Texas Democrats vs. Texas Republicans on the Environment

In their newsletter sent out last week, The Texas League of Conservation Voters pointed out some of the differences between the Texas Democratic Party and Republican Party of Texas platforms when it comes to environmental issues.

The TLCV notes that Democrats’ platform is an ‘actual environmental platform’ while the GOP’s platform planks on the environment aren’t “much more than a radical property rights manifesto.”

Of particular amusement to me was this plank from the GOP platform’s “environment” section:

15. We urge legislation providing for election of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) chairman.

A statewide election for TCEQ chairman would attract slightly less attention than statewide elections for railroad commission and court of criminal appeals.

Furthermore, it’s clear why the GOP would want this: in the event they lose the executive branch (a distinct possibility in this cycle, if not now, certainly next time around), they would still have the chance to have a radical who thinks that Global Warming is the sequal to Armageddon and who believes Smog is a Milton Bradley board game as Chairman of the agency.

Of course, big business would pour more money into this race than perhaps any others on the ballot. Why? The TCEQ directly determines how much money they have to expend on “clean manufacturing” initiatives, how they will be punished for breaking environmental regulations, etc.

Of course, if Joe Barton is planning to retire from congress, I’m sure he’d fit right in as head of the TCEQ in the current administation.

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