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URGENT: Oil and Gas Cry Baby bill TAKE ACTION

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This bill passed the House yesterday. Stand by for further instructions.

UPDATE: it is too late. The bill passed the Senate on 4-19-11 and the House yesterday. Now it goes to Perry who will surely sign it. It goes before the House tomorrow for the 3rd reading. It passed on the other two readings but there is still time to stop this. Please bear with me and check back as I try to figure all this out. I am confused because federal supersedes state so I don’t see how this bill can set the new EPA rules back by 2 years. I will post the Sierra Club fact sheet later today. Cry Baby Bill Fact Sheet.

I have not even had time to read the bill yet. I am acting purely on the information below from the Sierra Club.

From the Sierra Club:

Oil and Gas ‘Cry Baby Bill’ comes to House Floor Tomorrow

SB 1134 is scheduled for debate on the floor of the Texas House of Representatives tomorrow, Saturday, May 21. This bill would severely restrict the TCEQ’s ability to regulate harmful emissions from oil and gas production activity and would place unnecessary obstacles to protection of public health in shale regions with rapidly expanding emissions sources.

Many groups and individuals living near oil and gas facilities oppose this bill because it would delay rule-making for gas drilling areas besides the Barnett Shale where the rule is already established.

The EPA has just written a letter suggesting if the House and Senate pass this bill it would impact the State Implementation Plan for ozone pollution and the delegation of air-permitting at TCEQ..
Link
Cyrus Reed said, “I like to call this bill the oil and gas Cry Baby Bill. Instead of going through the normal rule-making process, they’ve come to the Legislature to ask for a special favor — a two-year time out on new rules that would protect Texans air near the oil and gas facilities.”

In case you need a visual to get you motivated, these photos taken with an infrared camera show fugitive emissions that are invisible to the naked eye. Also read about how living in the gas patch gives you a dirty mind.



Find out who represents you then call your Texas Representative first thing tomorrow morning. Tell them to vote no to SB 1134.

About Sharon Wilson

Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.

Comments

  1. Dorothy says

    Trying to get it done during The Rapture??…Good Grief! proof positive they have no shame!

  2. Dorothy says

    It's now in
    Stage 4     awaiting a Vote on the Floor of the House:

    The one "sponsor" for SB 1134 is Tom "Big O&G" Craddick. Looks like a vote along party lines yesterday. So, Republicans are in lock step??

    Oh, and on the last page of the bill ~ Page 5 ~ what's the BIG hurry? They make it clear that this bill will take effect "immediately," if 2/3 vote in its favor?? BIG RED FLAG.

    […]
    SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2011.
    […]

    If you are represented by a Republican in the State House…you should definitely call them early Monday morning and ask them if they know what the heck they are voting for. And to just VOTE NO on SB 1134!!

    After reading the Letter from Mark Starfield, the Deputy Regional Director of the EPA you have cited, it sure looks like a setup for a SHOWDOWN between Rick Perry and the EPA. Otherwise, why has the TCEQ not consulted with the EPA as noted in this letter??

    HRO Bill Analysis Page 5:

    […]
    This bill would delay any new air emissions regulations for oil and gas facilities until TCEQ conducted air quality monitoring and modeling to prove the need for any additional rule. It also would prevent any use of worst-case scenario air modeling for the protection of public health unless the air quality monitoring data proved it necessary.
    […]

    Overall, it looks like our big O&G state is trying to exempt shale gas drilling and fracking and all the components from the federal Clean Air Act??

    Maybe the rush has to do with countering this?

    Did Speaker Straus just recuse himself from voting on this, yesterday?