HOUSTON - Texas legislature ended its ordinary session with a mixed bag of environmental rules, from some bills which has made it before the nation and others who are required to make angry of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In Texas, an oil and Central gas and one of the largest polluters in the nation, only may change and adopt new laws once every two years, so the legislative session is significant. Federal and other bodies States often monitor carefully see what energy and environmental rules are submitted or changed in Texas, a State which often has precedent in these areas - for the good and bad.
This time, the legislature passed a bill that could make Texas the first State to require by law that the oil and gas companies publicly disclose the chemicals they use in the breakdown of rock dense to extract minerals. This could force the other States and by the EPA to move more quickly on an issue that is gaining steam that hydraulic fracturing is used in several areas.
Parliament also overwhelmingly approved a bill that would delay at least two years to strengthen the air allowing rules for oil and gas industry, a gesture which could exercise more dragging, sometimes ugly, public dispute between Texas and the EPA which has evolved from a tussle on environmental issues in a battle to the right of States.
Parliament adopted the Bill after the Deputy Regional Administrator Lawrence Starfield the EPA sent a letter to the environmental agency Texas warning that if passed "The EPA would have to consider taking additional measures, including the consideration of sanctions" under the Clean Air Act. This could include a takeover air of Texas for program, a responsibility traditionally reserved to the States.
"Is the bottom line, it is probably a C-plus session on environment and energy," said Director Tom "smitty" Smith, Texas of Public Citizen, a group of lobbying non-profit that focuses on environmental and energy issues.
Texas has long been a setter to trend to the nation on energy and the environment. In 1999, for example, the State passed a law of offensive targets for reducing air emissions in Eastern Texas, said Smith parameter. Other States eventually followed, and the rules became the cornerstone of the Clean Air Interstate Rule, adopted by EPA in 2005 in order to achieve the greatest air pollution cuts in more than a decade.
"This time around we didn't have one of these great breakthrough moments where define us a new energy policy for the nation," Smith said.
Bill requiring companies to disclose product chemical fracking was significant, he said, but when the deadline for implementation was delayed from January 2012 to July 2012.
However, Parliament pass a dozen bills that will reduce the need for new power plants, lower energy costs for consumers and results in cleaner air, said Smith. But it has also approved a Bill which makes it more difficult for the cities to sue large companies which emit gases to global warming, methane or other gases of hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" - the technology that coupled with drilling horizontal allows producers of oil and gas extracting minerals once out of reach of rock formations dense.
Important changes have been made to the Texas Commission on the quality of the environment - the State agency that oversees and regulates the environmental rules. The Agency can now fine companies up to $25,000 per day for violations, maximum of $10,000. However, the Bill has also limited the ability of the public at the request of the hearings in certain situations.
Parliament has also adopted several important bills that make it easier and more efficient to install and use solar energy, one that will allow stores - as Wal-Mart - to install solar panels and produce energy without having to go through the tedious and bureaucratic process to register itself as a power company.
And Texas passed a law allowing nuclear waste low resulting in 36 States - a major expansion of before when only two States and the Federal Government could send these waste for burial site West of Texas, along the border of the New-Mexico. It is known, however, how long that could begin to flow or the impact that might have on the environment.
Debbie Hastings, vice President of business environmental for the Texas oil and Gas Association, a lobby group that represents the oil and gas, industry has refused to give a grade to the Legislative Assembly, but said that he attempted to strike a balance between different interests with the "unprecedented challenges".
Fracking Act has been the key, she said, calling it "a cue point feat that will go far in the debunking of some of the myths and misconceptions that people have on fracking.".
Hastings said that it is important that Parliament adopted the Bill specifying how the State emits and oversee air permits, stating that the concerns of the EPA on the period of two years included in the law is wrong.
Richard Hyde, a Director for the environmental agency Texas TCEQ said the EPA notes often concern with Bill and Starfield letter will help Texas to comply with federal law, while writing the new rules.
"Time will tell how it goes," said Hyde. "But I see nothing in their letter, that we cannot respond."
And what does a go perhaps as important.
The Railroad Commission will remain as is, despite verification by sunset Commission consultative status who have called for a revision which would have also changed the name of the Agency for the oil and gas Commission. The commission - responsible for oil and gas drilling and regulate pipelines - has not managed railroads for at least five years, but the name change has failed to pass three sessions of the Legislative Assembly.
Cyrus Reed, Director of conservation for Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club, also gave the legislature a C-plus.
"It's a mixed bag," he said, noting that they did well on energy efficiency.
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