Anchia Holds Committee Hearing to Celebrate Earth Day

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April 20, 2015                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        (512) 463-0746

 

ANCHIA HOLDS COMMITTEE HEARING TO CELEBRATE EARTH DAY

Hears bills on climate change and a greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan

 

(Austin)  Today Rep. Rafael Anchia (D-Dallas) celebrated Earth Day with a hearing in the Committee on International Trade and Intergovernmental Affairs.  The Committee heard testimony on HB 2078, HB 2080, both by Rep. Anchia, and HB 2571, by Rep. Eric Johnson (D-Dallas). Among those testifying were Al Armendariz, the former EPA regional administrator, Trammell Crow, founder of Earth Day Dallas, and Baroness Bryony Worthington, a member of the House of Lords and a leading climate change campaigner in the United Kingdom.

 

HB 2078 would create a Global Climate Change Commission comprised of representatives of the energy sector, business and industry, manufacturing and mining, agriculture, the fossil fuel industry, scientists, and representatives from of the Health and Human Services Commission, the Texas Military Preparedness Commission, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, and the Texas Water Development Board.  HB 2080 would attempt to mitigate the adverse effects to businesses and Texans by authorizing the TCEQ to work with other state agencies to develop emission reduction measures.

“Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree that climate-warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activities, ” says Rep. Anchia.  “The concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are now greater than they have been for at least 800,000 years. HB 2078 and HB 2080 present an opportunity for Texas to protect its interests, and place its economy, technology centers, financial institutions, and businesses in a position to benefit from national and international efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.”

Rep. Johnson’s bill, HB 2571, would require state agencies to use climate change projections provided by the State Climatologist to analyze how changes in climate are expected to impact the services that these agencies provide.

 

“Regardless of the reason why climate change is occurring, we must recognize that climate change is happening and we must prudently plan for the future of Texas, said Rep. Johnson. “My bill simply calls for a common sense approach to making sure our state agencies use all relevant information in their strategic planning.”

 

Trammel Crow summed up the climate change debate by saying, “At Earth Day Texas, we look at something like climate change as an opportunity for discussion. This is a serious problem and will be a serious problem in the future. So let’s talk about ways to tackle this issue together and how to benefit Texas as a whole.”

 

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