The Lone Star Sierran - March 2015

Director's Message

Bluebonnets are bursting forth!

Predictions are Central Texas will be graced with a spectacular display of wildflowers this Spring. Despite persistent drought conditions in much of Texas, we were fortunate to have enough rain at the right times and in the right places to support a vibrant natural display as the season continues it’s warming trend.

More than the weather is heating up. Last Friday, the 13th, marked the bill filing deadline for this legislative biennium with things heating up at the state Capitol. While Texas wildflowers may be in bloom, the Texas legislature is undergoing an unnatural pruning and stunting of green efforts. The specific green efforts in trouble range from funding issues for emissions reduction and low-income vehicle repair and replacement programs to efforts to pull the plug on renewable energy successes and an attempt to impede local governments ability to protect their local environment and people from industrial and other environmental hazards.

Hamstringing local efforts is especially troubling because so much good happens at the local level. I witnessed this first hand at a water conservation event in Frisco, on March 23. Sierra Club’s newly reformed Cross Timbers Group, which serves Denton and Collin counties, hosted the seminar. The event was co-hosted by the United Nations Association (UNA) Dallas Chapter in observance of World Water Day (March 22). Other speakers included representatives from the city of Frisco water resources department and the North Texas Municipal Water District. I came away from the event with a great knowledge of the regional water conservation efforts in the area, but what I was most impressed with at the event was the level of commitment I saw in several of the attendees. These citizens had worked tirelessly in support of a Denton ordinance to prohibit fracking within the city. Cities are forced to tackle these problems themselves in the absence of action by state agencies to look after their interests.

BTW, click here to register for Sierra Club’s volunteer lobby day on energy issues March 30-31, 2015.  We will host another Lobby Day on water issues April 21-22 2015.

Texas Legislature 2015

Bevy of Bills Filed as Legislature Picks Up Steam; Efforts to End Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard and Undermine City Authority Move Forward

Last Friday the 13th marked the official deadline to file bills in the Texas Legislature. By then, over 4,000 bills were filed in the House and some 2,000 in the Senate, as well as multiple “resolutions” and even a few proposed constitutional amendments. The approaching deadline shifted the relatively slow early pace of bill filing to a frenzied rate as Senators and House members were spurred into action by hundreds of clock watching lobbyists. A backlog of bill drafts at Legislative Council was partly to blame for the flurry of activity, as well as the high number of new Senators and new House members just getting their feet wet and learning the bill writing and filing process.

Action Alert

Take Action Now! Tell the House and Senate That Protecting Property and Public Health Is More Important Than Giving the Oil and Gas Industry Exactly What They Want

Last week, Senator Troy Fraser and the Senate Committee on Natural Resource and Economic Development passed out of committee a bill, SB 1165 – written by the Texas Oil and Gas Association (TXOGA) – that would fundamentally undermine the rights of cities and other political subdivisions to regulate oil and gas activities within their borders. Meanwhile, the House Committee on Energy Resources heard the same bill, HB 40, authored by Chairman Drew Darby. The bill states that “current [state] statutes … provide effective and environmentally sound regulation of oil and gas operations that is so comprehensive and pervasive that it occupies the field” and then goes on to declare that all city ordinances and regulations are preempted by state law.

Fraser Seeking to Dismantle What He Helped Create: the Renewable Portfolio Standard

Sen. Troy Fraser (R-Horseshoe Bay) has filed a bill that would eliminate Texas' Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) - a policy that has catapulted Texas to world leadership in wind energy and strengthened Texas' energy diversity. In addition to terminating the RPS at the end of the year, SB 931 would make it more difficult to build renewable energy infrastructure. The argument behind the bill is that because Texas has achieved its RPS goals it's time to move on. Sounds reasonable, right? Well...

Fraser and Villalba File Bad Bills for Homeowners

Building energy codes used to be a no brainer. Efficient homes and the technologies that go into reducing a homeowner's electricity bill have even permeated into pop culture in shows like This Old House. But legislation filed by Sen. Troy Fraser (R-Horseshoe Bay) and Rep. Jason Villalba (R-Dallas) would make it harder for Texas, and cities in particular, to make new homes more energy efficient. These bills (SB 929 and HB 1736) would restrict local municipalities' authority to adopt their own versions of building energy codes, limit adoption of new energy codes to every six years, create an unnecessary advisory committee, and allow amendments that might undermine energy efficient codes and air quality efforts.

