State Global Warming Report Criticized
By Lily Auliff

The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission’s (TNRCC’s) draft global warming report, released on January 14, 2002, was met with harsh criticism from environmental and religious groups.

Texas, We Have a Problem
The long-awaited draft report reviews the science behind global climate change and potential effects. It acknowledges that higher temperatures and unpredictable weather patterns could cause rising sea levels and loss of productive estuaries, a shift in agricultural productivity, more serious droughts, an increase in heat-related and insect-borne illnesses, and much more.

It also notes that Texas emits more greenhouse gases than any other state, and is responsible for about 10 percent of the nation’s total.

“The good news is they’re acknowledging they’ve got a problem,” says Tom “Smitty” Smith of Public Citizen. “The bad news is they’re not saying they want to do anything about it.”

Falling Behind the Joneses
Texas is just one of 26 states that have released climate change reports; several cities have done the same. But, many of the documents from other places promise measurable pollution cuts, while Texas’ lists reductions that are already in place and suggests some voluntary measures that could be implemented.

The Conference of New England
Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers adopted a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 10 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, and a long-term goal of lowering emissions enough to eliminate any threat to the climate. That plan should be particularly commended because it sets out a step by step process for reaching its 2020 target, explains Tim Morstad of Public Citizen.

Delaware plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7 percent from 2000 levels by 2010, New Jersey by 3.5 percent from 1990 level by 2005, and the City of Seattle by 7 percent from 1990 levels. Massachusetts and Oregon have set specific caps on the amount of carbon dioxide that power plants can emit.

Texas’ draft plan, on the other hand, outlines projected decreases in greenhouse gas emissions due to existing programs. Then it acknowledges that TNRCC has legal authority to collect data on greenhouse gas emissions - which is not currently done – but falls short of saying it should. The report also suggests that TNRCC would be allowed to put controls on greenhouse gas emissions, if it so desired, but makes no mention of what those controls might be, suggesting only voluntary incentive programs.

Too Little, Too Late
The Texas State Legislature first gave TNRCC the right to monitor and control greenhouse gas emissions more than 10 years ago. But today, progress is still slow.

“The key things that are missing in this report are any analysis, any goals, and an inventory by which to measure our emissions, and any sort of process of reassessment of where we are going,” explains Smith.

The Cool Texas Network, a coalition of environmental and religious organizations that includes Public Citizen, is unsatisfied with the draft report and is asking TNRCC to:

• establish clear goals for emissions reductions,
• commit to meeting with other state agency heads to discuss problems and solutions,
• require that new emission sources do not add to the problem, and
• recommend conservative actions to the legislature.

One Last Point
In a comment to the Houston Chronicle, TNRCC Executive Director Jeff Saitas said, “If it turns out global warming is caused by man, then we already are on the road to recovery.”

Since scientists now overwhelmingly agree that climate change is real - and human induced - environmental groups were surprised to hear such an uncertain statement from the head of the state’s environmental regulatory agency.

A panel of leading scientists and other experts have been briefing TNRCC leadership on the science behind climate change for quite a while. “We’ve been working with them for over a year,” Morstad explains. “Never did they question the science of global warming. This is taking three steps back to try to support inaction.”

“I think that Saitas hasn’t read his own report,” comments Smith. “He’s not looking at the data his own staff has developed.”

“I think he’s responding to political pressure,” he adds.

Next Steps
Both Morstad and Smith expect the TNRCC Commissioners to approve the draft climate change document as is, even though they have requested a more inclusive rewrite. But, “this battle is far from over,” notes Smith. “There are several remaining forums.” The Cool Texas Network plans to focus on future elections. They will try to make climate change a campaign issue in November’s gubernatorial and congressional races, and hope concerned citizens will do the same.

The full TNRCC draft report is available at www.tnrcc.state.tx.us/oprd/sips/greenhouse.