Sign the Petition – Keep Nuclear Waste Out of Our Aquifer!
May 6, 2011
Join us in the fight against the nuclear waste dump that threatens the Ogallala Aquifer, the United State’s largest freshwater aquifer. Public Citizen Texas, the Sierra Club and other community advocacy groups need your support to reverse the decision made by the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission in January, to allow other states to transport their nuclear waste into Andrews County.
Send it to your Friends or local grassroots organization!
What are we doing to help?
“Public Citizen filed a lawsuit alleging “irregularities” with the commission’s decision-making process, including a failure to adequately consider more than 6,000 public comments on the issue. Along with the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club, the group has also lobbied the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to use its powers under the Atomic Energy Act to investigate TCEQs actions on the issue and determine whether to revoke its regulatory authority over low-level nuclear waste.”
Read more of Keith Harrington’s Article at Change.org
Remember this nuclear waste site does not only impact the citizens of Andrews County and the eight states within the Ogallala Aquifer, but everyone who lives around and along the highways, in major and minor cities. A traffic accident could lead to the next nuclear spill or national security breech. Ask yourself, what preparations have been made to assure your safety?
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Power Shift 2011
March 16, 2011
In 2007 over 6,000 young people from across the United States came together at the University of Maryland for the first national youth climate summit. These 6,000 students received training towards clean climate action and attended talks from House speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Ed Markey, Green For All’s Van Jones and other inspiring environmental leaders.
An extraordinary 12,000 young people assembled in Washington DC for Power Shift 2009. Over 6,000 of those attending contributed to the largest citizen lobby day in United States history and successfully petitioned to take the White House off coal power.
Power Shift 2011 is taking place in Washington D.C. April 15-18th at the Washington Convention Center. General Registration closes March 27th! Register now!
What to expect:
• Trainings, canvassing, workshops and panel discussions to empower the next generation of grassroots activists.
• The opportunity to network at the Job and Organization fair with is hosting over 100 organizations.
• A chance to share any environmentally inspiring art work in the L Street Bridge.
• A keynote speech by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson!
• Thousands of students, young professionals and movement supporters lobbying for clean energy.
Are you ready to lead your country towards a clean energy future? Are you ready for a real power shift? It’s time to take action!
If you have grassroots organizing or training experience, apply to be a coordinator or a facilitator there may still be time! Austin facilitator training is April 1st and 2nd.
Don’t forget to RSVP on Facebook!
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Caught in the Dark: What’s was the Deal with the Rolling Blackouts?
February 17, 2011
Other questions to consider:
• Is dirty coal-powered energy more reliable than alternative energy?
• What are the consequences of deregulation vs. regulation?
• What’s wrong with Joe “BP” Barton’s view on building more power plants in Texas?
There are several theories around about the cause of the rolling blackouts that occurred the week of February 2nd. It was undeniably cold that week with temperatures in the teens – some would argue, it was so cold it justified the failure of over 80 power plants across the state to provided Texans with energy, and therefore, Texas should build more coal plants. Wait a minute. Let’s back up.
According to the Dallas Morning News:
“The grid lost 7,000 megawatts of capacity, enough to power 1.4 million homes, and 50 power plants stopped working. Texans endured eight hours of rolling blackouts.”1But why?
Tripp Doggett, President and CEO of Electric Reliability Council of Texas ERCOT, told the Star-Telegram the following:
“In most cases, what we observed was that the extremely cold ambient temperatures along with windy conditions combined to cause problems with control systems…It’s really the responsibility of the owners of the power plants to keep those plants in shape and available”2Consequently, ERCOT cannot regulate the standard of weatherization for coal plants across the state, and if a power plant is insufficiently weatherized wouldn’t that also imply it is an unreliable source for reliable energy?
Regulation vs. Deregulation
The Texas electrical system is currently deregulated, each power plant is run by independent units whom seek to cut costs to increase profitability. With the deregulation of the electrical system, as demand for power increases, the power supply becomes increasingly scarce. This scarcity in the market increases the price of the power, and encourages the creation of more dirty coal plants.
