Cosponsored by ELI, the American Bar Association, DLA Piper, and Winstead Attorneys: A special Earth Day Texas event.
Climate Change: Critical Issues Ahead and What You Might Do To Participate (1:30-3:00 pm)
Moderator: Teri Donaldson of DLA Piper
Participants joined the General Counsel of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Avi S. Garbow, for a discussion of what EPA hopes to accomplish in the last 8 months of the Obama administration as EPA implements The President's Climate Action Plan, publishes and finalizes regulations, defends its major initiatives in court, continues its efforts on the international front, and prepares for the anticipated impacts of climate change. What are the legal challenges ahead? What are the next steps in the legal arena if the Clean Power Plan is not upheld? What should we expect from the anticipated heavy duty vehicle emission standards to be published in the next few months, and what impact will these standards have on the environment? What can businesses and citizens do to participate as these critical issues are addressed?
Joining Mr. Garbow was Ronald Bailey, a leading author on the subject of climate change, whose recent work includes the 2015 best seller, "The End of Doom, Environmental Renewal in the Twenty-first Century." Mr. Bailey offered his observations on the most recent science describing climate change, available technologies to reduce carbon, the timing and costs of unleashing innovation, and the role that the federal government might play in supporting research and development. Mr. Bailey also discussed the polarized and contentious history of the climate change debate, explore the role of cultural values, and suggested a productive approach for businesses and citizens to take as they continue to participate in these important policy decisions. In the town hall format, the speakers took questions from the audience and discussed paths forward.
Water Supply: Texas & Nationally the next 50 years (3:00-4:30 pm)
Moderator: Derek Seal of the Winstead Law Firm
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick introduced two key policy-makers charged to ensure that Texas has water for the next 50 years:
- Bech Bruun, Chair of the Texas Water Development Board Perspective, discussed his agency’s role in determining how much water Texas will need and when, and how to meet those demands.
- Representatives of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
- John Pendergrass has been with the Environmental Law Institute since 1988. He has researched and written on a broad range of legal and policy issues focusing on what works in practice and how to improve the implementation of law. He discussed the challenges of water supply from a national perspective.
According to the Texas Comptroller, every 66.92 seconds another Texan is added to the population. The Texas Water Development Board estimates that Texas’ population will increase by over 70%%, from 29.5 million in 2020 to over 51 million in 2070. Although over that same timeframe, water demands are only expected to increase by 17%, existing water supplies are expected to decline by 11%. Against the backdrop of population growth, the recent Texas droughts in 2011 and 2013, and a healthy state economy, Texas leaders have recently focused on long-term strategies to address existing and future water supply needs for the state. Most recently, on March 3, 2016, the Texas Water Development Board authorized publication of the Draft 2017 State Water Plan for public comment. The Draft 2017 State Water Plan incorporates the state’s 16 regional water plans, which have identified and prioritized dozens of water supply projects in need of funding and are designed to meet Texas’ future water needs over the next 50 years.