Statement by Hank Gilbert Regarding the Texas Lawsuit Against the EPA

Austin, TX//The announcement yesterday that Governor Perry, AG Abbott and Commissioner Staples have decided to waste taxpayer funds on a futile fight that was settled more than a year ago by the Supreme Court is more than unfortunate, it’s an inexcusable waste of money we don’t have since we are facing a budget, largely the responsibility of these men, that will be in deficit in the next biennium to the tune of $15-20 billion.

More than a year ago the US Supreme Court ruled that the EPA needed to regulate CO₂ which makes this legal action a waste of taxpayer money on an election year stunt. The idea that this will somehow hurt Texas agriculture is a laughable one that only someone like Todd Staples could dream up. In point of fact, Texas stands to gain substantially from bioenergy production and refining. What’s been missing is a Commissioner of Agriculture who has the vision to see the future and prepare for it. Finally, to say that the EPA made its decision based solely on information from the IPCC is an outright lie, even bigger than the one Governor Perry told about people getting property tax relief and the story about the death of the TTC.

Texas needs leadership on this issue and this troika is instead providing ideological arguments on a scientific issue already settled by the courts.