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Participate in the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission’s Review of the PUC

May 19, 2010 by Citizen Carol

In 1977, the Texas Legislature created the Sunset Advisory Commission to identify and eliminate waste, duplication, and inefficiency in government agencies. The 12-member Commission is a legislative body that reviews the policies and programs of more than 150 government agencies every 12 years. The Commission questions the need for each agency, looks for potential duplication of other public services or programs, and considers new and innovative changes to improve each agency’s operations and activities. The Commission seeks public input through hearings on every agency under Sunset review and recommends actions on each agency to the full Legislature. In most cases, agencies under Sunset review are automatically abolished unless legislation is enacted to continue them.

The Commission holds public hearings on each agency under review. These hearings offer the public an opportunity to testify about an agency and comment on the Sunset staff’s recommendations. Witness affirmation forms are available at the meeting if you would like to testify before the Commission Public hearings are webcast and archives are available. Continue Reading »

Posted in Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, Renewables, solar | Tagged , , , , , , |

ERCOT Chair Steps Down Citing Personal Reasons

May 19, 2010 by Citizen Carol

Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) just announced board of directors’ chair, Jan Newton, has resigned citing personal reasons.  Ms. Newton served on the ERCOT board since 2006 and became the chair in 2008.

Her resignation is the second major departure from ERCOT in the past eight months. In September of 2009, CEO Bob Kahn submitted his and ERCOT is still in the process of a nationwide search for his replacement.  Conjecture about the possibility that the Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) chair, Barry Smitherman, (who also serves on the ERCOT board of directors as a ex-officio member) had thrown his hat in the ring for the position was cut short when Chairman Smitherman announced publically that he had decided not to pursue the job. 

At the time, while energy watchdogs agreed that Smitherman was highly qualified for the ERCOT job, they were also concerned that such an employment bid posed a conflict — first as a PUC commissioner charged with establishing the rules for ERCOT’s operation and, second, as a board member (albeit a non-voting one) of the agency he was asking to hire him. It was also unclear whether the laws governing the PUC would allow a commissioner to seek the ERCOT job.  Texas’ Public Utility Regulatory Act says commissioners can’t seek employment with a “public utility” while serving on the PUC.  ERCOT doesn’t technically qualify as a public utility, however industry insiders felt it was a gray area, and the spirit of the law looked prohibitive.  So the search goes on.

Michehl Gent, who also joined the board in 2006, will step up as the incoming chair.  Gent was former president and CEO of the North American Electric Reliability Corp.

Posted in Energy | Tagged , , |

Portland, TX Asks TCEQ to Deny Las Brisas Permit

May 19, 2010 by Citizen Carol

Portland, Texas’ City Council members voted yesterday on a resolution to unanimously to support a State Office of Administrative Hearings’ judicial recommendation that an air permit sought for Las Brisas petroleum-coke fired power plant be denied or reviewed further.

Portland’s council has long-standing tradition of staying out of Corpus Christi and Nueces County matters, but back in March, after two administrative law judges recommended that the permit be denied or sent back to the state environmental agency for further review, City Councilwoman Cathy Skurow, a civil engineer specializing in environmental permitting, requested it be put on the agenda.

More than 50 people packed the City Council Chambers and the council heard twenty four-minutes of testimony from a couple of Portland residents and dozens of Corpus Christi residents, all against the project, because of concerns that the plant would be detrimental to residents’ health and harmful to the economy should the region fall out of compliance with air pollution limits.

Portland Mayor David Krebs told the crowd that he came into the meeting 100 percent against the resolution, but by the time the vote occurred, he and the others fully supported it.

Council members said the council is not for or against Las Brisas, but wanted to add its collective voice in asking the state agency to make sure the project meets environmental regulations before it is built.  Basically the Portland council put TCEQ on notice that they expect TCEQ to do what they are supposed to do to protect the health and environmenal wellbeing of citizens in the region.

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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.

Posted in Coal | Tagged , , , , |

Proposed Rules Could Allow Disconnections for Some Critical Care Customers

May 18, 2010 by Citizen Carol

The Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) is considering proposed rules changes that will in many ways improve consumer protection, but contains some provisions that could allow retail electric providers (REP) to disconnect medically vulnerable customers who rely on electricity to sustain their lives.  Other rules being considered could make it impossible for a consumer who is in debt to a retail electric provider to switch to lower cost services, eliminating their right to choose.  Continue Reading »

Posted in Consumers | Tagged , , , , , , |

Tar Sands May be Coming to Texas

May 17, 2010 by Citizen Carol

The U.S. Department of State will be hosting public hearings this week, May 17-20th in Beaumont, Liberty, Livingston, and Tyler on the proposed tar sands pipeline. Canadian oil and gas giant TransCanada needs U.S. Department of State approval in order to expand the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to the Gulf Coast. The public hearings are key opportunities for local residents to make their voices heard and communicate their concerns about the project directly to State Department officials. Continue Reading »

Posted in Global Warming | Tagged , , |

Arkansas Supreme Court Rules Against Turk Coal Plant

May 13, 2010 by

Upholding a state court ruling made last year that found the hearing process was not conducted propery, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled against the Turk coal-fired power plant in Southwest Arkansas.  This is great news for the People of Arkansas, surrounding states, and the planet in general. Perhaps SWEPCO will take this as a hint that coal power is the past and start investing in the energy of the future with efficiency and renewables. Congratulations to everyone who has worked so hard on this issue including Audubon Arkansas, Sierra Club, and many others.

