Texas will not compete for a potential $700 million in federal grant funding for schools, Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday, because it could give Washington too much say in deciding what the state's students should learn.His decision to forgo the money available in the Race to the Top grant competition defied pleas from local school leaders who said their districts could use it.
The Environmental Protection Agency released the first-ever guidelines for states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from industrial sources, primarily through energy efficiency measures[...]
The Associated Press reports (via the Austin American-Statesman): “[...] Texas, which is the leading greenhouse gas producer in the nation, has refused to meet the new federal guidelines.”
Texas officials charged with protecting the environment and public health have for years made arbitrary subtractions to the measured levels of radiation delivered by water utilities across the state, according to a series of investigative reports out of Houston.Those subtractions, based on the test results' margin of error, made all the difference for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ): without the reduction, demonstrated levels of dangerous radiation would have been in excess of federal limits for years.
This was being done in direct contravention of an order by the US Environmental Protection Agency, which told state regulators in 2000 to stop subtracting the margin of error.
The findings are part of an investigation by Houston CBS affiliate KHOU.
[...]
In an editorial, the paper called Republicans' fight to protect industry over environmental regulations a "dangerous roll of the dice" when it comes to federal dollars, noting that new regulations require the state to create a permitting authority to govern emissions, but it refuses. When the new rules take effect next year, the state's energy industry could effectively be brought to a standstill, with no new construction being permitted.
[...]
"Is this what [Governor] Rick Perry means when he talks about standing up to the feds?" The Texas Observer asked.
I do believe it is.
Governor Perry down here in my state is still the Governor for over 2 million Texans who voted for the other guy.[...]
Perry [told] reporters, ”When the outcomes of this election are certified, we will see a substantial conservative presence in both the Texas House and Senate. We are one day closer to seeing the changes we want in Washington.” He then set out to do the hard work Texans elected him to do… sell his book. By the way, in his book he writes, “If you don’t support the death penalty and citizens packing a pistol, don’t come to Texas.”
As of yet, he hasn’t said, “Get out of Texas.” That I’m aware of.
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