Joe “BP” Barton (R-Arlington/Ennis, the congressman who apologized to BP during the aftermath of the BP oil spill) took this as an opportunity to state the following:
“We need more power generation in Texas to keep up with the demands of a growing economy and a growing population. We have the desire, the resources, the knowhow and the will to build new plants, but federal red tape has blocked construction…I am a supporter of alternative energy, but at this point we can’t depend on wind and solar power because the sun isn’t always shining and the wind isn’t always blowing.”3
According to ERCOT’s State of the Market Report for 2009, Texas has more power than it currently needs or is capable of supporting. “As our economy continues to grow, energy efficiency improvements and new renewable energy is offsetting the growth in energy demand, meaning we do not need new large scale power plants like those being proposed. A key finding in the report was that the Texas electricity market did not support entry for new gas, coal, or nuclear power plants.”4 If anything, his statement proves Barton’s ignorance about Texas’s need for more power plants and it is fortunate that he didn’t become the chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
In an interview with the Texas Tribune, Doggett justified the usefulness of wind energy:
TT: Were there problems with wind-power plants needing to be shut down for high winds or icing blades, and also did nuclear plants have any problems?Doggett: I’m not aware of any nuclear plant problems, and I’m not aware of any specific issues with wind turbines having to shut down due to icing. I would highlight that we put out a special word of thanks to the wind community because they did contribute significantly through this time frame. Wind was blowing, and we had often 3,500 megawatts of wind generation during that morning peak, which certainly helped us in this situation.
The Blackout has proven that alternative energy is more reliable than dirty coal. The cold-triggered downward spiral of coal and natural gas supply and the drastic price increase, from $70 per megawatt hour to $3001 during the Blackouts1, in an unregulated Texas market has been proven unreliable.
1: Dallas Morning News, http://www.dallasnews.com/news/state/headlines/20110206-freeze-knocked-out-coal-plants-and-natural-gas-supplies-leading-to-blackouts.ece
2: Our Finite World, http://ourfiniteworld.com/2011/02/04/texas-electricity-trying-to-understand-the-blackouts/
3: Joe Barton Newsroom, http://joebarton.house.gov/NewsRoom.aspx?FormMode=Detail&ID=641
4: PowerPlantsSuck, http://powerplantssuck.org/about/
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Our Social Media Updates
January 31, 2011
For those who follow ReEnergize Texas on Facebook and Twitter we are making a few changes!
We are currently moving the bulk of our updates from our old Facebook Group to our new Facebook Page. We encourage you to “Like” us on our Facebook Page so you can receive new updates and articles about Renewable efforts inside and outside of Texas. We’ll also keep you up to date on our Think Green Fund campaign and campaign efforts taking place in Austin/San Antonio/Houston and in your area!
Don’t forget to tell your friends to Like us on Facebook!
Our Think Green Fund Twitter account is now our primary Twitter account, be sure to follow our Think Green Fund Twitter to receive information about how your campus can go green fund and to hear about campuses that already have!
Missing out on our Tweets? Follow the Think Green Fund on Twitter!
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UNT to Install Wind Turbines
November 23, 2010
In 2008, UNT signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). The primary objective of the ACUPCC is to encourage higher academic institutions to curb their use of energy and reduce their carbon footprint. UNT has made profound advancements to uphold its commitment, but has only begun its efforts to reach carbon neutrality.
As part of the university’s climate action plan to become a carbon neutral campus, UNT sought to incorporate renewable energy technology on to the Eagle Point Campus. Specifically, UNT proposed to purchase and install three community-scale wind turbines at Eagle Point. Unlike the giant turbines generally found at wind farms, community-scale turbines are considerably smaller and ideal for municipalities, schools, neighborhoods, and universities.
Designed for low wind conditions, the proposed 100kW wind turbines are perfectly suited for North Texas Class II wind speeds that average approximately 12 mph. Replacing unsustainable energy sources with clean wind collection will reduce UNT’s carbon emissions, as well as energy costs. Ultimately, the turbines will help UNT meet its goal of becoming a carbon neutral institution by producing clean, renewable electricity for Eagle Point.
In June 2010, UNT’s Office of Sustainability was awarded a $200,000 grant from the Texas State Energy Conservation Office (SECO) to conduct a comprehensive, feasibility study on the proposed wind turbines. Completed in October 2010, the feasibility study explored and determined potential effects of the wind turbines. The study included fish and wildlife assessments, avian studies, noise analyses, air transportation impacts, engineering reports, and statistical estimates. It also included an extensive summary of the educational value of the turbines for current and future academic, research, and outreach programs at UNT. On August 24, 2010, SECO awarded UNT the full $2,000,000 grant to fund the turbine project contingent upon its final review of the feasibility study. On November 11, 2010, the UNT System Board of Regents approved the project.
