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Public Citizen Testimony in the 87th Texas Legislature

Public Citizen’s Texas office is working on behalf of clean energy, environment and ethics. Please ask your state lawmakers to support these positions. Find your senators and representatives here.

Sept. 30 – SB1 OPPOSE (third special session): Testimony in opposition to SB1, a temporary reduction in the maximum compressed tax rate of a school district and the form of the ballot proposition to be used in an election to approve a tax rate adoped by a school district that exceeds the district’s voter approval tax rate; making an appropriation. We oppose this bill because it pays for property tax cuts at the expense of programs dedicated by Texans for specific purposes. This bill would cut money from the Transportation Emissions Reduction Program and oppose cutting funding to this program. Read the full testimony here.

Aug. 23, 2021: SB 1 OPPOSE (second special session): Testimony in opposition to SB1, a Republican attempt to suppress votes in Texas. Read the full testimony here.

May 11, 2021: SB 1728 SUPPORT: Testimony to the House Committee on Transportation against authorizing a fee for alternatively fuel vehicles. Read the full testimony here.

May 3, 2021: SB 328 SUPPORT: Testimony to the Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture & Rural Affairs supporting a disaster identification system for a declared state of disaster. Read the full testimony here.

May 3, 2021: HB 1261 OPPOSE: Testimony in opposition to legislation that would give the state exclusive jurisdiction to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in Texas and preempt local regulation. Read the full testimony here.

May 3, 2021 – HB 2780 SUPPORT: Testimony to the House Committee on Environmental Regulation in support of improving the  safety of aboveground storage tanks. Read the full testimony here.

April 27, 2021: HB 2974 SUPPORT: Testimony to the House Committee on Environmental Regulation in suppport of requiring maintenance on heating and air conditioning systems at public school instructional facilities and holding liable the owner or operator of a facility that is responsible for damages to a school resulting from an explosion, release, or other event. Read the full testimony here.

April 27, 2021: HB 3477 SUPPORT: Testimony to the House  House Committee on Environmental Regulation in support of terminating corporate privileges for certain business entities under enforcement action for a violation of environmental laws. Read the full testimony here.

April 20, 2021: HB 4456 SUPPORT: Testimony to the House Committee on State Affairs in support of HB 4556 by Rep. Anchia, which would ramp up the energy efficiency goal for utilities serving customers in the competitive retail areas of ERCOT to 1% of annual energy sales. Read the full testimony here.

April 19, 2021: HB 1912 SUPPORT: Testimony to the House Committee on Environmental Regulation in support of air quality permits for aggregate production operations and concrete batch plants. This bill includes improved public hearing processes, new control strategies and better coordination on traffic safety with the Texas Department of Transportation. Read the full testimony here.

April 19, 2021: HB 896 and HB 897 SUPPORT: Testimony to the House Committee on Environmental Regulation relating to air quality permits issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for certain oil and gas facilities (HB 896) and relating to the analysis of inspection and maintenance requirements for air quality permits issued by TCEQ for certain oil and gas facilities (HB 897). HB 896 would requires new and existing modified facilities to establish a quarterly leak detection and repair program. HB 896 also requires new facilities to prohibit venting and limit flaring. HB 897 would require TCEQ to study and report on best practices to limit flaring, venting, VOC emissions from storage tanks, and nitrogen oxide emissions from compressor engines. Read the full testimony here.

April 19, 2021: HB 767 SUPPORT: Testimony to the House Committee on Environmental Regulation in support of new best management practices for aggregate production operations. The bill directs TCEQ to develop best management practices for the aggregate production industry and to publish those practices on the TCEQ website. There are currently no established best management practices. Read the full testimony here.

April 19, 2021: HB 289 SUPPORT: Testimony to the House Committee on Environmental Regulation in support of expanding criteria for who can request a contested case hearing for a concrete batch plant from TCEQ. The expanded criteria would include a representative of a school, place of worship, licensed day-care center, hospital, or medical facility. It also allows any affected person within 880 yards of the proposed facility to request the hearing. Read the full testimony here.

