By that measure, this was a good session for environmentalists.
For environmental activists, the legislative session looked to be a grim one as it got under way in January. Keen on regulating businesses, they had feared that a body empowered by the 2010 elections to cut government oversight would drastically loosen environmental rules.
Now some of them feel as if they had dodged a disaster.
With the major exception of the budget, which slashes money for state parks and environmental enforcement, as it does for most government work, the Legislature finished up its regular session even passing some laws sought by environmentalists.
Among the pieces of legislation sent for the governor’s signature: one that would prevent homeowners associations from penalizing residents with solar panels, a measure that will force companies to tell the state which fluids they pump underground to recover natural gas in a process called fracking and one that creates a television recycling program .
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“A lot more in the way of bad environmental legislation could have passed and did not,” said David Weinberg , director of the Texas League of Conservation Voters . “It was a pretty big victory in terms of what didn’t happen. This was as pro-industry a Legislature as Texas may ever see.”
I noted the TV recycling bill the other day. It still hasn’t been signed yet, so I’d hold off on popping any corks until then. But yes, if you feel the need to look for small nuggets of good in the deep cesspool of suck that was this session, environmental stuff and innocence matters would count. Beyond that, there ain’t much.
The T.V. recycling bill is important. I hope it includes computer monitors, old computers and printers also.