For more details, here are links to stories at Arkansas Matters and Forbes.

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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.

Posted in Coal, Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming | Tagged , , , |

The Nuclear Energy-Promoting, Oil Drilling-Championing, Coal Mining-Boosting Gift to Polluters Bill

May 12, 2010 by Citizen Carol

[polldaddy poll=3193510]

After half a year of delay, Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) are set to release their nuclear energy/cap-and-trade bill today. Until we see legislative text, we can comment only on the broad outline made available yesterday and an additional summary being circulated among legislative staff.

It’s not accurate to call this a climate bill. This is nuclear energy-promoting, oil drilling-championing, coal mining-boosting legislation with a weak carbon-pricing mechanism thrown in. What’s worse, it guts the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) current authority to regulate greenhouse gases as pollutants under the Clean Air Act.

Here’s our take on what we know is in the new bill: Continue Reading »

Posted in Coal, Efficiency, Global Warming, Nuclear, Renewables, solar | Tagged , , , , , |

Thanks for your donations to EarthShare of Texas through HEB’s in-store coupon promotion

May 12, 2010 by Citizen Carol

PUBLIC CITIZEN’s TEXAS OFFICE is a

Public Citizen is an Earthshare of Texas MemberApril is Earthday, give at HEB to Earthshare

Public Citizen’s Texas office would like to thank all those who made donations to Earth Share of Texas through HEB’s in-store coupon promotion for April. Your donations will go toward supporting environmental work in Texas including the Texas office of Public Citizen.

Posted in Global Warming | Tagged , |

Webinar on Texas Low Level Radioactive Waste Compact Commission Proposed Rule

May 11, 2010 by Citizen Carol

The day after our radioactive waste importation webinar, the Texas Low Level Radioactive Waste Compact Commission announced that it would delay consideration of the rule that would have allowed the import of low level nuclear waste from the entire nation into Texas.  The rule will not be considered now until at least June.  This is great news!

The announcement came shortly after a letter signed by 15 members of the Texas Legislature was sent to the Compact Commission. The Commission’s interim director sited the need to “consider and respond to” the “more than 2,000 comments” (2,490 to be precise) submitted on the proposed rule as a primary reason for the delay.  The majority of those comments were generated by the Sierra Club, and many others were generated or submitted by the other groups that helped organize the webinar. Continue Reading »

Posted in Nuclear | Tagged , , |

Week in Review

May 7, 2010 by

It’s a bitter sweet day here at Public Citizen. We’ve had another successful week despite the gulf catastrophe. But, we’re all a little sad because Andrew Sauls just finished the last day of his internship. Melissa “Mami” Sanchez is both proud of her fledgling for flying off and also dismayed to see the intern nest grow a little emptier. But that means she’s on the lookout for new eager interns if you’re interested in energy advocacy work shoot her an email at msanchez@citizen.org.

Andrew extends his sincere thanks to all of our staff for the knowledge, training, and expertise everyone has imparted. He left today’s staff meeting to warm cheers and handshakes. Andy’s off to Houston for the weekend to celebrate Mothers’ Day.

Now, the week in review…

Continue Reading »

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , |

NEGATIVE COURT RULING IN GEORGIA THROWS DOE’S NUCLEAR LOAN GUARANTEE BAILOUT PROGRAM INTO QUESTION

May 7, 2010 by Citizen Carol

U.S. Nuclear Reactor Projects In Line for Loan Guarantees Pose Major Risks to U.S. Taxpayers.

The only taxpayer-backed loan guarantee bailout to be offered for new nuclear reactors – $8.3 billion for two reactors at Plant Vogtle in Georgia was dealt a setback in a decision by a Georgia judge that state officials illegally certified the project, according to the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) and Public Citizen. 

Despite the push in Congress for more controversial loan guarantees for new nuclear reactors, the other two leading contenders for such bailouts – the South Texas Project at Bay City on the Gulf Coast (114 miles from San Antonio and 90 miles from Houston) and Calvert Cliffs in Maryland – are more unsettled than ever and now pose an even greater risk to U.S. taxpayers.  Given this, the  Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Sustainable Energy and Economic (SEED) Coalition and Public Citizen believe the Department of Energy (DOE) should overhaul its evaluation process before offering any new loan guarantees to nuclear projects .

DOE has stated that the $10 billion remaining in loan guarantee authority is only sufficient for one of the two projects and has requested another $9 billion in the appropriations supplemental to cover the second project.  In its FY2011 budget request, the Obama Administration has already requested $36 billion in loan guarantee authority, a tripling of the nuclear loan guarantee program. Continue Reading »

Posted in Nuclear | Tagged , |

Get to Know an Activist: Ryan Rittenhouse

May 6, 2010 by

The latest activist in our series is Public Citizen Texas’ Ryan Rittenhouse. Ryan is our anti-coal advocate from Cleveland, Ohio and has a B.A. in Communications from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania (a liberal arts school!). He is a part of the No Coal Coalition and is currently organizing opposition to the Tenaska and White Stallion coal plant proposals.

