TEXAS BUSINESS FOR CLEAN AIR SCORES BIG WINS IN STATE LEGISLATURE
“The times they are a’ changing”: Group’s support has helped make clean air agenda in Texas politics a reality

 

May 30, 2007 -- Texas Business for Clean Air (TBCA), a group of prominent Texas business executives that promotes clean air, scored a knockout punch in its first foray into legislative politics during the recently-ended session of the Texas legislature. Promoting their message that “clean air is good for business,” the group helped to develop, support and pass a number of key bills aimed at establishing a statewide framework for a clean-energy future. The passage of those bills begins the process of a comprehensive plan for clean air for the state.

 

“This was a historic session. The agenda we supported in the legislature would have had little chance of passing two years ago,” says Trammell S. Crow, one of the three founders of TBCA. “Four years ago, it would have been considered heresy, and six years ago it would not have even been on the radar screen. We commend the legislature for the work they did to improve the quality of Texas air and to make environmental stewardship a goal that all Texans can support.”

 

The unprecedented progress of the TBCA can be attributed to the fact that it is not your traditional “green” activist group. It is a group of more than 250 business leaders from across the state that believes that clean air is not just important for a healthy environment, but also for a vital, growing economy. They have become a strong, independent voice for the environmental concerns of the business community. This was exactly what was needed to spur the agenda in a traditionally conservative state like Texas.

 

TBCA’s goals are focused on developing a comprehensive state energy plan, enhancing the power of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in regulating the approval and operation of power plants, increasing energy efficiency across the state, encouraging more renewable and clean technology, and supporting and strengthening retail competition. Bills the group has helped to pass in this session include:

 

  • Representative Joe Straus and Senator Troy Fraser’s bill requiring state facilities to increase energy efficiency through the use of alternatives such as energy-saving lighting. This bill is particularly important because it offers the opportunity to reduce energy consumption. As TBCA co-chair and CEO of Consumer Club, Inc. David Litman put it, “Every kilowatt-hour saved is more than a kilowatt-hour earned. Any time you find a way to reduce peak energy consumption, you make it possible for utilities to avoid building a new power plant that will pollute the air.”
  • Senator Kip Averitt and Representative Dennis Bonnen’s bill strengthening energy efficiency incentives such as a fund to encourage consumers in high pollution areas to purchase low-emission automobiles.
  • Representative Bonnen and Senator Averitt’s bill creating a study of the state’s long-term energy needs and the development of a plan to address those needs while preserving the environment.
  • Senator Kel Seliger and Representative Byron Cook’s bill supporting the effort of Texas in receiving a partnership with the federal government on the “FutureGen” project, the goal of which is to use coal gasification and carbon sequestration technology to build the first zero-emissions fossil fuel plant in the world. Whether this project ends up going to Texas or some other state, it will remain important to TBCA’s goals. If the revolutionary technology is proven to work, it will be possible to incorporate coal into Texas’ future energy plans without worrying about air pollution.
  • Representative Rick Hardcastle and Senator Averitt’s bill funding an experiment of new “advanced clean” technology that holds the promise of cleaning up one of the state’s worst polluters; power plants.
  • Representative Phil King and Senator Fraser’s bill to create a nuclear plant cost recovery mechanism to encourage future investment in nuclear power, a source of electricity that is gentler on the atmosphere than fossil fuels such as coal.
  • Representative Bonnen and Senator Glenn Hegar’s bill creating a tax incentive for the development of future nuclear capacity rather than coal or lignite capacity.

Although these bills must still be signed by the Governor, Garrett Boone, co-chairman of The Container Store and TBCA co-chair, says “this is probably Texas’ most environmentally-aware legislature ever.”

TBCA is also pleased at the defeat of legislation which would have stripped away the power of cities to regulate polluters that operate outside official city limits. The group sees local governments as important for controlling polluters.

Despite the successes, the group acknowledges that not all of its objectives for this session were achieved. As a TBCA co-chair, Trammell S. Crow put it, “This is a marathon, not a sprint. There remains a lot of work to be done, and we’re committed to continuing our mission for a cleaner environment.”


TBCA is also concerned that legislation enabling the TCEQ to consider the comprehensive, statewide impact of proposed power plants did not pass. Currently, the TCEQ looks only at the localized impact of proposed new plants. This issue will likely be revisited in future sessions. In the meantime, TBCA considers it of utmost importance that they and other voices committed to clean air be present at power plant hearings taking place before the TCEQ or the PUC to ensure that environmental concerns are addressed. “We are committed to becoming a major force in the rules, proposals and decisions of the TCEQ and the PUC to insure that a pro-business, pro-environment position on clean air is accomplished in the regulatory arena,” said Litman.

 

TBCA is concerned that Texas’ current State Implementation Plan (SIP) for coming into compliance with Federal air quality standards may be rejected by the EPA. All major cities in Texas are in non-attainment or close to it, and this creates a looming crisis for 2010, when penalties will kick in that could cause serious economic suffering. This ratchets up the urgency of the conservation agenda the group supports.

 

As the group co-chairs stated in an op-ed article, “Clean air is not a liberal or conservative issue. It is simply good business. In yesterday’s political environment, you could be pro-environment or pro-business, but not both. In the future, we intend to make sure that old school politics is outmoded – we believe a pro-business, pro-environment attitude is best for Texas and Texans.”

 

About Texas Business for Clean Air
Texas Business for Clean Air (TBCA) is a group of hundreds of business leaders from across the state committed to improving Texas' air quality. They believe the economic vitality of the state’s businesses and the health of workers and their families depend upon keeping the air clean by promoting energy efficiency and minimizing harmful emissions. Rather than a conflict between environmental and business interests, they see a natural alliance between clean air and the long-term health of the Texas economy. They advocate that the pursuit of clean air, clean energy generation and efficient use will help spur new technologies and new businesses that will act as a tremendous stimulus to economic growth and open the doors for Texas businesses to export these technologies across the U.S. and around the world.

 

Contact:

Laurey Peat + Associates
2001 Ross Ave., Ste. 3170
Dallas, TX 75201
214-871-8787