According the US energy information administration Texas ranks number one in carbon dioxide emissions. There have been acts addressed to emissions such as the federal Clean Air Act which allows the EPA to establish air quality standards for all of the states. The act also required that states have implementation plans so that they can reach these goals. Unfortunately setting standards and making a plan isn't enough. Texas is having a hard time keeping up with these standards because of its lavish energy consumption. The US energy information administration also provides data on this showing Texas as number one in total energy production in the US. Power plants are burning more fuel to keep up with the demand for energy and thus produce much of the states emissions and also keep it from getting any better. Emissions from vehicles have become increasing less of a problem unlike the power plants. Tighter emission testing and regulation have taken many older cars off the road and made the newer cars more efficient.
Although I am glad that Texas does at least have some laws and regulations on emissions I believe the only way to truly do something about carbon emissions is for Texas to invest more money in renewable energy alternatives. This may be expensive at first but will solve two crucial problems in the future, air pollution and spending. Standards will only get stricter and this will mean putting older power plants and means of energy out of commission or spending more money to conform them to standards. Pollution will also never get better if we are still using power plants that run on oil and natural gas but never bothering to move to cleaner energy. Texas needs to think of the future and how its actions now can make up greatly later on.
My classmate Nick Eckert posted a commentary titled, Texas Emissions, on his blog, texasglimpse.blogspot.com. In his commentary he talks about tackling the problem of carbon emissions, and how Texas is falling behind on the switch to alternative energy compared to other states.
ReplyDeleteEckert mentions that according to US Energy Information Administration, Texas ranks number one in total carbon emissions. At first, this doesn't seem unreasonable. Texas is the second most populated state so it is only reasonable for it to be high on the list, but further research would change your mind. Texas is the undisputed leader in total carbon emissions with a total of 656 million metric tons. This is more than the next two states combined. The amount of disregard that Texas has for the environment is just careless.
There have been efforts to try to tackle this issue at the federal level, but none have proved to be successful in Texas. Eckert mentions the Federal Clean Air Act. This act regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources. As Eckert says, Texas is not keeping up with the standards because the state has grown accustom to its energy consumption. The main culprit is power plants. According to an article by TheTexas Tribune, power plants are responsible for about 40 percent of the state’s carbon dioxide.
Eckert suggests that we invest more money on renewable energy. I completely agree with this statement. We are always procrastinating, and looking for short term solutions for a long term problem. Even natural gas is not a viable solution. Texas has enough natural gas to supply us with energy for approximately 92 years; but what happens after its depleted, and the long term effects it will have on the environment. As Eckert says, standards will keep getting stricter causing existing power plants either shut down or have to pay a substantial amount of money to conform to the standards. We need to think about future generations and how we can make their lives a better place.