Sometimes, if you’re quiet, you can catch him sneaking outside the office to hug a tree.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FHhWCbEfCs]

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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas. Continue Reading »

Posted in Global Warming | Tagged , , |

Green Fund Campaign Goes 5-0

May 5, 2010 by Citizen Carol

 

Green Fund
5-0

 

Posted by Trevor Lovell
From a ReEnergize Texas press release issued April 26th

 UTSA, TAMU, UT-Austin, UT-El Paso, and North Texas

Earth Week in Texas brought a major victory for student environmentalists. Student bodies at 5 state universities voted in favor of campus “green funds.” The institutions are among some of the state’s largest – UT Austin, UT San Antonio, UT El Paso, Texas A&M University, and the University of North Texas – and the funds are expected to generate a combined $8 million for sustainability projects over their five year lifespan.

“The message was about investing in a greener future for our campus,” said Cameron Tharp who headed the campaign at the University of North Texas where 82% of students voted in favor.

If each of the funds is approved by its respective board of regents, Texas would have a total of 7 public colleges with green funds, including Texas State University and Austin Community College, both of which already have such funds in place. California currently has 10 public colleges with green funds, the most in the country. Continue Reading »

Posted in Efficiency, Global Warming, green jobs | Tagged , , |

Is the Sky Falling? Fossil Fuel Disaster Strikes San Antonio

May 5, 2010 by

What is happening? Black blood continues to ooze, pump, and explode into the Gulf. B.P., the Coast Guard, and the U.S. military are powerless to stop its wave of utter, incomprehensible destruction. Bigger than the Exxon Valdez spill. 100,000 or 200,000 or 500,000 gallons a day for going-on three weeks; an amount we will never be able to imagine. Canyons of crude death. Generations of flora, fauna, and ecosystems erased. Gone. For good.

And everybody shrugs their shoulders and talks about the costs. Everybody asks, “what was the cause?”

Does it take an engineer to explain why sucking the marrow out of the earth is a deadly process?

Now, today, a tanker truck exploded at a San Antonio refinery loading dock. Firefighters are struggling to control the blaze, spending most of their efforts to prevent the fire from spreading to the jet fuel and diesel storage facilities. Fire Chief Charles Hood does not sound optimistic.

The coal mine explosion in West Virginia. The coal carrier crash at the Great Barrier Reef. The burst pipeline in the Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge. The BP platform explosion and leak – the most devastating fossil fuel catastrophe in decades, perhaps ever. The TVA Kingston slurry damn failure just over a year ago in Tennessee (one of the worst disasters in history). The dozens of other “minor” accidents involving the harvesting of coal, oil, and natural gas.  And, now, today, here in Texas, the latest explosion in humanity’s mad pursuit of 19th century fuel.

What does it all mean? Why do these things keep happening? What are YOU going to do about it?

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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.

Posted in Coal, Energy, Global Warming, Toxics | Tagged , , , , , , , , |

Texans Don’t Want Texas to Become a Dumping Ground for the Nation’s Radioactive Waste

May 5, 2010 by Citizen Carol

A new poll shows 70% of Texans oppose importing radioactive waste to Texas for storage in Andrews County. Yet a crucial vote on a new rule by non-elected members of a commission could make Texas into the radioactive waste dump for the nation, and perhaps the world.

Originally only Texas and two other states could send radioactive waste to West Texas. Now a rule proposed by the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission would let Waste Control Specialists (WCS) dump radioactive waste from 36 or more states, and potentially from around the world, in Andrews County. This is not what anyone bargained for – even the legislators who approved the original Compact Agreement.

With a possible vote looming on the horizon (tentatively scheduled for May 11th), yesterday the Texas League of Women Voters, Public Citizen, the Lonestar Chapter of Sierra Club, and the SEED Coalition sponsored a webinar to provide expert information on radioactive waste importation for city, county and state leaders. In addition to featuring experts on radioactive waste disposal the webinar panel included Representatives Lon Burnham (D-Ft Worth) and Robert Talton (R- Pasadena).

Coincidentally, this morning we learned the Commission has canceled their May 11th meeting stating publically that they are unable to deal with the over 2,400 comments they received on the rule in time for the meeting.

The Texas Low Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission was created in early 2009, with two commissioners appointed by Vermont and six appointed by Perry. Perry has seen $620,000 plowed into his coffers by Harold Simmons, a Dallas billionaire whose company Valhi, Inc. owns Waste Control Specialists, LLC. That kind of money could mean there would be pressure on the six Perry appointed commissioners to vote for the rule. (Read Texans for Public Justice’s Lobby Watch for more information about WCS and political contributions.) Continue Reading »

Posted in Nuclear | Tagged , , |

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