The Texas Tribune held a panel entitled “The Environment: The Next Five Years” hosted by Evan Smith on Sept. 28, 2015 at Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Panelists included State Rep. Geanie Morrison, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Commissioner Toby Baker, John Hall, Texas state director of clean energy at the Environmental Defense Fund, and Dr. Mike Wetz, Associate Professor and Marine Biology Graduate Program Coordinator at Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
Smith asks Rep. Geanie Morrison if the legislative session was good or bad for the environment
- It was a good session because we planned for the future especially regarding oil and gas exploration and water supply issues
Smith asks Morrison what the most important step the legislature took was regarding the environment
- Streamlining permitting process but still having a lot of input from constituents
Smith asks Toby Baker if he agrees with Morrison
- Baker agrees that contested hearing process is very important, but that streamlining needed to happen
Smith asks Baker how the environment will improve because of the streamlining process
- Baker says the most important occurrence in the 84th legislature to actually improve the environment was funding in transportation to keep cars from sitting in traffic
Smith asks John Hall if this was a good session for the environment
- It is very hard to balance competing concerns for elected officials
- Burden of proof was shifted from companies trying to get permits to the citizens in the area which is not good
- Hall also mentions the fracking bill (HB 40) which reduced local governments’ ability to protect public health and safety
Smith asks Mike Wetz if he has an opinion about the session
- Has not followed specific legislation, but anything done to bring the scientific community into the conversation is appreciated
Smith asks Baker how Texas can get ahead of population growth with natural resources
- Water is stagnant right now with a growing population
- 83rd legislature and local governments have come a long way to conserve water needs to continue
- If population and economy continue to grow, we need new water, but the growing economy should help with expensive technologies to conserve
Smith asks Morrison what she thinks about the quality of the water we currently have
- The one positive of the drought was that it promoted awareness of the issue we have with water and how to conserve
- SWIFT funds are very important for projects concerning quality of water
- Desalination options are improving and becoming more affordable
Smith asks Wetz if he has concerns about quality of water in next 5 years
- We know where population growth will occur and how to mitigate impacts, but we need to start taking those steps
- Hall says that pivoting to clean energy is Texas’ cheapest option to conserve energy
- Hall says Texas has the highest potential of any state for wind and solar power
Smith asks Baker about Texas’ pushback on Obama’s Clean Power Plan
- Texas regulates greenhouse gasses which most people don’t know
- It could be argued that the clean power plan is not necessary because the market is taking us there
- The only way to get to the numbers for clean power plan is a cap and trade program which means something has to be built outside of the fence of the power supply
- The issues with the Clean Power Plan are the nuances that overreach
- Clean power plan has more strict regulations on existing plants than on new plants being built which is inconsistent
Smith asks Hall if he agrees with Baker’s assessment of clean power plan
- Clean Power Plan is most favorable set of regulations that EPA has put in place with regard to state of Texas
- Defends competitive market structure
- With Texas’ potential for wind and solar power, the Clean Power Plan could be seen as an economic strategy for Texas
Smith asks Morrison if there is an emissions problem that needs to be addressed in Texas
- Our businesses continue to reduce their emissions
- Vehicles are largest emission issue that needs to be addressed by transportation
- Regulations may be needed, but the time frame of the Clean Power Plan plan does not give ERCOT time to comply
Smith asks Morrison if she believes in climate change
- She has not been convinced one way or the other because different scientists have said different things
Smith asks Wets if climate change is a settled topic
- Yes, it exists and is a settled topic
- 97% of climate scientists agree that the topic is settled and we are already seeing impacts
- Debate should be what we need to do about climate change, not if it exists
Smith asks Baker if climate change is a settled topic
- There are changes, and he agrees with the data, but he has an issue with models, which he says are exaggerated
- If goal is to address climate change and global warming, he does not know that the Clean Power Plan will be beneficial
- Believes climate change is possible
Smith asks Hall if he has any data about the existence of climate change
- It is a real problem and we need to make it a top priority
Smith asks Wetz what the largest challenges are from the standpoint of costal management, costal erosion, life on the coast, etc.
- Climate change is a long term problem, so acknowledgement of the problem is a good first step
- Sea level rise is an issue which has long term implications for coastal areas including building infrastructure
Smith asks Baker what he would do in next five years if he could pick one way to benefit the environment
- We need a long term strategy to solve transportation and ozone issues
- Ongoing commitment technology and research in water supplies
Smith asks Hall what he would do in next five years he could pick one way to benefit the environment
- Compliance and surpassing compliance with Clean Power Plan
- This provides enormous benefits because the Clean Power Plan includes cost effective water saving strategy, reduces ozone emissions by at least 25%, and economic growth with clean power
Smith asks Morrison what she would do in next five years he could pick one way to benefit the environment
- Working closely with TCEQ and upholding permitting process
- Desalination plan for water
- Costal barrier system
Smith opens up discussion to questions from the audience
Audience member asks Morrison and Baker if they think that the energy industry is doing a sufficient job in protecting the environment
- Morrison and Baker both say that question concerns the Railroad Commission as it is not over their purview
- Smith asks if Baker or Morrison have a problem with the idea that energy needs to look at conservation more than agriculture does
- Morrison says everybody needs to work on conservation and reuse
Audience member is frustrated that citizens bare burden of proof when companies come in looking for a permit
- Morrison says that companies have to prove without a doubt that water and environment are not being hurt to receive permitting
- The burden on the company to prove this has not changed
- Hall hopes that the legislature will look to effective models where businesses are encouraged to collaborate with citizens
Audience member asks Morrison if the state was discouraging the use of solar panels on homes
- Morrison says before she had her position, a lot of home owners associations had rules against solar panels, not the state
- Hall says a bill was passed this last summer with Morrison’s support which restricts HOAs from carrying forward those restrictions in the future
Evan Smith ends the panel