news & announcements
Dr. Seuss book used to rally for Tree Ordinances
Fox 7 Austin: Wednesday, a group of tree advocates came to the state capitol to keep local tree protection laws firmly planted in place. Under the canopy of an oak tree, on the east side of the Texas capitol, the words from a popular Dr. Seuss book could be heard.
Opponents of Texas tree bills ‘speak for the trees’ at Capitol
KVUE Austin: The groups Texas Campaign for the Environment and Defend Texas Trees held an event outside the Capitol Wednesday to oppose bills filed in the Special Session related to trees.
In Houston’s Fifth Ward, Concern Over Superfund Site Grows With EPA Budget Cuts
Houston Press: Houston-area activists gathered in the Fifth Ward on Tuesday to announce that they are joining organizers from across the country in influencing how the EPA deals with the Superfund program.
Pruitt to Tap Private Sector to Hasten Superfund Cleanups
Bloomberg News: EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is embracing public-private partnerships and setting aggressive agency deadlines to move languishing Superfund site cleanups forward. But environmentalists and other groups say he’s leaving out people most affected by cleanup decisions—local residents.
Members of Fifth Ward community protest budget cuts to superfund site
CW39 Houston: In Houston’s historic Fifth Ward, neighbors worry that politics and profits are taking priority over cleaning up their community.
EPA Announces Superfund Task Force Recommendations
Recommendations to Streamline and Improve the Superfund Program WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund Task Force released their report to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, providing 42 specific and detailed recommendations to streamline and improve the Superfund program. Administrator Pruitt also signed a directive to leaders across the Agency of 11 specific actions that […]
One Bin for All is dead. So how should Houston handle its trash?
Houston Chronicle Op-Ed: According to the Houston-Galveston Area Council, when we include composters, hard-plastics reclaimers, electronics processors, construction- and demolition-debris recyclers and manufacturers of goods made from recycled items, we have 21,550 recycling jobs in our region and an industrial output of $4.5 billion per year.
EPA chief vows to speed the nation’s Superfund cleanups; communities wonder how
Washington Post: When Congress established the Superfund program in 1980, they created a tax on the petroleum and chemical industries to offset expensive, complicated cleanups when a polluting company had gone bankrupt or could not be identified. The tax generated billions of dollars for cleanups. But Congress allowed it to expire in 1995, and by 2003 the industry-funded trust fund was essentially broke.
Developing leaders to change the world
From our blog: We are proud to see our activists whose skills we have developed make great strides in their careers to transform policy for a healthier, more just world.
Legislative efforts to curtail local environmental rules faltered
Austin American-Statesman: Five months ago, conservative lawmakers had high hopes of loosening environmental regulations, especially those enacted by progressive-minded cities like Austin. But as the Legislature wrapped up its biennial confab on Monday, the committee room floors were littered with conservative-minded bills that never made it anywhere.
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