Photo: Al Braden
Water is life, but it often seems like some Texas state agencies and officials haven’t gotten the memo. Last month, for example, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) voted NOT to set better rules to protect the remaining pristine streams of Texas – despite the rules being supported by environmentalists and landowners alike.
As head-spinning as that sounds, there’s hope for progress on the horizon, and the Lone Star Chapter is hard at work to improve water quality for Texas communities and ecosystems. Here’s what our efforts are focusing on in 2022 – and why we need your support.
Back in March, the Lone Star Chapter joined with the National Wildlife Federation in filing comments in support of better protections for the state’s precious oyster reefs, many of which are threatened by overharvesting and pollution. These oyster populations are integral to protecting our coastline from hurricanes and land loss, as well as important habitat for native species. Unfortunately, the only solution to protect oyster reefs is bay closures, which would result in displacement of commercial oyster fishers, the majority of whom are people of color. This complicated issue will require multipart solutions, including transitioning toward sustainable aquaculture. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department held a public hearing on the issue, which included four hours of passionate testimony from all sides. The agency ultimately held off making a decision until the next oyster season while taking steps for additional stakeholder input..
Meanwhile, several water-related state agencies are going through Sunset Review, a once-every-10-years chance for the Texas Legislature to reform these agencies. Even though “the Lege” doesn’t meet again until January 2023, the Sunset Commission is already holding hearings, and we are ramping up the pressure to protect clean water.
The Sierra Club submitted comments on the Texas Water Development Board's Sunset Review, and our water specialist, Alex Ortiz, spoke at the April public hearing, urging a substantial review of economically distressed areas and including climate science in the state’s water planning.
"The consensus of scientists across the United States and the globe is that climate change is occurring, it is occurring now, and we know it will have far-reaching impacts on Texans through both agriculture and water access," Ortiz told the commissioners. Assuring the future of Texas water is one of the most important functions that the state can perform for its people."
We also submitted comments on the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board’s Sunset Review and are preparing our comments on the Sunset review for TCEQ, which regulates water quality across the state. We expect to finalize and submit these at the TCEQ public hearing planned for June.
TCEQ recently released a draft of its Surface Water Quality Standards updates, and the Lone Star Chapter submitted comments – with 13 partner organizations signing on in agreement. We also collected and delivered over 500 letters of support from Texans across the state and published two blogs, one providing great education on the SWQS and our most important suggestions, and another explaining how TCEQ’s draft standards would downgrade protections for several local streams. These standards will address important components of bacterial pollution and plastic pollution, both of which risk harming human health and the environment.
Another area where we’ve been working for water quality and community health is through Ortiz’s membership on the Produced Water Consortium, which the Legislature established last year to study the possible beneficial uses — and environmental and public health considerations — of water left over from the natural gas fracking process. This group includes industry representatives and landowners, making our presence a much-needed voice for those concerned about the people of Texas and the environment.
All of this water work is so important. And we need to be able to both continue and increase our capacity educating Texans about what’s at stake, pressuring policymakers to make clean water a priority, and engaging stakeholders to build consensus around better water quality standards.
This work needs to happen now. If we wait until the Legislature convenes, it'll be too late.
We can't push without your help, though. We know we can achieve more if we work together with people like you. We persevered together through the Trump administration and the ongoing pandemic, and with your support we’re ready to meet the challenges ahead.
Each donation brings us one step closer to the world we envision and deserve. If you’re interested in volunteering to help us on these important water issues, email the Chapter at lonestar.chapter@sierraclub.org.