news & announcements
What happened to the battery recycling bill??
From our blog: The battery bill made a big splash at the State Capitol, and we secured 10 co-authors from both parties, including both very conservative Republicans and some very progressive Democrats.
Austin’s plastic bag ban can stay: Measure dies in Texas Legislature, along with other local pre-emption bills
Austin Business Journal: Environmentalists are declaring victory at the Texas Capitol in the fight to give cities the right to ban single-use plastic bags at stores, one of the few victories this legislative session for local governments in their fight against state pre-emption.
Victory: Bad bag bill defeated
From our blog: For the first time ever, a statewide coalition of advocates proactively introduced a bill to protect local rights to ban bags: HB 3482. The bill passed out of its committee with a “yes” vote from one of the House’s most conservative Republicans, and then passed out of the Calendars Committee and was scheduled for a floor vote!
Working on the Railroad Commission
Fort Worth Weekly: What would happen to the regulatory agency over the world’s sixth-largest oil-and-gas economy when it went in for an overhaul? Or would it just get a new license to operate?
Report: Texas Tops Nation for Safe Drinking Water Violations
Public News Service: Researchers for the Natural Resources Defense Council looked at Environmental Protection Agency data from 2015 and found almost 14,000 violations in more than 5,000 water systems that together, serve 7 million Texans. The report also found that no penalties were assessed for 8-in-10 of those violations.
Legislative measure would require manufacturers to take back batteries, helping to keep them out of landfills
Denton Record-Chronicle: There comes a point in every person’s life when the TV remote control batteries need to be changed.
How grassroots groups are mobilizing Texans on top issues
Texas Tribune: Five community organizers tell us how they rally people around issues.
Plastic bag ban protection wins hearing at Texas Capitol
Texas landfills are leaking toxins into groundwater (Interactive Map)
From our blog: Use our interactive map to see which landfills in your area are self-reporting leaks into groundwater.
What We Can Win & How You Can Help
From our blog: We held our first statewide webinar to share information about our legislative priorities in 2017. Folks from all over the state tuned in online to learn, discuss, and TAKE ACTION!
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