Lone Star Sierran - September 2016

September 29, 2016

Director's Message 

I recently saw a map of U.S. oil and gas pipelines and was stunned by the overwhelming extent of pipeline miles that are in Texas.  With new oil and gas discoveries and new technologies for extraction, the U.S., especially Texas, has entered a new "Ruinaissance" of oil and gas production and ecological disruption.  As domestic demand weakens, companies are engaging in a mad rush to reach foreign markets and to devise creative ways to spur more demand. This is creating a "viscous" circle of needing more pipe in order to reach foreign markets and then needing more production to keep those filled and flowing.
 
The pressure to lay more pipe will be further accelerated by the discovery of one of the largest oil and gas fields discovered in the last decade near Balmorhea state park in West Texas.  Ironically, the company is called Apache corp, as if their threat to sacred area, artifacts, water quality and natural beauty in the area isn't insult enough.
 
Another offender, the Trans Pecos pipeline, is being built to run from near Fort Stockton to Mexico and digging up some of the last unspoiled parts of our state. The same company building Trans Pecos, Energy Transfers corp, is the same company building the Dakota Access Pipeline, threatening the water supply and spoiling lands that are both sacred and crucial to the Sioux Nation. I am proud to have stood with representatives of the affected native tribes and will continue to stand against both these projects in order to circumvent more extraction and more miles of pipe.
 
Ultimately the survival of our planet depends on moving into the right future, but more immediately public safety and ecological preservation demand we curtail the mad dash for profits and irreparable harms that flow from wells and through pipelines.
 
Stay tuned, 
 
Reggie James
Reggie James, Director
Lone Star Chapter
RRC Spill
It's time for a makeover, but it's more than just its name that needs changing. The Railroad Commission, in addition to commissioners getting campaign donations from the same oil and gas industry they're supposed to regulate, hasn't changed the fines on oil and gas companies that break the rules in 33 years! In 1983, fines were a maximum of $10,000 per day (~$25,000 today) for violations such as operating without a permit or allowing oil to spill into a river. Today, this is a slap on the wrist to companies that make billions of dollars each year.
 
The Sunset Commission, which has the ability to reform Texas state agencies, is once again charged with fixing the Railroad Commission. Sunset Commissioners can help pass a bill to improve how the Railroad Commission regulates the oil and gas industry but they won't get tough if they don't hear from you. Send them a message today to let them know how you feel about the sad state of oil and gas regulation in Texas

sxsweco  CHP-TX-1900-CastnerRangeFlowersandHills CHP-TX-1900-bigbend_nordgren_72dpi

Got a favorite photo of Texas wilderness? Post it on social media using the hashtag #SXSWEcoClub and you could win two passes (valued at $990) to SXSW Eco. The winner will be chosen by the Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter and announced on its social media platforms on Monday, October 3rd. SXSW Eco® celebrates the power of business, technology and design to drive economic, environmental and social change. Explore 3 days of dynamic sessions and events from October 10-12 at the AustinConvention Center.

 

Read here for more contest details. Good luck! 

Houston Solar

New Homes In Houston Will Soon Be Ready For Solar

We know, to most people building codes are not that exciting but we are still dancing over the city of Houston moving to make all new homes solar ready. The so-called "solar ready" provision to the new building code means that the roofs of new homes will have the right conditions to add solar panels, and there will be adequate space inside the home to add electrical control equipment for solar panels. This means more energy efficiency! More renewable energy! Less pollution! And more money back in your wallets!

Congratulations Houston! Read more on this awesome development and come dance with us :D

DawsonHayhoe
 
Despite many of our state leaders' obstinate opposition to accepting the reality of climate change, Texas has produced some incredibly inspirational climate justice heroes. Two of these Lone Star treasures, Katharine Hayhoe and Bill Dawson, were honored at this year's national Sierra Club Awards. Both individuals have dedicated their lives to educating themselves and the public about the environment and for that we thank them

Read More

Mt Bonnell

UPDATE: The Cleanup on Red Bluff - Illegal Dumping in "East Austin's Mount Bonnell" 

The Red Bluff vista in East Austin has been used as an illegal dump for half a century, but after tireless campaigning by neighborhood residents and local activists over the past two years the area is finally getting cleaned up! 

Check out the photos & some amazing folks who have helped make this a reality.

LNG Shutdown

Point Isabel ISD Votes Down LNG Tax Subsidies Again

LNG is 0 for 2 asking the RGV school district for subsidies for their proposed massive industrial complex. The Point Isabel ISD was the first school district in Texas to reject a tax abatement application from Oil & Gas when they voted down Annova LNG's application, and made history again by "shredding" Rio Grande LNG's application.

They didn't buy LNG's slick PR pitch for tax subsidies and residents, some who have been involved for three years to Save RGV from LNG, are rightfully ecstatic. 

See how it all played out

ForWorthWaste

Fort Worth Lacks Ambition On Solid Waste Management Plan

Fort Worth recently released its draft 20-year Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Plan, outlining how the city will reduce, manage and dispose of its solid waste during the next two decades. Conservationists say that, like Austin and Dallas, cities like Fort Worth should be working on "zero waste" going to their landfills. These long-term "zero waste" plans reduce waste going into landfills and incinerators by up to 85-90 percent. 

Unfortunately, Fort Worth's goal is only 50 percent by 2036. Zero Waste Fort Worth, Texas Campaign for the Environment and the Greater Fort Worth Sierra Club think the city can do better - much better!

Check out how

Dapl

Regional Roundup

Briefs from across the Lone Star state.
  • Solidarity events to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) are happening all over the country. In Texas, especially, the connection to the #NoDAPL movement runs deep. Energy Transfer Partners, the corporation building DAPL, is the same corporation putting our pristine Big Bend at risk with its Trans-Pecos Pipeline.
  • Folks in the Rio Grande Valley are uniting from all walks of life to say no to LNG. Recently, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley signed an agreement with Rio Grande LNG and community members and students were simply not having it.
  • An earthquake that was felt from Dallas to theDakotas had Oklahoma officials so shaken up that they actually moved to shut down several fracking wells!
  • Apparently, last year Texas found 276 cases of groundwater contamination. And "though the types of pollutants varied, gasoline, diesel and petroleum products were most common."
  • Meet the Texas Billionaire behind the North Dakota pipeline and the Trans Pecos pipeline. Kelcy Warren lives in a 27,200-square-foot castle in the Preston Hollow neighborhood of north Dallas, a community that had restrictive covenants in place until 2000 limiting it to white people only (except for domestic servants)."
  • Wild and Scenic Film Festival: Igniting Passion for Hill Country Rivers. Join us as we screen 7 films that celebrate individuals and communities across the globe coming together and taking action for the protection and restoration of our precious lands, starry skies and wild waters.