Kyoto in TX -Please read and Help! (Texas FReepers Needed For Austin Meeting Friday 1/18)

CSE e-mail | Wed, 16 Jan 2002 | Carol Jones

[hopespringseternal]

The TNRCC is a bunch of whackjob econuts that need to be dealt with.

How about let's organize a letter writing campaign to shut these idiots up?

[sam_paine]

There is a link to the document. Before anyone gets upset, they should at least read the Executive Summary and the Executive Director's Recommendations.

Oh, I read it before I got upset.

TNRCC -aka- "TRAINWRECK" as it is known by its bureaucrat-employees, is an exacutive monster that releases new initiatives to self-perpetuate its own expansion. When -IS- the last time TNRCC requested that its funding be cut?

The willy nilly interchanging of "local pollution" and "global warming" is ludicrous, but expected for this bunch. The study talks of studies on global GHG, and then immediately applies that to "Local (Texas) Pollution control," without proving a measurable link. If Texas' CO2 output was INCREASED by gubbmint mandate to 10 TIMES its present value, could that even be detected in the GLOBAL atmosphere??? Probably not, but the TNRCC would not finance such a study for fear that it might be inconclusive just like the false positive studies of the enviro-panickers.

IOW, if all pollution is bad, less pollution is better...no matter the cost. WRONG!!!! If the cost-benefit ain't proven, and it is admitted that the GHG->Warming is not even conclusive, how can you keep a straight face and advocate reduction methods Draco would be proud of??

[weegee]

What's more, the state has raised the speed limit in other areas of the state. If lowering the speed to 55MPH is so good for the environment, why raise the limit elsewhere?

Want to see where the ozone problem really comes from in Houston, check out these ozone concentration animations, courtesy of "trainwreck" Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission

Try August 5th, 2001; it is quite obvious that the problem is the petrochemical refineries, not traffic.

[Otis Mukinfus]

If you have not sent your electronic letter to Commissioner Huston at the TNRCC, please do so by clicking here

I did that and found a marketing questionaire asking for a lot of personal information before I sent the email. Getting info for your marketing list isn't the way to get my help.

[jf55510]

Your faith in bureaucrats is dumbfounding. :)

After witnessing one session up close and personal I have some faith in our representatives in Austin. I saw them many times join together to defeat stupid legislation and proposals. With a projected $5 BILLION budget shortfall I do not think that they could justify payingf gor this crap.

Hope you like getting a ticket for driving 56 mph anywhere in Texas. They already voted to drop the speed limit down to 55 mph in Harris County (Houston) and in 7 surrounding rural counties.

I hope that this does not happen in my little part of heaven. Put if it does the Fit will hit the Shan because we are already in trouble because of our pollution level and no proposed changes would help except if they actually got constructoion dime on time.

I bet a few of these commissioners are hold-overs from Ma Richards corrupt administration, plus some RINOs that Bush included to pacify the Austin liberals.

Sigh, you are probably right. The TNRCC is about as useful as a preacher in a whore house.

[TX Liberty Lady]

Sorry if you are offended. CSE puts many letters like this on it's web site. Most people like the fact that to send a letter you only have to enter your information once. The system remembers it and when you go back (for instance to send a letter on another topic) you don't have to keyboard all that information in again. The letters that are sent need that information to be credible. You can always call the TNRCC commissioners directly - that would be great too.

[sauropod]

He is.

[sauropod]

Le Ping!

[Ben Ficklin]

You may demean TNRCC if you like, but compared to all the other individual state enviro agencies, they are considered to be "easy" and underfunded. As for any power you or others might think they have, the politicians will make the decisions. Would you know how many regulations there are that require voluntary compliance? Would you know how many open hearth furnaces(1920s technology) there are in Texas?

Simply put: There is no advantage to regulating CO2. By regulating the other pollutants there will be achieved a reduction in CO2. For example: By lowering the speed limit in the Houston attainment area there will not only be a reduction in NOx but also a reduction in CO2.

