The Sierra Club stays involved with the Texas Legislature on issues that could affect the environment and Texans. We are vocal year-round, even during the "interim" periods between sessions, which happen every other year. Here you can find testimony that we recently have given on important interim discussions.
Texas Senate Committees
Natural Resources and Economic Development
Testimony on cleaning up and plugging abandoned and orphaned water wells and oil and gas wells and on implementing HB 3973. Sept. 14, 2022.
Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs
Comments on Interim Charges. Nov. 16, 2022.
Texas House Committees
Natural Resources
Comments on Desalination Interim Charge. Oct. 18, 2022.
Comments on the condition of Texas water and flood mitigation infrastructure. Aug. 24, 2022.
Comments on the risks to groundwater posed by abandoned water wells and orphan and gas wells. Aug. 24, 2022.
Energy Resources
Testimony on EPA Proposed Rules, TERP Next Steps, and Federal Funds. Oct. 19, 2022.
Ways and Means
Testimony on American Rescue Plan Act funding. April 21, 2022. We urge the state to spend $3 billion in remaining ARPA funding on water infrastructure, air quality monitoring, cleaning up orphaned gas wells, expanding parks, and helping Texans weatherize homes.
Transportation
Testimony on electric vehicles and planning for the future. April 26, 2022. We encourage the committee and all stakeholders to design a fair and equitable way to charge EV drivers for their use of state roads, better incorporate electrification into transportation planning, take advantage of federal funding, and design a new transportation system that recognizes the changing climate.
Environmental Regulation
Testimony on the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan and SB 900. April 26, 2022.
Testimony on House Committee Interim Charges: TERP, New EPA rules, and Infrastructure Oil and Gas Opportunities. May 25, 2022.
State Affairs
Testimony on grid and residential bills to Joint House Committee on State Affairs and Committee on Energy Resources. Sept. 13, 2022.
Testimony on Uri recovery and grid stability. June 22, 2022.
Testimony on Demand Response and Energy Efficiency's Role in Grid Reliability and Resiliency. Dec. 5, 2022.