Thursday, June 3, 2010

Texans can breath easier thanks to Texas policies

Texas is our nation's energy capital, producing and refining a large portion of the energy products that our nation depends on. While we are the major energy producing state, we also have achieved trmendous success in improving air quality:

• The air Texans breathe today is cleaner than it was in 2000, even though our population has grown by nearly 3.5 million people.

• Between 2000 and 2008, while Texas NOx levels decreased by 46% and ozone levels by 22%, national NOx levels fell by only 27%, and national ozone levels declined by only 8%. In comparison, ozone levels in Illinois have only fallen by 12% since 1999.

• All major Texas metropolitan areas currently meet the 1997 federal eight-hour ozone standard, with the exception of the DFW area, which is within 1 part per billion of meeting the standard. Preliminary data indicates that Houston met the standard for the first time in 2009.

• In a comparison with 20 eastern and southern states that are most comparable to Texas because the location of industrial facilities and natural ozone levels, Texas is second only to Georgia (25%) in the largest decrease in ozone levels from 2000 to 2008.

• Despite being the nation's energy capital, Texas has the eleventh lowest NOx emissions rate for power plants among all states according to EPA data.

• According to Department of Energy and EPA data, since 2000, Texas' CO2 emissions from fossil fuel usage have actually fallen by more than almost any other state and every country except Germany as a result of our policies to foster renewable energy, make the electricity market more competitive and efficient, and improve our environment.

1 comment:

Sarena said...

The use of renewable energy has long been encouraged and called for since time immemorial but some people just take the idea for granted. Now, more than ever, is the time to switch to renewable energy in order to curb global warming.

There are several electric companies here in Texas who uses natural gas as a source of energy. Texas electricity now develops natural gas, wind and stream as alternative and renewable sources of energy in the production of power supply . It's the reason why Texas electricity suppliers become cheaper and more environmental today.

The course in the fight against climate change is a protracted process, and we should start working now so we can save our earth before it gets really too late.