The construction of wind turbines at UNT will be an invaluable asset to the university and surrounding communities. Not only will UNT be further recognized as a committed leader in sustainability, but the offset carbon emissions will be a collective benefit for the entire Denton and North Texas region. Both the UNT and Denton communities will continue to grow and it is imperative that this growth be innovative and responsible. Sustainable initiatives, such as the use of renewable energy technologies, ensure that future generations of the UNT and Denton communities are equipped with the necessary tools to continue economic expansion while simultaneously protecting the environment and human health.
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Student Summit Success
November 17, 2010
This past weekend the Lonestar Chapter of the Sierra Club hosted its bi-annual legislative training in Austin. Activists and engaged citizens from around the state came together to prepare for the 2011 Texas Legislative Session. The outlook was a little bleak with redistricting, budget woes, and some great environmental champions axed in the recent election.
One bright spot, though, was the summit co-hosted by Sierra Student Coalition, ReEnergize Texas, and Public Citizen. Student leaders from Austin, Georgetown, Houston, and Denton came together to figure out what they could do both in the legislature and back home to keep the momentum for a clean energy economy moving forward.
These students committed to getting their campuses off of coal, to raising more money for sustainability projects, and to building their groups’ presence on each of their respective campuses. These young leaders represent the future of the environmental movement, and that’s exciting because they are energized and capable even in the face of huge challenges.
One of the attendees was a Ali Abedi from the University of Houston Downtown. I met Ali in 2008 when he was heading a small campus environmental group that was becoming very active in learning about issues and engaging with the community. But this weekend he came to us as the president of UHD’s Student Senate with access to administrators and the campus policymaking apparatus. This bodes well for a campus that has already made sustainability a top priority, and we’ll be working together in the coming months to find the best ways to grow UHD’s commitment to clean energy.
The group from Southwestern University in Georgetown was also particularly inspiring, in part because of all the new faces. We’ve worked with Students for Environmental Activism and Knowledge (SEAK) almost from day one. As with all student groups, some of the original leaders have graduated or moved on to other activities, but SEAK has done an amazing job of bringing in new people and exposing them to opportunities like this weekend’s summit. Southwestern, like UHD, has made big strides on going green, and we hope to work with them not only to build on that progress but to expand the group’s impact into the City of Georgetown itself.
Student environmentalists at St. Edward’s University in Austin want to pursue a green fund campaign but face the challenge of being a smaller campus which means the fee would need to be higher per student to make a significant impact. Far from backing down, they are looking for creative ways to make sure the fund is aligned with student interests and that it is structured in a way that it gives back to the students more than it takes.
The groups from the University of North Texas and from UT Austin both came in having already passed a green fund for their campuses, so they’re ramping up to get more involved in the fight against coal. UNT has a growing group of students asking the administration to eliminate its dependence on coal power which provides some 40% of the campus electricity. UT Austin, on the other hand, is powered by a local natural-gas cogeneration plant which has won awards for its energy efficiency. Still, the city of Austin continues to rely on coal power from a plant in nearby Fayette County, and students at UT Austin have united in their support for replacing that energy through efficiency and clean energy measures.
With stories in the media about the “death of cap-and-trade” and the growing boldness of nuclear and fossil fuel interests, it can be easy to become disheartened. But if young people in Texas can face those challenges and continue to push forward, anyone can. We wish all those we met this weekend the best of luck in their campaigns, and we look forward to working with them and many others taking ownership of their future.
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Calling All Student Leaders!
November 1, 2010
This November 13th ReEnergize Texas, Public Citizen, the Sierra Club and Sierra Student Coalition are coming together to host a leadership summit for students who have what it takes. As a graduating senior at the University of Texas and an intern at ReEnergize Texas, I absolutely recognize the value in this summit. It provides an opportunity for young university leaders to network with other environmentally conscious students and develop the skills required for on-campus campaigning.
When I was in high school I attended Rep. Mark Strama’s Campaign Academy. The Academy provided me and other students of various political backgrounds (republican, democrat or independent) to learn from the personal experience of those who have campaigned before us.
