Updates

We preserved a special part of Texas.

This fall, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson announced plans to transfer the ruggedly scenic Christmas Mountains to Texas State University, where the land will be open to all. Previously, Patterson proposed selling the mountains to private interests. But after a public outcry—including thousands of petition signatures from Environment Texas members—he promised to protect the Christmas Mountains forever.

News Release | Environment Texas

Texas House passes major water legislation

AUSTIN – By a vote of 141 to 4, the Texas House today gave final approval to legislation which more than doubles the state’s investment in water conservation and creates a new water infrastructure fund to provide state financing to reservoir, pipeline and conservation projects. Once the Senate approves the conference report to HB 4, the bill will finally head to the Governor’s desk. The bill directs that 20 percent of the funding go towards water conservation measures and another 10 percent go towards rural projects, for which agricultural water conservation projects also qualify. The 2012 State Water Plan calls for just 11 percent of state funding to go towards conservation, but with the passage of HB 4, as much as 30 percent of the funding will now be directed to water-saving measures.  

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News Release | Environment Texas

Progress made on water conservation, Budget funds local parks

AUSTIN – In a series of promising developments for the environment, important progress was made today in the Legislature for Texas parks and rivers. First, the House Appropriations committee approved a constitutional amendment to authorize $2 billion in spending in water infrastructure. If conservation targets in companion legislation HB4 are maintained, the combination of actions would result in a historic investment in water conservation. Second, the House approved a bill to prevent homeowners associations from blocking members from planting of drought-tolerant landscaping. Finally, the budget conference committee restored $15.5 million to the local parks grant program.

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Blog Post

Rainforest Village Battles Big Oil | Luke Metzger

The world is watching Ecuador. Oil giant PetroAmazonas has plans to drill in the Amazon rainforest. Many rainforest residents are no doubt fearing a repeat of what happened nearly fifty years ago, when Texaco blasted through the Amazon rainforest, clearing acres of pristine forest land and began drilling for oil. The result was the most massive destruction and contamination of rainforest lands in history along with unprecedented human rights violations. It was the early sixties; and although world-wide activism was at its peak, there were no global public awareness campaigns or social media platforms to halt the determination of such a big oil company. Today, the world is different--environmentally aware and globally connected. There are multi-national commissions and environmental standards in place; yet, deliberate deforestation is still the top threat to the world’s tropical forests. And proposed drilling is a huge threat right now.

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News Release | Environment Texas

Court rejects Exxon bid to dismiss citizen enforcement suit

HOUSTON – A federal court has rejected, for the second time, an attempt by ExxonMobil Corporation and two subsidiaries to get rid of a lawsuit filed against them by Sierra Club and Environment Texas.  The lawsuit alleges thousands of violations of the Clean Air Act at the nation’s largest oil refinery and chemical plant complex, located in Baytown, Texas. 

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Headline

Proposal limits citizen challenges to polluters

"The deck is already stacked against residents when a powerful polluter applies for a permit to discharge chemicals in to our air, water and land. The contested case hearing process has played a critical role in giving residents the ability to ask the polluters tough questions and make them take steps to mitigate health and environmental threats." Environment Texas Director Luke Metzger on Senate Bill 957, which would severely restrict contested cases.

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