14 May EcoPolitics May 14th – May 21st, 2015: TxLege Updates, Watershed Protection Land in Jeopardy, Texas Sues Over Clean Power Plan
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[State] With only two weeks left in the legislative session,
now is a good time to look back and reflect on the impact that the session has had on Texas and the environment. This
podcast from our friends at
Shades of Green radio is a great way to do that. It features guests from the
Texas Campaign for the Environment,
Texas League of Conservation Voters, and
Public Citizen Texas, three organizations with a strong working knowledge of the Texas Legislature. They run down the
good, bad, and ugly of the session and let listeners know how they can get involved during these last few weeks of law-making.
You can listen to the podcast here>>
[State] Although time is running out, the legislative session is not
over yet, and that means that there is still time for environmentally-damaging bills to make their way through the State Capitol building. If passed, two such bills,
HB 3620 and 3621, could take away the City of Austin's ability to
purchase water quality protection lands in the Hill Country.
Since 1998, the City of Austin has purchased over 6,000 acres of water quality protection land in Travis and Hays Counties to ensure that the water flowing from Barton Springs into the Colorado River is clean. If passed, HB 3620 and 3621, proposed by State Representative Jason Isaac of Dripping Springs, would essentially strip the City of Austin of its ability to continue with these watershed protection efforts, all in the name of expanding the property tax base in Hays County. Learn more about these two bills and their potential impact on Austin's water supply with this article from the University of Texas>>
[State/Federal] Texas is suing the Obama administration
over its proposed
Clean Power Plan, which seeks to
combat climate change by
cutting carbon emissionsfrom power plants throughout the country. If the plan works as expected, it will reduce national carbon emissions from electricity generation by an estimated
30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Tuesday his plans to go to court over the Clean Power Plan. "Texas has proven we can improve air quality without damaging our economy or Texans’ pocketbooks,” Paxton said. "I will fight this ill-conceived effort that threatens the livelihood and quality of life of all Texans.” Learn more>>
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