LEGE UPDATE - Brinksmanship and the Prospect of a Special Session
May 25, 2017
With only four days left in the Texas Legislative session, brinksmanship between Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker Joe Straus appears to have been averted with compromises on discriminatory “bathroom bill” legislation and the budget. However,...
Bold Predictions - My Reflections From Energy Storage Association’s 27th Annual Conference & Expo
May 18, 2017
By Drew O’BryanEnergy storage leaders from around the world gathered in Denver, April 18-20, to discuss the future of energy storage, rallying for 35 GW of storage by 2025 and exhibiting the technology that will make it possible. The...
A Win For Us And The Honeybees! Court Rules That EPA Approval Of Bee-Killing Pesticides Violated The Law
May 15, 2017
Four years ago, the Sierra Club joined beekeepers, food safety and consumer advocates, and other wildlife conservation groups to sue the EPA for allowing the widespread use of these bee-killing insecticides. Now, a federal court has ruled that the...
Sunset Bill to Reform Railroad Commission Barely Counts as Reform
May 10, 2017
On Tuesday, the Texas Senate showed once again the high level of influence that the oil and gas industry has on Texas governance. In a 29-2 vote, the Senate passed the Sunset bill (HB 1818) making very modest reforms and reauthorizing the Railroad...
Our Communities, LNG, and SpaceX Do Not Make Good Neighbors
May 1, 2017
The thought of large explosives in close proximity to even larger vats of accelerant, like natural gas, would trouble anyone who isn’t a pyromaniac or a fool. The residents of the Rio Grande Valley are neither and so are troubled at the dangerous...
Director's Message - April 2017
April 30, 2017
What is the deal with ground water and surface water rights? And what's in it for the birds, fish, and aquatic ecosystems?
Volunteer Spotlight: Pete Rivera
April 29, 2017
By John RooneyPete Rivera, Executive Committee member of the Austin Sierra Club and Springdale-Airport Neighborhood Association President, has continued to successfully organize the community to protect the Red Bluff area of East Austin....
Anti-Wind, Anti-Jobs SB 277 Heads To The House
April 28, 2017
Last week, the Texas Senate passed SB 277, an anti-wind bill that prevents wind facilities from receiving tax breaks if they are within 25 miles of certain military facilities where planes are flown. The bill, by Sen. Donna Campbell (R-New Braunfels...
LEGE UPDATE - Warren Confirmed in Senate, Budget Nonsense, But Some Good Bills Get Hearings
April 27, 2017
In April, the Senate moved fast to approve Kelcy Warren to Parks & Wildlife, stripped clean air and parks budgets to fund anti-abortion groups, and advanced a terrible anti-wind bill. But could they also move Railroad Commission reform...