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Most Recent NewsEnvironment TexasPraises House Lifting BP Liability Limit and Investing in Our Treasured Lands and Waters, Pans Hypocrisy of Lifting Deep Water Moratorium 7/30/2010Today, the House of Representatives passed legislation responding to the ongoing BP oil spill. The CLEAR Act (H.R.3534) will require oil companies to pay for environmental damage caused by spills, reform oil drilling oversight, end some loopholes in environmental rules for on-shore oil and gas drilling, and provide permanent funding for land and water conservation. Before it passed, however, the House added an amendment offered by Representatives Melancon and Childers that would allow deep water drilling to resume before the end of the administration’s six-month moratorium. Congress to Vote on Oil Leak Response Bill Tomorrow 7/29/2010AUSTIN – Environment Texas called upon the Texas Congressional Delegation to support the CLEAR Act, Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources Act, (H.R. 3534), scheduled for a vote tomorrow in the U.S. House. The bill * Holds BP accountable for the oil spill by lifting the cap on liability. * Reforms offshore oil and gas drilling by tightening safety and permitting provisions * Provides funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund to acquire and protect key treasured lands in Texas, including Big Bend National Park and Big Thicket National Forest 231 Beach Pollution Advisories in Texas in 2009 7/28/2010AUSTIN – As thousands of Texans flock to beaches along the coast, Environment Texas reported that beach closings and advisories due to pollution dropped last year to 231 days, according to the Natural Resource Defense Council’s Natural Resource Defense Council’s 20th annual beach water quality report. Environment Texas called for increased federal funding and strong EPA rules for reducing stormwater pollution. Most Recent ReportsTesting the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches 7/28/2010In 2009, beach closings and advisories hit their sixth-highest level in the 20 years the Natural Resources Defense Council(NRDC) has been tracking them. The continuing high number of closing and advisory days, combined with a relatively constant level of bacterial contamination at ocean, bay, and Great Lakes beaches, suggests that our nation’s beaches require a more concerted effort to identify and control the sources of water pollution that put swimmers at risk. LCRA Notice of Intent 7/15/2010Notice of Intent to Sue for Clean Air Act Violations at the Sam Seymour Fayette Power Project Located near La Grange, Fayette County, Texas. On the Right Track: DART Rail Saves Energy and Protects the Envrionment 7/15/2010Each year, the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Rail System saves area travelers about 8.8 million gallons of gasoline - the same amount of fuel consumed by more than 15,000 cars annually. Our Issues in the NewsSave Our Springs sues over water treatment plant 7/29/2010SOS, along with Environment Texas, contends that the city needs to finish more environmental studies first. Drought helped clean Texas beaches 7/29/2010But Texas saw a 27 percent drop in closings and public advisories, falling from 318 in 2008. Experts believe the plunge was a result of the two-year drought that limited storm-water runoff. Karen Byrom, an Environment Texas field organizer, said updated sewage treatment systems are part of what's needed. Report: Texas Beaches Getting Cleaner 7/29/2010Kara Byrom, an organizer with Environment Texas, acknowledged that it would be hard to address the many unknown sources that cause problems on Texas beaches, or the rain that spurs stormwater runoff. But she said the state and the federal Environmental Protection Agency could do better at controlling chemicals and other pollutants that wind up in the runoff. |
