Luke Metzger
Executive Director, Environment Texas
Executive Director, Environment Texas
Environment Texas
AUSTIN – Twenty representatives and three senators voted to protect the environment 100% of the time in 83rd legislature, according to Environment Texas’s biennial legislative scorecard. The scorecard tracked votes on a number of environmental issues like water conservation, fracking, solar energy, and clean air.
“From preventing the closure of 20 state parks to funding a historic investment in water conservation, the 83rd Legislature made some positive steps forward for the environment,” said Luke Metzger, Director of Environment Texas. “At the same time, bills to repeal our state renewable energy law, stop cities from banning plastic bags and weaken citizen rights to fight pollution in their communities thankfully were defeated.”
Environment Texas tracked seventeen votes in the House and Senate, including the maintenance of state funding for water conservation, the requirement of permits for water use in oil and gas drilling, tax incentives for solar energy projects, and funding to reduce air pollution.
Overall the average score of Senators was 64% and the House was 63%. Representative Jonathan Stickland (R – Bedford) had the worst environmental voting record in the House, earning a score of just 11 percent, while freshmen Senators Donna Campbell and Kelly Hancock earned that chamber’s lowest scores, taking the pro-environment position just 25 percent of the time. The House Democrat with the lowest score is Tracy King (D-Laredo) with 67% and the House Republican with the highest score was Kyle Kacal (R-Bryan) with 88%.
Texas Representatives voting to protect the environment 100% of the time were: Reps. Alma Allen (D-Houston), Lon Burnam (D-Fort Worth), Nicole Collier (D-Fort Worth), Dawnna Dukes (D-Austin), Helen Giddings (D-Dallas), Mary Gonzalez (D-El Paso), Naomi Gonzalez (D-El Paso), Roland Gutierrez (D-San Antonio), Abel Herrero (D-Corpus Christi), Marisa Marquez (D-El Paso), Trey Martinez Fischer (D-San Antonio), Joe Moody (D-El Paso), Elliott Naishtat (D-Austin), Poncho Nevarez (D-Del Rio), Rene Olveira (D-Brownsville), Ron Reynolds (D-Houston), Eddie Rodriguez (D-Austin), Justin Rodriguez (D-San Antonio), Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston), and Hubert Vo (D-Houston).
Senators Rodney Ellis (D-Houston), Jose Rodriguez (D-El Paso), and Sylvia Garcia (D-Houston) voted for major environmental issues 100 percent of the time.
“Our scorecards help Texans know which legislators are standing up for clean air and water and which are siding with big polluters against our health,” concluded Metzger.
Environment Texas’s scorecards for 2013 and previous years are available online at www.environmenttexas.org/page/txe/legislative-scorecards