, and methane leaks. Other efforts include better water reporting, improved leak detection and enforcement tracking.
Adequate Funding for Public Lands, Wildlife and Clean Air
Maintain dedicated and adequate sources of funding to sustain progress in improving the state parks system, including acquisition, development, and management of new parklands and protected habitats, providing outdoor recreation opportunities to meet public needs, and exploring options to enhance protection of wildlife diversity in Texas. Ensure adequate funding for clean air programs at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, including full allocation of fees generated to fund the “Drive A Clean Machine” program and the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan.
Water Conservation and Management
Ensure adequate funding for the Texas Water Development Board to: conduct necessary research on groundwater sources, environmental flows, the impacts of a changing climate on resource planning and other critical water issues; provide needed technical assistance to groundwater districts and water utilities to enhance their water management and conservation activities; and implement the state water conservation education program. Enhance the management of groundwater resources on a sustainable basis through recognition of hydrologic connections between groundwater and surface water. Promote appropriate safeguards for the use of brackish groundwater and aquifer storage & recovery (ASR). Ensure groundwater districts have adequate authority and resources to carry out their responsibilities. Update state law to facilitate greater use of rainwater harvesting and grey water systems while protecting the health and safety of the public.
For more information, contact Cyrus Reed, Conservation Director, at cyrus.reed@sierraclub.org or 512-605-6370.