Drillilng in the Barnett Shale contributes to air pollution in the NT Region

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Environmental Scorecard for Legislators - How NCTCOG Reps Voted on the Environment

By Faith Chatham - DFWRCC - Oct. 20, 2007
Snapshot from Texas League of Conservation Voters Scorecard for 2007 Texas Legislature

A look at the scores Average House score: 56%

Avg. Republican score: 32% F
Avg. Democratic score: 84% A
Perfect 100s: 11
Overachievers (A+): 36
Failures (F): 56
House Republicans over 50%: 2
House Democrats below 50%: 3
Highest Republican score: Kirk England (69%)
Lowest Democratic score: Joe Pickett (37%)

Now that Kirk England has switched parties, that means the highest scoring Republican got less than 69%.
NOTE: BOLD FACE NAMES INDICATE ALL OR PART OF DISTRICT IS IN THE 16 COUNTY DFW REGION (NCTCOG)

At the top:
Burnam, Lon (D) 100% A+
Coleman, Garnet F. (D) 100% A+
Dunnam, Jim (D) 100% A+
Gallego, Pete (D) 100% A+
Howard, Donna (D) 100% A+
Miles, Borris (D) 100% A+
Naishtat, Elliott (D) 100% A+
Oliveira, Rene O. (D) 100% A+
Rodriguez, Eddie (D) 100% A+
Thompson, Senfronia (D) 100% A+
Bolton, Valinda (D) 96% A+
Davis, Yvonne (D) 96%
Escobar, Juan Manuel (D) 96% A+
Farias, Joe (D) 96% A+
Escobar, Juan Manuel (D) 96% A+
Herrero, Abel (D) 96% A+
Hochberg, Scott (D) 96% A+
Hodge, Terri (D) 96% A+
Leibowitz, David McQuade (D) 96% A+
Martinez, Armando (D) 96% A+
Noriega, Richard "Rick" (D) 96% A+
Olivo, Dora (D) 96% A+
Vaught, Allen (D) 96% A+
Veasey, Marc (D) 96% A+
Vo, Hubert (D) 96% A+
Pierson, Paula (D) 95% A+
Allen, Alma (D) 93% A+
Anchia, Rafael (D) 93%
Ortiz Jr., Solomon (D) 93% A+
Strama, Mark (D) 93% A+
Castro, Joaquin (D) 92% A+
Hernandez, Ana (D) 92% A+
Lucio III, Eddie (D) 92% A+
Martinez Fischer, Trey (D) 92% A+
Raymond, Richard (D) 92% A+
Chavez, Norma (D) 91% A+
Gonzalez Toureilles, Yvonne (D) 89% A
Alonzo, Roberto (D) 88% A
Garcia III, Juan (D) 88% A
Mallory Caraway, Barbara (D) 88% A
Moreno, Paul (D) 88% A
Cohen, Ellen (D) 88% A
Farrar, Jessica (D) 87% A
Villarreal, Michael (D) 86% A
Dukes, Dawnna (D) 85% A
Flores, Ismael "Kino" (D) 82% A
McClendon, Ruth (D) 80% A
Quintanilla, Chente (D) 80% A
Giddings, Helen (D) 79% B
Eiland, Craig (D) 78% B
Dutton Jr., Harold V. (D) 77% B
Menendez, Jose (D) 77% B
Frost, Stephen (D) 72% B
England, Kirk (R -switched to D) 69% B
McReynolds, Jim (D) 69% B
Puente, Robert (D) 68% B

Here are NCTCOG (DFW REGIONAL) Incumbents scores which are lower than B:

Hill, Fred (R) 44% D
Mowery, Anna (R) 37% D
Keffer, Jim (R) 35% D
Laubenberg, Jodie Anne (R) 35% D
King, Phil (R) 32% F
Geren, Charlie (R) 31% F
McCall, Brian (R) 31% F
Miller, Sid (R) 31% F
Paxton, Ken (R) 31% F
Patrick, Diane (R) 30% F
Goolsby, Tony (R) 30% F
Harper-Brown, Linda (R) 30% F
Jackson, Jim (R) 30% F
Solomons, Burt R. (R) 29% F
Hancock, Kelly G. 28% F
Zedler, Bill (R) 27% F
Orr, Rob (R) 26% F
Madden, Jerry (R) 27% F
Brown, Fred (R) 26% F
Smith, Todd (R) 26% F
Truitt, Vicki (R) 23% F
Crownover, Myra (R) 23% F
Branch, Dan (R) 22% F
Pitts, Jim (R) 22% F
Hartnett, Will (R) 21% F

See the Scorecard and examine the votes by issues ranked to determine the scores.
Look at previous session's scores.

When examining votes on toll road, there was less difference by party than was reflected by donors. The votes on the environment do reflect distinct party differences. This is sad. Republican voters also need clean air. Republican voters also have to breathe dirty air and children of Republican voters suffer from asthma and allergies at the same rate as children of Democratic voters. We do not know how distinct a difference will be shown when campaign donor bases are examined on a per vote basis by Legislator.

Working together to meet federal air quality standards

By RICHARD GREENE - Special to the Star-Telegram - Sun, Aug. 05, 2007
Editor's note: EPA Regional Administrator Richard Greene sent the following reply Thursday to Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley's letter, printed in the July 29 Star-Telegram. It is being published with Greene's permission.

