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As Texas legislature deliberates state budget, share priorities with your senator

The Texas Legislature currently is formulating the upcoming state budget. As the allocation of taxpayer dollars is under meticulous consideration, your voice can help shape the state's priorities.

The Alliance for a Clean Texas (ACT), a coalition advocating for environmental initiatives that includes Third Act Texas, urges citizens to engage with their state senators to ensure that the budget prioritizes both people and the planet.

ACT’s Proposed Environmental Funding Priorities:

  • Clean Energy and Resilience: Advocating for allocations from the Texas Energy Fund to support sustainable energy projects and bolster infrastructure resilience.
  • Energy Efficiency Programs: Requesting funding for staff dedicated to implementing and managing energy efficiency initiatives.
  • Conservation Efforts: Supporting programs aimed at preserving land, water, and wildlife across Texas.
  • Environmental Quality Management: Enhancing air monitoring systems, ensuring safe drinking water, and improving wastewater management processes.
  • Oil and Gas Regulation: Allocating resources for the plugging of abandoned oil and gas wells and strengthening enforcement measures to prevent environmental hazards.

ACT encourages residents to contact their Senators to express support for these environmental funding priorities, emphasizing the importance of a clean and healthy Texas for current and future generations.

In related developments, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has outlined its budgetary allocations for the fiscal year 2025, emphasizing various environmental programs. Notably, the budget includes funding for air quality and monitoring grants, drinking water quality and standards grants, and the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan, among others.

These budgetary considerations underscore the state’s commitment to addressing environmental challenges and highlight the critical role of public engagement in shaping funding priorities. Here is a sample letter that you can send to your senator:

Subject: Support this funding for people and a healthy planet

Dear Senator,

I am writing to ask you to fund priorities that are important to me as a Texan and a
taxpayer. Please consider funding these items that will protect people and our
planet.

Energy use and conservation:

  • Meet the promise of the Texas Energy Fund. Voters didn’t just approve
    money for gas plants, they also approved $1 billion for resilience projects and
    $1.8 billion for solar and battery storage for vulnerable communities.
  • Fix the grid through energy efficiency. Fund 18 additional staff for the State
    Energy Conservation Office to manage and distribute $700 million in federal
    funds for rebates and incentives to help Texans save energy and lower bills.

Air, land, and water:

  • $5 million for air quality monitors to track methane, hydrogen sulfide, and
    other harmful pollutants.
  • Fund 115 new staff members and provide salary increases to current staff for
    TCEQ to improve air and water quality enforcement.
  • $4.5 million for particulate matter monitoring in counties that could violate
    federal air quality standards in the future.
  • $6 million for Texas Parks & Wildlife fisheries and wildlife programs.
  • $30 million for conservation programs to support farmers and ranchers.
  • $142.9 million into our drinking water and wastewater treatment revolving
    funds to bring down $500 million in federal funds.
  • Sustainable solutions in the Texas Water Fund: fix leaking pipes, expand
    drinking water projects, and water reuse.

Oil and gas:

  • $100 million for plugging leaking wells at the Railroad Commission of Texas
    through industry fees.
  • $2.7 million for 10 full time employees at the Railroad Commission dedicated
    to investigating underground injection wells to better understand geyser
    blowouts and earthquakes.
  • Use industry funds to create a $3 million inspection and enforcement tracker
    and develop an $8 million system to track fracking wastewater disposal,
    ensuring transparency and safety.

I oppose the following items — please DO NOT support any of the following:

  • No more money for gas plants in the Texas Energy Fund.
  • No funding for expensive, unproven nuclear technologies.
  • Do not cut funding for the TCEQ’s Environmental Radiation and Perpetual
    Care Account.
  • No expensive and harmful marine desalination plants that take water out or
    discharge into our bays and estuaries.
  • No expensive plans to pipe water across Texas.

Thank you for considering my priorities for healthy Texans and a clean, prosperous
future.

Sincerely,

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