http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees en forrest.wilder@gmail.com Copyright 2009 2009-11-20T13:00:18+00:00 http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/comments/another-glorious-achievement-for-electricity-deregulation http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/comments/another-glorious-achievement-for-electricity-deregulation#When:12:00:18Z This is classic. The Public Utility Commission set an ambitious goal last year of keeping Texas electricity rates only 13 percent higher than the national average. Remember, this is the same agency headed by Republicans absolutely in love (still) with the wonders of deregulation. No other state has gone so deep into electricity deregulation. Yet here we are a full decade into this experiment and the agency charged with overseeing the system is boldly aspiring to keep prices just 13 ticks above the rest of the nation. So, how'd they do? This is from their recent self-evaluation report. Deregulation, Energy, Non-enviro stuff 2009-11-20T12:00:18+00:00 http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/comments/texas-co2-pollution-one-step-forward-two-steps-back http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/comments/texas-co2-pollution-one-step-forward-two-steps-back#When:19:02:00Z Last week, a report showing a drop in Texas' carbon dioxide emissions attracted a lot of attention. The AP: While Texas maintains a firm grip on the dubious title of the nation's most prolific industrial polluter, an environmental group's report Thursday found that wind power and other cleaner energy sources have helped cut emissions linked to global warming in the state. Environment Texas analyzed the most recent U.S. Department of Energy statistics that show the state is still the leader in carbon-dioxide emissions but cut such pollution by 2 percent between … Climate Change, Coal, Energy, Polluters 2009-11-19T19:02:00+00:00 http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/comments/this-week-in-coal http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/comments/this-week-in-coal#When:17:10:04Z In case you haven't seen it, I have the cover story in this issue of the Observer. The story, "Coal Star State," deals with the so-called "second wave" of coal plants underway in Texas. As I note in the article, not much attention is being paid to the air pollution, water, and climate consequences of building 12 new coal plants. You'd think the biggest boom in new coal plants in any state in the Union would draw … Energy, EPA, Polluters, The One and Only TCEQ 2009-11-18T17:10:04+00:00 http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/comments/boone-pickens-hates-water-conservation http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/comments/boone-pickens-hates-water-conservation#When:19:48:28Z For all the black ink Boone Pickens has garnered for his green energy plan, I wish he would get an equal amount of press for his blue devilry. What I'm referring to is Pickens' long-brewing scheme to amass an ocean of groundwater in the Panhandle and then sell it to cities when they get desperate enough. Pickens' water company, Mesa Water, already has an estimated 210,000 acre-feet of Ogallala Aquifer water rights, potentially worth hundreds of millions. That's a lot of water. An acre-foot is enough to cover one acre with one foot of water. Austin uses about 170,000 acre-feet each … Boone Pickens, Panhandle, Water Wars 2009-11-13T19:48:28+00:00 http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/comments/lcra-wrestles-with-drought http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/comments/lcra-wrestles-with-drought#When:20:15:01Z The Lower Colorado River Authority, the state's most powerful river agency and one of its most controversial, met today in a special meeting to discuss a plan to deal with the drought next year. A board decision won't be made until next week; today, staff simply went over the plan and allowed the public to weigh in. As General Manager Tom Mason pointed out, the decisions the agency are faced with are unprecedented. The drought that began in late 2007 and, although diminished, still lingers on today has been the most intense in recorded history, … Austin, Drought, LCRA, Rivers, Water Wars 2009-11-10T20:15:01+00:00 http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/comments/paul-burkas-climate-idiocy http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/comments/paul-burkas-climate-idiocy#When:18:34:45Z Readers of this blog will know that I frequently post about climate change and the campaign by the denialist community to confuse the public about the science. I do so mainly because the mainstream Texas press has fallen down on the job. Case in point: Over the weekend, I was catching up on some reading and happened across Paul Burka's column in the November issue of Texas Monthly. The column, "Cap and Tirade," is a perfect example of how the climate skeptics … Climate Change, Da Media, Science & Pseudoscience 2009-11-08T18:34:45+00:00 http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/comments/scientist-takes-over-at-epa-region-vi http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/comments/scientist-takes-over-at-epa-region-vi#When:20:40:41Z Updated with TCEQ Statement A long-awaited decision on the next regional EPA administrator has finally arrived from the Obama administration. Of the top candidates, the administration went with the one most favored by environmentalists and clean air advocates, Dr. Al Armendariz, an engineering professor at SMU and frequent critic of TCEQ's laissez-faire policies. Texas environmentalists I talked to recently thought Ron Curry, the Secretary of the New Mexico Environment Department, would likely get the job. Not a bad choice, they thought. But they're rejoicing that Armendariz got the nod. “We are thrilled with Dr. Armendariz's appointment,” said Luke Metzger, … EPA, The One and Only TCEQ 2009-11-05T20:40:41+00:00 http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/comments/the-texas-climate-change-taboo http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/comments/the-texas-climate-change-taboo#When:17:43:18Z Remember that government-sponsored "Cap & Trade Summit" in September? The one that featured nearly a full day of industry interests and their conservative "think-tank" counterparts bashing the Waxman-Markey climate change bill? I recently obtained emails from the Public Utility Commission that confirmed my suspicions that PUC Chairman Barry Smitherman, who organized the event, went out of his way to exlude any discussion of the science behind climate change. There's nothing earth-shattering here – just more evidence that Gov. Perry's appointees to the state's … Climate Change, Science & Pseudoscience 2009-11-05T17:43:18+00:00 http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/comments/was-the-txu-buyout-such-a-great-idea-after-all http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/comments/was-the-txu-buyout-such-a-great-idea-after-all#When:16:04:57Z There's a growing drumbeat that TXU, the Texas utility giant, may be in deep trouble. Seems that the Wall Street geniuses who took TXU private in a highly-leveraged $45 billion deal almost three years ago made a huge miscalculation about the company's worth. Here's a recent story in the The Wall Street Journal: It was the biggest leveraged buyout ever and one of the last hurrahs of this decade's private-equity boom. Two years later, the former TXU, now Energy Future Holdings Corp., is struggling to pare down its debt, … Deregulation, Energy 2009-11-04T16:04:57+00:00 http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/comments/ap-demolishes-latest-climate-skeptics-talking-point http://www.texasobserver.org/forrestforthetrees/comments/ap-demolishes-latest-climate-skeptics-talking-point#When:15:47:56Z One of the more popular notions currently circulating among global warming skeptics is that the Earth has entered a cooling phase. The "theory" is based on a dishonest and faulty reading of temperature data from the last decade. This week, the AP does a very thorough job debunking the 'global cooling' nonsense. The story is a fantastic example of how journalists can use an empirical analysis to fact-check the climate denialists. WASHINGTON — Have you heard that the world is now cooling instead of warming? You … Climate Change, Da Media, Science & Pseudoscience 2009-10-27T15:47:56+00:00