This week, it felt as though the work of the 81st Session truly got underway. Committees began hearing testimony, including the House Committees on Environmental Regulation and on Energy Resources. On Wednesday, the House Committee on Environmental Regulation heard testimony on three electronic waste recycling bills (HB 284, HB 433, and HB 821) and one air permitting bill (HB 284). Robin Schneider of Texas Campaign for the Environment testified in favor of the electronic waste recycling bills. She underscored the danger posed by the complex recycling demands of electronic waste, both when in landfills here at home and when shipped overseas. Cyrus Reed of the Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter testified on behalf of HB 826 which would improve the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s ability to impose more meaningful penalties for violations.
Clean energy was in the news this week as the City of Austin voted to go ahead with plans for a solar array that will be among the largest in the world. Public Citizen’s blog Texas Vox has a detailed account of the city council meeting. Transportation was also the topic a great deal of discussion and a fair amount of dissent as TxDOT’s plans for its share of the federal stimulus package were debated in the House Select Committee on Federal Economic Stabilizing Funding. ACT has published its transportation recommendations for the 81st session. Our emphasis is on smart growth and integrating the work of the environmental specialists in TxDOT.
This week, there have been several additions to the resources available on ACT clean air page. A link to the extensive Environmental Defense Fund’s comprehensive Clean School Bus site was added. This site includes a detailed look at the program in Texas for which ACT recommends an increase in funding this year. There’s also @acttexas. Our goal is to provide information about Texas environmental legislation and issues in the most timely and to-the-point manner possible. We’ll have a preview of the week ahead on Monday morning
