.The Texas Energy Report

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.The Texas Energy Report

Sierra Club Argues in Federal Court for Texas to Clean Up the Air in San Antonio and Surrounding Communities: News Release

 

October 9, 2019

New Orleans, LA — Today in federal court, counsel for the Sierra Club and the Environmental Defense Fund argued against a State of Texas appeal on the decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to declare Bexar County, Texas as nonattainment with the 2015 ozone standard. In addition, the Sierra Club argued to include additional Texas counties (Atascosa, Comal, and Guadalupe) in the nonattainment area.

In July 2018, EPA recognized that Bexar County’s failing air quality required action under the law, and finally took the tardy and necessary step towards protecting San Antonians from dangerous ozone (smog) pollution by designating the area as being in nonattainment, or violating, public health safeguards. EPA failed, however, to address significant pollution impacts from all the surrounding counties, which will frustrate efforts in actually cleaning up the harmful levels of pollution affecting San Antonio. Shortly after the designation, the State of Texas sued EPA in hopes of overturning this decision.

A nonattainment designation for ozone is an important step in ensuring that local, county, and state agencies work together to clean up the air in Bexar and surrounding counties. Ozone pollution is formed when pollutants from different sources like power plants, oil and gas fracking, cars, and cement kilns react with sunlight and other chemicals in the atmosphere to produce smog. Long-term exposure to smog pollution is linked to chronic respiratory diseases like asthma attacks, reproductive and developmental harm, and even premature death. In San Antonio, high levels of smog pollution disproportionately impact our most vulnerable populations, which includes children, the elderly, and those who spend time outside for long periods of time.

Just after the hearing, Josh Smith, Senior Attorney for the Sierra Club, released the following statement:

“It is truly counter to the mission of environmental agencies like the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to look the other way and ignore public health data and the hard and fast requirements of the Clean Air Act. TCEQ’s own air quality monitoring data shows indisputably that air quality in San Antonio fails to meet federal public health protections for smog, and is unsafe to breathe. TCEQ’s own data similarly shows that very large power plants and oil and gas fracking facilities in the counties surrounding San Antonio contribute to the city’s smog problems, and need to reduce their share of the harmful pollution affecting San Antonio. Instead of fighting public health safeguards and continuing to ignore San Antonio’s worsening air quality, TCEQ should be working with local, state, and federal partners to clean up the air.”

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NM Governor Thanks O&G Association, Wants Regulation Officials To Work With Energy Sector

October 8, 2019

The governor of New Mexico is telling oil and gas executives she appreciates their contributions to her state and is asking for help in drafting methane emissions regulations, despite backing efforts earlier this year to increase O&G royalties and promoting reduced reliance on fossil fuels…..
 

Attorney For Energy Mogul Calls Rick Perry-Related Associated Press Report “Inaccurate”

Energy executive questions veracity of AP story, says story’s single named source cannot have first-hand knowledge of CERA Week dinner that ties executive to controversial Ukraine “case” tied to impeachment efforts — and questions motives of that source

 

October 8, 2019

Reports from an Associated Press (AP) news story linking Florida energy company CEO Harry Sargeant III to former Texas Governor Rick Perry, President Trump‘s attorney Rudolph Giuliani and several Ukranian businessmen “unfairly and inaccurately” portray Mr. Sargeant, according to his attorney…..
 

UT Associate Professor Op Ed Calls for Vote to Remove Republican Backers of Critical Infrastructure Law

October 7, 2019

University of Texas at Austin Associate Professor of English Heather Houser in Saturday editions of the Abilene Reporter News decried, in an Op-Ed column, Texas’ new “Critical Infrastructure Law” and calls for voters to unseat some of the Republicans who supported the law’s original HB 3557…….
 

Houston Energy Company CEO, Former Governor, Others Claimed In Rick Perry Attempts to Sell LNG to Ukraine: TER Texas-Related Summary

September 7, 2019

Texas Energy Report Partial Summary of Washington Post Story, AP sources: Trump allies pressed Ukraine over gas firm:

In Associated Press reporting, three out of four sources remain anonymous with regard to this story.

Two Soviet-born Florida real estate entrepreneurs, Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman, and an oil magnate from Boca Raton, Florida, named Harry Sargeant III, a heavy Republican donor, approached Nafogaz senior executive Andrew Favorov at a Houston energy convention with a plan for Favorov to become their partner in a firm to ship up to 100 shipments per year of LNG Ukraine, Sargeant allegedly claiming to have regular access to President Trump. …
 

Texas RRC commissioners assess more than $300,000 in penalties: RRC

October 6, 2019

The Railroad Commission of Texas assessed $319,693 in fines involving 175 enforcement dockets against operators and businesses at the Commissioners’ conference this week. The Commission has primary oversight and enforcement of the state’s oil and gas industry and intrastate pipeline safety.

Seven dockets involved $53,767 in penalties after operators failed to appear at Commission enforcement proceedings. Details on these Master Default Orders can be found on the RRC website…..
 

Railroad Commission Alternative Fuels Sets Licensing Record in FY 2019 – Issues More than 7,300 Licenses: RRC

October 6, 2019

AUSTIN – The Railroad Commission’s Alternative Fuels Licensing section set a record in Fiscal Year 2019 (Sept. 1, 2018 – Aug. 31, 2019) by issuing more than 7,300 licenses. Additionally, the Commission also set a record by registering almost 5,600 trucks to distribute liquefied petroleum gas (propane), compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquified natural gas (LNG) in FY 19.

RRC’s Alternative Fuels section protects public safety by overseeing operators’ compliance with Commission rules on propane, CNG and LNG. Companies installing, transporting, dispensing and selling alternative fuels must be licensed with the Commission. Individuals performing activities with alternative fuels must be certified by the Commission and all alternative fuel installations must be installed in accordance with the Commission rules…..
 

Rick Perry Influenced Trump On Ukraine Matter: Anonymous Sources Tell News Outlets

October 5, 2019

Two news media outlets — both claiming anonymous sources — say on Saturday that President Donald Trump has said that he made a phone call to Ukraine’s president at the urging of Energy Secretary Rick Perry, with one outlet saying it was a “call Trump claimed he didn’t even want to make,” as part of Perry’s hope that Ukraine will alter the way it manages its oil and gas interests..”….