Texas Republicans are welcoming President Donald Trump’s move to roll-back Obama-era climate policies – like the Clean Power Plan. But Texas environmental groups say it’s a mistake.
Chrissy Mann, with the Sierra Club, calls the decision to do away with regulations that target big polluters, like NRG’s coal plant southwest of Houston, “short-sighted.”
“Even with their pollution control for nitrogen oxide – they’re still the biggest contributor of that pollution to the area.”
But Texas Senator John Cornyn says the Obama administration's climate policies would lead to higher energy costs.
"When you impose these job killing regulations on the energy sector, it also drives up the cost of electricity and makes it less affordable to seniors and those on fixed incomes, and increases costs at the pump and increased utility bills at home."
San Antonio's CPS Energy released a written statement indicating it will continue on its path to diversify and reduce carbon output of its generation fleet. The statement:
“We continue to monitor the discussions that are happening at the Federal, State, and Local level to ensure we continue to provide the best energy solutions for our diverse and growing community. We at CPS Energy have been on a steady path to diversify and reduce the carbon output of our generation fleet, which is specifically important for our growing metropolitan community. It’s a plan that’s been set in motion for almost a decade and one that we believe is the right thing for our customers and our community."