April 19, 2021: HB 65 SUPPORT: Testimony to the House Committee on Environmental Regulation in support of requirements for notice of a standard permit for certain concrete plants.This bill would provide notice to all households within 880 yards of a permit application for a standard permit for a concrete batch plant. Read the full testimony here.

April 14, 2021: HB 3460 SUPPORT: Testimony to the House Committee on State Affairs in support of the creation of a grant program to provide direct financial assistance to certain residents of this state who were affected by the winter disaster of 2021. Read the full testimony here.

April 8, 2001: SB 900 SUPPORT: Testimony to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Economic Development in support of stronger standards for petrochemical storage tanks. Read the full testimony here.

March 30, 2021: HB 1627 SUPPORT: Testimony to the House Committee on Environmental Regulation in support of the issuance of air quality permits for concrete plants located in certain areas. This bill – narrowly tailored to a unique situation in Houston – would grant city and county leadership a power they otherwise lack, to stop concrete batch plants from locating in neighborhoods and near homes. Read the full testimony here.

March 30, 2021: HB 3032 SUPPORT: Testimony to the House Committee on Environmental Regulation in support of substitutes for hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants applicable to commercial or residential buildings or construction. This bill will assist with the transition away from use of hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants (HFCs). HFCs, commonly used as refrigerants, are hazardous chemicals and powerful greenhouse gases or residential buildings or construction. Read the full testimony here.

March 30, 2021: HB 3603 SUPPORT: Testimony to the House Committee on Environmental Regulation is support of a bill making a concrete batch plant eligible for a standard permit with enhanced controls following the withdrawal of an application for a standard permit. Read the full testimony here.

March 30, 2021: HB 2811 SUPPORT: Testimony to the House Committee on Environmental Regulation in support of the committee substitute to HB 2811 relating to the release of a tier two form listing hazardous chemicals that is in the possession of a political subdivision of this state. Read the full testimony here.

March 30, 2021: HB 1533 SUPPORT: Testimony in support of creating of an energy efficiency loan guarantee program under the Texas emissions reduction plan. Read the full testimony here.

March 25, 2021: SB 1261 OPPOSE: Testimony to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Economic Development opposing a bill providing exclusive jurisdiction of the state to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and the express preemption of local regulation of those emissions. Read the full testimony here.

March 25, 2021: SB 1046 OPPOSE: Testimony to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Economic Development opposing a bill relating to the regulation of radioactive waste and reducing a surcharge; reducing a fee.  Read the full testimony here.

March 25, 2021: SB 952 SUPPPORT: Testimony to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Economic Development in support of plot plan requirements for an application for a standard permit for a concrete batch plant issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Read the full testimony here.

March 18, 2020: HB416 SUPPORT: Testimony to the House Committee on Environmental Regulation in support of requiring applicants for a concrete batch plant permit to include a plot plan that clearly shows a distance scale; a north arrow; all property lines, emissions points, and other relevant structures; two benchmark locations in the area; and a showing that any applicable distance or setback requirements can be met. Read the full testimony here.

March 17, 2021: SB367 OPPOSE: Testimony to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Economic Development in support of requiring disclosure of oil and gas well blowouts. Read the the full testimony here.

March 15, 2021: HB960 SUPPORT. Testimony to the House Committee on Environmental Regulation in support of a bill requiring that hearings for TCEQ permit applications be conducted in the House district in which the facility will be located. Read the full testimony here.

March 10, 2021: HB19 OPPOSE. Testimony to the House Committee on Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence in opposition to liability shields for commercial vehicle companies that engage in negligent conduct and create legal barriers to victims receiving fair and just compensation. Read the full testimony here.

March 2, 2021: SB1. State Budget FY 2022-2023, Articles VI, VII, and VIII. Testimony to the House Committee on Appropriations on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s Texas Emission Reduction Plan (TERP) and the Railroad Commission of Texas’s oil well plugging targets. Read the full testimony here.