Contrary to what you may say, the State of Texas does do cost benefit analysis. Care to guess who is not required to do a cost benefit analysis? Care to guess who steps in should the state not achieve their requirements.

[!1776!]

What's more, the state has raised the speed limit in other areas of the state. If lowering the speed to 55MPH is so good for the environment, why raise the limit elsewhere?

Decreasing speed limits is a way of reducing NOx emissions that play a role in the formation of ozone. In other areas of the State there may be no concern about violating the federal ozone standard(s) or contributing to the ozone precursor loading in a non-attainment area so there is no reason to lower the speed limit.

Try August 5th, 2001; it is quite obvious that the problem is the petrochemical refineries, not traffic.

Both are contributors to the formation of ozone, once you add in sunlight. Refineries are likely large souces of VOC's, and traffic is a large source of NOx. There are other sources of both, but each plays a role.

Not that this implies that GHG reductions in Texas are warranted or even a good idea.

[!1776!]

Contrary to what you may say, the State of Texas does do cost benefit analysis. Care to guess who is not required to do a cost benefit analysis? Care to guess who steps in should the state not achieve their requirements.

I'll guess, I'll guess, Question 1: EPA (actually court upheld that in most cases a cost benefit analysis is not necessary in setting health based air quality standards - wish I had a reference at hand). If Texas chooses to implement CO2 reductions within the bounds of it's legal framework it has every right to without the Senate approving the Kyoto protocol.

Question 2: EPA, and other federal agencies. The big question is how much federal highway money does Texas collect, and what would happen without it?

While GHG emissions and "global warming" are generally a different subject than ozone non-attainment requirements (federal), the fact of the matter is that pretty much anyone has the opportunity to petition executive branch agencies for action. Whether or not the agencies take that action likely depends on the general political atmosphere and specifically the political clout of the petitioning group.

[Ben Ficklin]

If I were giving out grades, I'd have to give you a good one.

"What would happen without the Federal Highway Money? Around here 80% is going for mass transit. We did get a new bridge and some piddling money to improve a couple of interchanges. Nothing that will reduce congestion. Or emissions

[!1776!]

If I were giving out grades, I'd have to give you a good one.

"What would happen without the Federal Highway Money? Around here 80% is going for mass transit. We did get a new bridge and some piddling money to improve a couple of interchanges. Nothing that will reduce congestion. Or emissions

Thanks.

As a note to everyone else, even if rules are proposed you likely have rights under the administrative procedures act. There will be comment periods, public hearings, notices of action, rulemaking, etc. If you have facts on the subject make it count by filing them officially, so that they are on the record for future use if needed.

[snopercod]

I'm almost certain that Jeff participated in the original thread (that I can't find). I'll google search some more and bump him if I find it.

[asneditor]

So just where is this UN Investigation? I keep pretty close tabs on such things and this is the first I have heard of it. Could you please explain further. I would love to go talk to these UN guys if I just knew where they were and what they were investigating.

[anymouse]

jf55510 seemed to assume that this travisty of justice couldn't happen in Texas because of Republican domenance in State government. I was sarcastically pointing out that we shouldn't take such assumptions for granted, that leftists are actively working to co-opt government institutions to further their agenda. We in-turn need to actively work to oppose that every chance we get.

[anymouse]

A fellow Texas FReeper, Carol Jones e-mailed it to me. Se asked for recepients to reply back to her e-mail reply. Obviously you can't do that on a FR thread, so I took the liberty of including her e-mail address in the thread.

Carol has been following this sort of liberal tyranny for a while and sends out great e-mails when it requires FReeper action.

I have however encouraged her to post to a FR thread directly next time.

[anymouse]

I suggest that you focus your anger in a more useful direction to facilitate the freedom you desire - at liberals! Friendly fire doesn't do anything but aid the enemy.

[nomad]

I thought Texas was one of the bastions of individualistic freedom in America. God help us if you guys fall, we Hoosiers don`t stand much of a chance. Fight`em Texas, FIGHT`EM!