Office of the Governor - Rick Perry

Governing Principle

Texas is a national leader in reducing emissions and known pollutants, and advancing renewable energy sources all while remaining a leader in the nation's energy production. We have successfully balanced the need for environmental improvements with fostering economic growth, new investment, and job creation. Texas continues to advance new, clean energy technology by using market incentives and stable regulation, not costly mandates and taxes.

The Obama administration has taken yet another step in its campaign to harm our economy and impose federal control over Texas. With their efforts to take control of a permitting process that the Clean Air Act allows to be delegated to the states, the EPA is on the verge of killing thousands of Texas jobs and derailing a program that has effectively cleaned Texas' air. An increasingly activist EPA is ignoring the progress Texas has made to clean its air over the last decade, and should instead look to our state's successful approach to issues concerning energy and the environment.

Action Items

»  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.

News & Announcements

Thursday, January 15, 2009 • Speech
Gov. Perry Speaks at Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies
"There are folks from other parts of the world who wonder what makes a person climb onto the back of an angry bull, or what drives someone to practice their roping technique about a million times, but I think we know. We know that being a cowboy is about truly embracing life, of testing personal limits and directly connecting with the beauty of God’s creation."
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 • Austin, Texas • Press Release
Gov. Perry: Proposed EPA Rules Will Cripple Texas Economy

Gov. Rick Perry strongly urges the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) against passing a proposed framework for regulating greenhouse gas emissions due to its devastating implications for Texas’ economy and energy industry, and the Texas Advisory Panel on Federal Environmental Regulations, consisting of Bryan W. Shaw (Commissioner, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality), Barry T. Smitherman (Chairman, Texas Public Utility Commission), and Michael L. Williams (Chairman, Texas Railroad Commission) presents findings to back Gov. Perry's comments.
Gov. Rick Perry today strongly urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) against passing a proposed framework for regulating greenhouse gas emissions due to its devastating implications for Texas’ economy and energy industry.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 • Austin, Texas • Press Release
Gov. Perry Announces Emerging Technology Fund Investments In DNATriX and Smart Imaging
AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today announced the state will invest $500,000 and $230,000 respectively through the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (TETF) in DNATriX Inc. and Smart Imaging Technologies Co. of Houston for the commercialization of their innovative technologies.
Friday, November 07, 2008 • Press Release
Gov. Perry Encourages Private Sector Investments in Energy Innovation
BRYAN – Gov. Rick Perry today encouraged continued investment in researching and marketing alternative energy sources as a way to move Texas and the U.S. toward energy independence at a dedication ceremony for Terrabon’s biofuels conversion facility.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008 • Austin, Texas • Press Release
Gov. Perry Names Three to the Texas Advisory Panel on Federal Environmental Regulations
AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry has appointed three members to the newly created Texas Advisory Panel on Federal Environmental Regulations. The panel’s initial work will be to assess the potential impacts to Texas of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed framework for regulating greenhouse gas emissions through the Clean Air Act and to report to the governor on the findings.
Thursday, October 16, 2008 • Speech
Gov. Perry Addresses the Texas Chemical Council
"Do I think this is time to panic? Absolutely not, but we need to be proactive in the way we deal with the outside forces affecting our economy. Fortunately, we have been proactive throughout the years, making tough choices that have helped our state attain the overall strength we enjoy today."
Thursday, October 09, 2008 • Austin, Texas • Press Release
Gov. Perry: Texas Needs To Lead The Charge On Energy Independence

Gov. Rick Perry today told energy experts that as a matter of foreign and economic policy, the nation must reduce its dependence on foreign oil by building a deeper, more diverse energy portfolio.
Gov. Rick Perry today told energy experts that as a matter of foreign and economic policy, the nation must reduce its dependence on foreign oil by building a deeper, more diverse energy portfolio.
Thursday, August 07, 2008 • Austin, Texas • Press Release
Statement by Gov. Rick Perry on EPA Denial of Texas’ RFS Waiver Request
AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today issued the following statement regarding the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to deny Texas’ request for a 50 percent waiver from the grain-based Renewable Fuels Standard:
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 • Austin, Texas • Press Release
Statement by Gov. Rick Perry on EPA Postponing RFS Waiver Decision
AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today issued the following statement regarding the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement to delay their decision on Gov. Perry’s request for a 50 percent waiver from the grain-based Renewable Fuels Standard:
Tuesday, June 24, 2008 • Washington, D.C. • Press Release
Gov. Perry: Ethanol Mandate Harms Livestock, Food Industries
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Gov. Rick Perry, joined by industry leaders across the country, today urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to grant a 50 percent waiver from its Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) mandate for grain-based ethanol. Upon Gov. Perry’s initial waiver request in late April, the EPA granted a comment period to consider the appeal, which ended yesterday. A decision on the request is expected later this summer.
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