Dirty Air, Dirty Money: Grandfathered Pollution Pays Dividends Downwind in Austin

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In response to grandfathered pollution concerns, the Texas House directed six members of the House Environmental Regulation Committee to study the problem. Committee Chair Warren Chisum is as an ex-oficio member of the panel, which is chaired by Rep. Ray Allen. Most panel members get heavy funding from:

• The political action committees (PACs) of grandfathered polluters; and
• Lobbyists representing grandfathered polluters.

During 1996 and 1997, PACs affiliated with grandfathered polluters contributed a total of $31,700 to the six members of the House subcommittee on grandfathered facilities. PAC money contributed by these grandfathered polluters amounts to 9 percent of the $340,393 that the six members raised during the same time period. These same companies spewed 670,116 tons of non-permitted emissions into Texas air in 1995. This amount represents 68 percent of the 984,000 tons of emissions that the Grandfathered Air Pollution traced to 1,070 of the worst grandfathered plants in Texas. By far, Texas Utilities is the leading source of:

• Campaign money to members of the House grandfather panel; and
• Non-permitted emissions in Texas air.

In the most extreme case, Rep. Chisum, R-Pampa, took $11,350 from grandfathered PACs in 1996 and 1997. This money accounted for 21 percent of the $52,850 in itemized contributions that Rep. Chisum reported during this time period. Rep. Mike Jackson, R-La Porte, was next in line. Grandfathered PAC handouts accounted for 13 percent of the $70,537 he raised in 1996 and 1997. Panel chair Ray Allen (an architect of the voluntary CARE program), R-Grand Prairie, took 8 percent of the $93,884 he raised during the period from grandfathered PACs.  

Grandfathered PACs accounted for 5 percent of the $38,243 raised by Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, and 2 percent of the $82,279 that Rep. Charlie Howard, R-Sugar Land, raised. Only one member of the grandfathered panel, Rep. John Hirschi, D-Wichita Falls, took no dirty-air money. Rep. Hirschi is the sole member of the panel who has been outspoken about the need to crack down on all of the smog blowing through the grandfather loophole.

Source: Texas Ethics Commission reports 1996-1997.

Lobbyists and lobby firms employed by grandfathered interests contributed another $19,754 to the six subcommittee members, or an additional six percent of the total money that they raised in 1996 and 1997. Individual lobbyists for grandfathered interests gave two-thirds of this lobby money; lobby firms with grandfathered clients contributed the remaining third.

Source: Texas Ethics Commission reports, 1996-1997.

Subcommittee member Mike Jackson, R-La Porte, led his colleagues in this category, taking $6,791 from lobby interests employed by grandfathered companies. When this money is added to Rep. Jackson's grandfather PAC money, grandfathered interests account for 22 percent of the money that he raised in 1996 and 1997. Rep. Chisum is the only member with an even greater dependence on money from grandfathered sources. When the $4,500 that Rep. Chisum took from lobbyists and lobby firms working for grandfathered interests is added to his grandfathered PAC money, the chair of the House Environmental Regulation Committee obtained 30 percent of all the money he raised in 1996 and 1997 from grandfathered interests. In contrast, Rep. Hirschi did not take a dime from grandfather PACs or lobbyists.

Source: Texas Ethics Commission reports, 1996-1997.

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