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How Democrats are passing radical climate policies in Republican House
By Terri Hall, Founder/Director, Texas TURF & Texans for Toll-free Highways
May 2, 2023
Texas Scorecard
When Texas State Representative Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood) filed a bill to place the state of Texas under a mandatory Climate Action Plan, many across the aisle cried foul. ‘That’ll never happen in Texas. We’re an oil and gas state.’
But the radical policies that come along with a Green New Deal-style Climate Action Plan are being quietly chopped up and parsed out to various other lawmakers who aren’t viewed as far Left as Zwiener, which are sailing through the House Transportation Committee with barely a whimper of opposition from Republicans.
Though Republicans hold an 86-64 seat majority in the Texas House, Democrats still chair significant committees, including House Transportation chaired by Terry Canales (D-Edinburg). While Austin’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) includes intentional slowing of speeds for cars and traffic calming measures designed to restrict the free flow of auto lanes, such climate equity plans can also include increasing penalties on speeding and other aspects of driving. For instance, prohibiting cars from pass pedestrians and cyclists without a specific distance as a buffer. Anything to put barriers in the way of free flowing traffic. Houston’s Climate Action Plan also calls for slower speeds and other anti-car measures, with the express intent of getting people out of their cars and into buses or onto bikes.
Where is the Republican pushback to these radical environmental policies aimed at punishing drivers? The punishment sure doesn’t seem to fit the ‘crime,’ yet the same Texas House just voted to lower penalties for marijuana possession and allow records to be expunged for past convictions. Texas drivers need to wake-up and speak-up now if they want to retain their freedom of movement and travel liberties. While the Senate Transportation Committee has heard only one of these bills so far, other committees have heard and passed radical climate policies taking aim at fossil fuels, including your gas stoves, like SB 258 by Senator Sarah Eckhardt that would permit home energy audits that allow the climate ‘police’ to come after your old appliances and force our public utilities into some of their green energy mandates by 2030, including a new fee added to your energy bill. It passed the Republican-dominated Senate Business and Commerce Committee 9-2. Voters deserve better.