TCEQ Helps Industries In Fighting Smog Limits

This should come as no surprise to us whatsoever:

Some of Texas’ biggest industries have an important ally in trying to keep the Environmental Protection Agency from ordering nationwide smog cuts: the state’s top clean-air officials.

At least four times since the EPA previewed its proposal in March, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality – which is responsible for fighting ozone in smog-bound areas such as Dallas-Fort Worth and metropolitan Houston – has urged the EPA not to tighten the federal limit on ozone, smog’s chief component.

Given that all three TCEQ Commissioners are Perry appointees–including two who have served on his office staff and one professor who doesn’t believe in global warming–it isn’t surprising that they exercise such blatant disregard for the environment in favor of large corporations.

And, of course, this has been a systematic problem with the TCEQ–it’s nothing new:

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The Media Takes Another Critical Look At The Texas Supreme Court

The MainStream Media has taken another critical look at the Texas Supreme Court. Here’s an interesting tidbit from Eric Torbensen’s DMN story:

 Alex Winslow of Texas Watch is tracking the court’s rulings for its 2006-07 term, as he has for the last decade.

By his count, civil defendants won favorable rulings in a relatively equitable 52 percent of cases in the court’s 2000-01 term, but the number has been soaring since then. In 2005-06, 82 percent of rulings went in favor of defendants, he said.

“This is an anti-consumer court,” he said.

He called the Entergy ruling “egregious” because he thinks the court hunted for a way to rule for the company.

The Entergy ruling ignored the Legislature’s previous actions on the issue that were pro-worker. A ruling the previous week involving another energy company cited legislative intent, Mr. Winslow said, “making them unbelievably inconsistent, except for the fact that the energy company won both times.”

Yet another reason we are fortunate to have judges like Susan Criss running for a seat on the high court. With all of this negative media attention directed at the court, I think it’s going to create a lot more interest in these races than before.

A New Breed Of Voter Disenfranchisement

By now, you’ve no doubt heard about the massive delay in processing citizenship and naturalization papers across the country. Of course, Texas’ processing center has one of the worst backlogs. And, as it turns out, this will keep potential voters from the polls here in the Lone Star State:

Gonzalez ordered his staff to give priority to naturalizations, but some applicants will miss voting in primaries, which begin in January.

Yet another way to keep likely Democratic voters away from the polls.

More Ron Paul Related Insanity

The feds seize a stash of Ron Paul coins minted by a group of wingnuts. Could things surrounding Ron Paul get any weirder? More here.

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More on Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong, who is already being touted for higher office by the media following his success pushing a multi-billion dollar cancer initiative in the recent elections, is himself an infrequent voter, Capitol Annex has learned.

According to voting records, it would appear Armstrong did not register to vote until 2006, unless he was registered in another state.

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Lance Armstrong For Governor? Senator?

Over the weekend, major media outlets across Texas were littered with stories about Lance Armstrong’s political potential.

Of course, the media proclaims to have no clue about Armstrong’s political party affiliation. Evidently, nobody in the MSM realizes they can just call the elections office of the county in which Armstrong is registered to vote and simply ask them to fax his voting history, which would show if he’d voted in a primary election.

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Social Justice For Sugar Workers

Check out this interesting story on a sugar workers strike in Santa Rosa, Texas:

Sugar field workers said they hope to begin negotiations Friday with the Santa Rosa Sugar Mill after striking for more than two days.

More than 300 workers began the strike Wednesday morning because management had not paid $1,000 bonuses that were promised in May, said Jose Torres, a paralegal in the Weslaco office of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid.

Steve Bearden, president of the Rio Grande Valley Sugar Growers, said the cooperative has paid bonuses to workers in the past but couldn’t afford to this year because of equipment costs.

The issue here seems to be clear and simple: the workers were promised bonuses, the companies haven’t delivered. I understand equipment costs and the like, but if they were promised, they need to be paid. I’m sure that part of the problem, if the equipment costs cropped up after-the-fact, is that the growers failed to communicate with the workers.

Is Craddick Holding Up State Railroad Funds For Political Reasons?

A new document has revealed that Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick is ignoring recommendations from the real state budget experts in continuing to deny funding for the Texas State Railroad:

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In Preparation For 2010 Run, Dewhurst Takes Elocution Lessons

Lt. Governor David Dewhurst is taking elocution lessons.

We shouldn’t be surprised. After all, this is the man about whom Texas Monthly noted in 2002:

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Once Again, Texas Democrats Get Short End Of Stick On DNC Hotel Location

All I can say about this story is that, at least this year, the DNC and everyone else don’t make it sound entirely like we’re on the C-List because we’re a red state, though that surely plays a part. Evidently, potential doesn’t play a part. Oh, well. At least it isn’t made to sound as bad as the media played it in 2004.

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