Texas Insider Reports
Government business leaders join to decry federal overreach
Deer Park Texas The EPA seems to believe that federal controls and bureaucracy are more important than clean air results" Gov. Rick Perry said. Perry was joined earlier today by local government & business leaders to decry Washingtons latest attempt to extend federal control over the states authority an action that would undermine Texas successful clean air programs & cost the state 1000s of jobs.
Last week the federal government sent the very clear message that it seeks to destroy Texass successful clean air program and threaten tens of thousands of good Texas jobs in the process" said Perry.
Last week the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its efforts to take over Texas federally delegated successful Title V permitting program and replace it with a less effective Washington-based bureaucratic led command and control mandate.
Texas common-sense approach to air quality permitting works because it avoids the damage caused by Washingtons command and control approach while cleaning the air helping create jobs and growing our state economy."
In response to the EPAs announcement last week Gov. Perry sent a letter urging President Barack Obama to stop the agencys excessive overreach into Texas permitting process which would kill thousands of Texas jobs and derail a program that has effectively cleaned Texas air.
I am eager to get back to the drawing board and have constructive law and science based discussions with EPA discussions that should have been finished 16 years ago" Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Executive Director Mark Vickery said.
The air Texans breathe today is significantly cleaner than it was in 2000.
As Texas added much of the nations job population and economic growth the Texas clean air program achieved a 22 percent reduction in ozone and a 46
percent decrease in NOx emissions compared to an eight percent reduction in
national ozone levels and a 27 percent reduction in national NOX levels between
2000 and 2008.
Additionally no county in Texas is in nonattainment for fine particulate matter one of the pollutants with the greatest impact on human health.
The Houston Port Regions petrochemical industry employs more than 30000 direct jobs and an additional 300000 in indirect jobs Chad Burke president/CEO of the
Economic Alliance Houston Port Region said. If we allow the EPA to chase the 30000 jobs away the 300000 jobs will follow."
Texas is a national leader in reducing emissions and known pollutants and advancing renewable energy sources all while remaining a leader in the nations energy production. We have successfully balanced the need for environmental improvements with fostering economic growth new investment and job creation.
Texas continues to advance new clean energy technology by using market incentives and stable regulation not costly mandates and taxes.
Click here
to view Perrys entire letter to President Obama.