Sierra Club Remembers Bob Armstrong

As the sad news of Bob Armstrong's passing percolated through Texas in early March, it also drew fond memories from several long time Sierra Club leaders and conservationists. In addition to his steadfast work to acquire Big Bend Ranch for the Texas State Park System, he also was instrumental in forming the Austin Group of the Sierra Club in the 1960s. Armstrong was honored in August last year for his work to make Big Bend Ranch a state park. The achievement roughly doubled the size of the state park system when it opened. For this, Texas Parks & Wildlife renamed its ranger station inside the park after him. If you remember any details about the early days of Sierra Club's Austin Group, and remember Armstrong's involvement, weÕd love to hear from you!

A Tremendous Thank You To All Who Gave On Amplify Austin Day!

Thank you, Austin! We beat our goal of $2,000 and smashed our 25 donor goal with 34 donations! Your generosity means so much to us! Although the cold weather made our kick-off event at the Hard Luck Lounge feel more like a Winter outing (last chance to wear your cold weather gear, right?), turnout was great and we raised more than $150 from the delicious chili and cornbread alone! We share our success with more than 500 non-profits that work to improve the Austin area. In total, I Live Here, I Give Here helped to raise $7.7 million! Be on the lookout for another fun and exciting day of giving in 2016!

Cutting Wasteful Lawn Watering in North Central Texas, Houston-Galveston Areas Could Save 52 Billion Gallons of Water

The Sierra Club and National Wildlife Federation released a report estimating that reasonable restrictions on lawn watering could save Texas billions of gallons of water every year. As shown in Water Conservation by the Yard: Estimating Savings from Outdoor Watering Restrictions, 52 billion gallons (about 158,000 acre-feet) of water savings per year could be achieved in the North Central Texas and Houston-Galveston regions alone if even minimal outdoor watering restrictions are adopted more widely.

Clean Energy, Pollution Reduction, and Affordability: How Austin's 2025 Energy Plan Came to Be

For the past several years, many have joined us in bringing attention to the disastrous impacts of climate disruption in Central Texas. Record setting drought, disastrous flooding, and destructive wildfires have made the need for strong action on climate crystal clear. Dirty power plants like Austin's natural gas-fired Decker plant and coal-fired Fayette plant are not only our electric utility's largest sources of climate-disrupting pollution, they are two of the most clear and present dangers to our regional air quality and thereby the public health of Central Texans. In December, Austin City Council adopted the 2025 Energy Plan which set dates for the city to shed these power plants and increase its commitment to renewable energy. The Sierra Club's Austin Beyond Coal team put together a fantastic history of how we got to this point.

Detelich: The Unintended Consequences of Catalysts - How Marathon Petroleum Stirred Up Bayou Vista

Between 8am on January 13, and 6:54am the next day, Marathon Petroleum’s Blanchard Galveston Bay Refinery (formerly owned by BP) in Texas City dumped an estimated 216,000 lbs. of spent catalyst into the air during a major “upset event” when air pollution control equipment failed that was designed to capture catalyst dust from a “cracking” unit. The catalytic dust, a fine white powder somewhat like talcum but grittier, fell onto the community of Bayou Vista, and visibly accumulated on cars and homes in the area. More than two months later, residents are still asking questions, concerned for their health and the health of the bay, and still getting the cold shoulder from the Marathon and the TCEQ.

As Austin’s Poverty Crisis Persists, Demand for Affordable Clean Energy Grows

Have you ever fallen behind on your bills? What about getting your power, water, or gas service cut off because you fell behind? As Austin confronts a poverty crisis, persistent drought, and ongoing economic segregation, thousands of Austinites continue to struggle to pay for one of the most fundamental services we’ve all become accustomed to – electricity.

Outings Across Texas

• More than half of North American bird species could be severely impacted by climate change over the next 70 years, according to a report issued by the National Audubon Society in September 2014. What does this mean for Texans and the future of our environment? Join Gary Langham, Chief Scientist of the National Audubon Society, on Thursday April 30 in Austin for a lecture on the predicted impacts of climate change on North American Birds.
• The Booming N Blooming Festival at the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge in Eagle Lake offers the chance to observe the unusual courtship ritual of Attwater’s prairie chickens in their native coastal prairie habitat. Held April 11-12, the event includes viewing tours to see the endangered ground-dwelling birds on their “booming grounds,” where the males inflate their bright yellow air sacs, hold their tails erect, stomp their feet, and charge at competitors. Birding tours, native plant tours, biologist presentations, and a children’s art contest round out the weekend.