Result

Victory for the Christmas Mountains

 In September, Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson abandoned plans to sell the Christmas Mountains to private interests and instead agreed to transfer the property to the Texas State University system. Now, geology, archaeology and biology students at Sul Ross State, Sam Houston State, Lamar University and other Texas State campuses will get to explore the mountains, expanding our knowledge of this unique natural treasure. Further, the mountains will remain open to the public, with access directly from Big Bend National Park.

Result

Attacks on public health defeated—for now.

The coal lobby and their allies are trying to block the EPA from protecting public health, but we’ve held the line against some of their worst attacks: In March, the U.S. Senate rejected a bill that would have blocked standards for soot, mercury and carbon pollution. In April, the Senate defeated four more bills that would have blocked the EPA from cutting air pollution.

Result

Cleaning up our air

On June 30, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro announced that the city-owned CPS Energy will retire the polluting Deely power plant by the year 2018 and replace its power with additional investments in solar and other clean sources of energy. According to our research, in 2009, the Deely plant emitted 3657 tons of nitrogen oxide, a key precursor to smog pollution, and is a major source of mercury pollution.  

Result

Reducing Mercury Pollution

On December 21, President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the first-ever nationwide standard for mercury and air toxics pollution from power plants. A record 907,000 Americans submitted comments on the standard, which is expected to cut toxic mercury pollution from power plants by 90 percent. Environment Texas Research and Policy Center worked for more than a decade to win this rule and we are very excited by the victory.

Result

Texas Clean Air Project

Our Texas Clean Air Project won a landmark settlement against Shell Oil in 2009, after the company agreed to reduce emissions at its Deer Park chemical plant by 80 percent—and pay a record penalty of almost $6 million. In 2010, using the same legal strategy, we settled a case with Chevron Phillips, after they agreed to slash pollution by 85 percent at their Baytown chemical plant and pay a fine of $2 million.

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