Networking and social networking!
During my time at the Academy I got to meet and network with State Representatives, Senators and students from across the US. This network of connections gave me access to a wealth of knowledge where no question was stupid. And I had questions! Like, “what is Facebook and why would it help our campaign?” (This was back when MySpace was still a powerhouse and Facebook was only for students) Other interns explained that by micro-targeting students, we help them develop an awareness and connection to the campaign. This was before big campaigns were on the internet and some of my fellow interns came to the Academy exclusively to learn how to campaign via social networks because it gave them an edge!
This experience helped me develop as an individual and gave me the confidence to campaign for alternative energy with ReEnergize Texas.
Like the Academy, this Leadership Summit will provide students like you with something other than resume padding, but with the confidence, skill sets and a network of connections required to make a positive impact in your community.
Take a moment and ask yourself, do you want to see your university or community adopt more sustainable practices? Use alternative energy? Go beyond coal?
For those with busy schedules: this is just one day, an entire day devoted to helping you!
When it comes down to it, there’s a big difference between talking about change and making the change. It’s opportunities like the Academy and this Leadership Summit that inspire action. Don’t wait for the change, be the change.
-Alyssa Reyna
ReEnergize Texas Intern
Important Info:
website: reenergizetexas.org/leadership
contact: trevor.lovell@gmail.com
date: All-day event – November 13th, 2010
location: LCRA’s Dalchau Service Center
3505 Montopolis Dr. Austin, TX 78744
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UT student body has the ‘Best Green Voters’!
September 20, 2010
Every year, the Austin Chronicle votes the Best of Austin in different categories ranging from Arts and Entertainment to Shopping areas. Under the Politics & Personalities section, winners of the Best Green Voters went to the UT students who voted to pass the Green Fund in the Spring.
We are happy that these voters are being recognized because, without them, our efforts would not reach full potential! It shows that UT students are concerned for the environment and happy to move a step forward in green innovation on campus.
ReEnergize Texas will continue efforts to get other Texas campuses in the same direction Austin has been going! We are proud to have been part of this force for change towards sustainability on the UT campus!
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New web intern
September 3, 2010
Hi, everyone! I’m an Urban Studies and Geography student at UT Austin. I’m going to manage many of ReEnergize Texas’ online endeavors for the rest of this semester. I’m excited to learn about and raise awareness for environmental issues with this organization. Keep visiting our site for updates, and remember to check out our (new) Twitter!
- Goli Zarchi
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Why don’t we trust the TCEQ?
July 20, 2010
ReEnergize Texas is excited about a new campaign called “Why don’t we trust the TCEQ?” which questions the effectiveness of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
To give some background…for over a decade the TCEQ has been allowing big industries in Texas to pollute the air and water at levels above what the federal government allows. For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set regulations on polluting facilities to monitor their air emissions and to make sure they are at levels that will not harm the public or surrounding community, but the TCEQ has not complied. Under the Clean Air Act, EPA requires caps on all sources of pollution, even individual units in a facility; however, TCEQ only sets caps on the overall facility. This “flex permitting” may not seem like much of a difference, but in studying this issue EPA has found that the TCEQ program is difficult to enforce and creates loopholes which result in significantly higher pollution.
The TCEQ is now under Sunset review which analyzes the need for an agency and can even abolish the agency altogether. In addition to the review, the EPA has threatened to take over some air permits if TCEQ doesn’t change their requirements for permitting.
In the midst of all of this, ReEnergize Texas is interviewing people with different perspectives and outlooks on why they don’t trust the TCEQ. Most recently, interns Mary Vo and Kim Doan interviewed 4 citizens from Montgomery County who started a grassroots movement fighting TexCom. This company is asking for permits from the TCEQ to allow the construction of injection wells that could pollute nearby drinking water. You can learn more about the people and their fight at StopTheToxicWells.com.
ReEnergize Texas, along with other organizations who got together to form the Alliance for a Clean Texas, believe that TCEQ’s main priority should be to protect public health. With EPA taking over air permits, Texas industries claim this will harm jobs but environmentalists believe it’ll promote a green economy in Texas and create jobs. For more information, come to ACT’s event on July 27th! Stay tuned for more on that soon!
- Posted by Meghana Menon
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