Thank you for your recent letter expressing concerns about the adequacy of the clean air plan that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has proposed for the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

I have shared our reservations about the proposal with state officials and explained that the EPA cannot approve a plan that does not meet federal air quality standards. I am pleased to be able to say that we enjoy a good working relationship with our state counterparts, and efforts are ongoing to develop ways to strengthen the proposed plan.

All of the specific questions and suggestions contained in your letter are under active consideration and review. I am especially encouraged by your attention to various measures to clean up the air that can be accomplished by local government entities.

Under the jurisdiction of the North Central Texas Council of Governments, in which Tarrant County is an active participant, initiatives are being considered that could result in the adoption of city or county ordinances designed to reduce and eliminate local sources of harmful emissions that lead to air pollution.

Nothing could serve the public better than unified and committed officials at all levels of government working to achieve healthy communities. I am pleased to know of your strong interest in air quality and your willingness to assume a leadership role, and I look forward to your continued efforts to help find local solutions.

Richard Greene is Region 6 administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Air Quality Plan one topic for NCTCOG RTC Public Meetings

Get Informed, Get Involved
Regional Transportation Council Hosts Public Meetings

May 31, 2007 (Arlington) – The Regional Transportation Council of the North Central Texas Council of Governments will host a series of public meetings and workshops in June on transportation planning and funding programs.

The RTC is required to hold public meetings and take comments from the public before they can move forward on highway, freeway, toll way, aviation and air quality plans for the 16 county region.

Topics include:

• Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) Draft Fiscal Year 2008 and Fiscal Year 2009 and Modifications to Fiscal Year 2006 and Fiscal Year 2007 Work Program
The UPWP serves as a guide for transportation and air quality planning activities to be conducted over the course of the fiscal year, beginning October 1 of each year. Included in the UPWP are detailed descriptions of the transportation and air quality planning tasks, listings of various committee activities and membership, and a summary of the amount and source of state and federal funds to be used for planning activities.

Air Quality is an important topic. Nine of the 16 counties in this region have air pollulants in quantanties that exceed Federal EPA Standards. Funding sanctions are anticipated to cost this region billions of dollars of transportation funding.

• Comprehensive Development Agreements and North Texas Tollway Authority Funding Initiative and Revenue Allocation to the Region
With current state legislation allowing the use of Comprehensive Development Agreements for implementation of transportation facilities, new funding is being brought to the region by the private sector or the North Texas Tollway Authority. In an effort to advance projects, the Regional Transportation Council of the North Central Texas Council of Governments is developing a funding initiative to select projects using proceeds from these Agreements.

• Quarterly Modifications of the Transportation Improvement Plan
Within metropolitan areas across the country, regional transportation projects are tracked through Transportation Improvement Programs. The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is a staged, multiyear program of projects approved for funding by federal, state, and local sources within the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Due to the changing nature of projects as they move through the implementation process, the TIP must be modified on a regular basis.


The public meetings will be held:

Wednesday, June 6, 6:30 p.m., Burleson City Hall. 141 West Renfro, Burleson, TX 76028

Thursday, June 7, 10:30 a.m., North Central Texas Council of Governments, 616 Six Flags Drive, Arlington, TX 76011

Thursday, June 7, 6:30 p.m., Christopher A. Parr Library, 6200 Windhaven Parkway
Plano, TX 75093

SPEAK OUT: Public Hearings in June '07

UNIFIED PLANNING WORK PROGRAM (UPWP)
The UPWP for Regional Transportation Planning provides a summary of the transportation and related air quality planning tasks conducted by the Metropolitan Planning Organization. (RTC of the NCTCOG)

The draft Fiscal Year 2008 and Fiscal Year 2009 UPWP
and modifications to the Fiscal Year 2006 and Fiscal Year 2007 Work Program
will be presented at three
PUBLIC HEARINGS by the NCTCOG in June 2007.

How does this impact you?

Failure to reach Federal Air Quality Attainment levels impacts transportation funding and is cited as one reason for the shift from funding roads with gas tax money to converting public state and federal highways to toll roads.

Federal Grants for Air Quality Projects must be included
in the Air Quality Plan.

THIS IS THE CITIZENS' OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK OUT AND GO ON THE RECORD - STATING YOUR PREFERENCES AND PRIORITIES regarding air quality and transportation projects in this region.

IF YOU SEE FLAWS IN THE GOVERNMENTS PLAN OR POLICIES,
THIS IS WHERE YOU NEED TO GO AND SPEAK OUT!


The 2030 Mobility Plan calls for adding 675 more miles of tolled freeways or tolled lanes to existing highways in the DFW Region in the next 30 years.

(It calls for only 70 additional miles of non-tolled highways).


Changes in the Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) must be submitted for public comment. (It's a 521 page document covering transportation plans for 2008-2011.


As a citizen, this is your chance to say what you think about adding toll lanes or converting existing highways to toll roads in the DFW Area.

The RTC favors funding new highway construction with private/public partnerships (CDAs) with toll rates higher than necessary to retire the debt and maintain the roads so that substantial surplus toll revenue can be generated over 50 year contracts to fund other regional transportation projects.
If this is what you want, state your opinion. If you do not favor turning most of the major roads in the DFW metroplex into toll roads or adding additional capacity as tolled HOV lanes, this is where you should speak out.
Proposed projects include:
I-30, SH 360, SH 121, SH 161, I-9, Airport Freeway, DFW Connector, and other strategic corridors.
DFW Regional Concerned Citizens will attend these hearings.
If you'd like to join us in preparing for these public hearing call 817 795-2519.
Join DFW REGIONAL CONCERNED CITIZENS