Other Issues In the News

By Michele Angél 

AUSTIN, September 13 - One senator and seven representatives voted to protect the environment 100 percent of the time in the 80th Legislature, according to Environment Texas' biennial legislative scorecard. Reps Norma Chávez, D-El Paso, and Abel Herrero, D-Robstown, both received 100 percent on the scorecard that tracks votes on a range of issues affecting the state's air, water, natural areas, and quality of life.

Chávez has a lifetime environmental voting record of 86 percent and Herrero has an impressive lifetime record of 100 percent. Herrero offered an amendment last session to crack down on illegal air pollution from oil refineries.

"I'm thankful to be recognized as someone who protects the environment, our most valuable resource," said Herrero in response. "I realize the need to protect the most critical resources." Herrero said the need to ensure the protection of the environment for future generations also motivates him to be so environmentally conscious in his work. Next session, Herrero said he would continue to push for incentives that reward individuals and companies that make capital improvements that are good for the environment. “I believe we can have growth in the economy and protect the environment. We can continue to have win-win situations,” Herrero said.

Environmental Defense said the representatives with the best environmental track record this session, voted against blocking a study of cost effective ways to reduce global warming pollution. The amendment to S.B. 12 was tabled. The group said they also voted against H.B. 1386, which shifts the cost of decommissioning nuclear power plants to taxpayers, which was signed into law. This session's environmentalists also voted against tabling an amendment to H.B. 3732, which would have required new coal burning power plants to meet tougher emissions standards in order to qualify for the subsidies provided for in the bill. It was tabled. They also voted against the bill that was signed into law, creating new subsidies for the coal burning power plants. The environmental voters supported HB 1090, which creates incentives for biomass energy and removed a barrier that threatened to derail expansion of renewable energy in Texas. They also voted yes to an amendment to SB 3 that would have required certain water managers to meet basic conservation goals before new, environmentally harmful reservoirs could be built. Amendment 27 passed, but was stripped out of the bill in committee.

Luke Metzger, who represents Environment Texas, said that the legislator's environmental voting record depends on how close that member is to industry, whether they receive campaign contributions, and how closely they listen to industry. Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, scored a 67 percent and pleased environmentalists with an amendment that passed for increased state park funding. He has a lifetime score of 75 percent.

Freshman Rep. Solomon Ortiz, Jr., D-Corpus Christi, scored a solid 83 percent for the environment. He carried a bill to increase solar power and was instrumental in passing the legislation which gives credit to homeowners who have solar panels. Utilities will be required to pay a fair price to those who put their solar power back into the grid. Reps. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg and Mark Homer, D-Paris, shared the lowest score of House Democrats with 33 percent. Peña did vote to support renewable energy and water conservation. His lifetime score is 67 percent. However, Peña also voted to create new subsidies for coal burning power plants, and to table tougher emissions standards for those plants. He voted to subsidies the nuclear power industry and to block a study to reduce global warming emissions, the report states.

Other House representatives who voted to protect the environment 100 percent of the time were Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, David Leibowitz, D-San Antonio, Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin, and Dora Olivo, D-Rosenburg. Three Republican representatives got scores of zero percent: Joe Strauss of San Antonio, Will Hartnett of Dallas, and Patricia Harless of Spring. Strauss sat as the chair of the House Energy Efficiency Subcommittee in the Regulated Industries Committee. The average score in the House was 46 percent.

“All of the legislators who scored 100 percent are Democrats and Democrats are some of the biggest champions of environmental issues, but some Republicans did do better than Democrats,” Metzger said. Republicans in urban areas tended to be more willing to reduce air pollution and Democrats in urban areas didn't typically score well on water conservation issues. Sen. Mario Gallegos, D-Houston, was the lone state senator to receive a 100 percent score. The average score in the Senate was 61 percent. Sens. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio and Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, all Democrats, each voted for the environment 86 percent of the time, while Sens. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen and Eddie Lucio, Jr., D-Brownsville, voted for the environment 71 percent of the time. Hinojosa was absent for one critical vote and Lucio passed on one. The senators voted to subsidize the nuclear power plants, keeping them from a 100 percent score.

Metzger said that Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, has done more to block pro-environmental legislation, as chair of House Environmental Regulation, than any other legislator, and he routinely votes against the environment.

The 80th legislature environmental scorecard for border and South Texas representatives by percentage of votes to protect the environment reads; Norma Chávez, D-El Paso, 100 Juan Escobar, D-Kingsville, 83 Kino Flores, D-Palmview, 50 Pete Gallego, D-Alpine,67 Juan Garcia, D-Corpus Christi, 67 Veronica Gonzoles, D-McAllen, 83 Ryan Guillien, D-Rio Grande City, 50 Pat Haggerty, R-El Paso, 33 Abel Herrero, D-Robstown, 100 Tracy King,D-Batesville, 50 Eddie Lucio III, D-Brownsville, 67 Armando Martinez, D-Weslaco, 67 Paul Morenno, D-El Paso, 67 Geannie Morrison, R-Victoria, 17 Rene Oliveira, D-Brownsville, 83 Solomon Ortiz, Jr., D-Corpus Christi, 83 Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg, 33 Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, 40 Inocente "Chente" Quintanilla, D-Tornillo, 50 Richard Raymond, D-Laredo, 50 Yvonne Gonzolez Toureilles, D-Alice, 67

The Environment Texas' 2007 and 2005 Legislative Scorecards are available for download at: http://www.environmenttexas.org/legislature/legislative-scorecard Write Michele Angél