Environment Texas endorses Ellis, Harper-Madison for re-election to Austin City Council

For Immediate Release: Friday, October 28, 2022

Contact: Luke Metzger, Executive Director, [email protected], 512-743-8257

Environment Texas endorses Ellis, Harper-Madison for re-election to Austin City Council

AUSTIN, Texas – Environment Texas announced Friday it is endorsing the re-election of Paige Ellis and Natasha Harper-Madison to the Austin City Council. More global warming emissions come from transportation than any other sector, so both candidates have championed alternatives to our dependency on cars.

Councilwoman Ellis has secured major funding for parks and trails and worked with Environment Texas on a measure to promote the use of e-bikes. She is Chair of the Mobility Committee and serves on the Austin Water Oversight Committee, Housing and Planning Committee, and Austin Energy Oversight Committee. 

And as Austin becomes one of the most sprawling cities in the country, Councilwoman Harper-Madison has steered development inward. She is on the Capital Area Metropolitan Organization’s Transportation Policy Board, fighting for bigger investments in transit and against unnecessary parking standards that encourage driving. In addition, she is the chair of the Public Safety Committee and sits on the Housing and Planning, Mobility, and Public Health committees. 

“In recent decades, Austin has become the epitome of unfettered sprawl, with the air pollution and the destruction of natural habitats that inherently come with more roads and more cars,” said Environment Texas Executive Director Luke Metzger. “The federal bipartisan infrastructure bill and Inflation Reduction Act will be sending millions of dollars to local governments for climate initiatives. Councilwomen Ellis and Harper-Madison, who have proved that they will responsibly steward those funds, each deserve another term to continue working on a better transportation system and smarter development to improve our environment and quality of life.”

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