Reports

Report | Environment Texas

A Review of Texas’ and Other States’ Policies on Recovery of Economic Benefit Through Administrative Penalties in Environmental Enforcement

In December 2003, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) launched a year-long, comprehensive review of its enforcement program and practices. The review comes after a string of reports by state and federal auditors, non-profits and academics that document that the agency’s “enforcement process does not consistently ensure that violators are held accountable”.

These studies detail the vast majority of illegal polluters who escape any kind of punishment, the many large polluting facilities which go years without inspections, and the lack of sufficient resources and political will to enforce the law aggressively and provide a credible deterrent against illegal pollution.

Report | Environment Texas

Our Water, Our Future: A Review of Texas Water Policy

Water scarcity is a worldwide issue and will affect an increasing number of people as the world population grows from the current 6 billion to 9 billion by mid-century. U.N. studies indicate that 2.7 billion people will face severe water shortages by 2025 if consumption continues at current rates. Not only sheer population growth but also urbanization will strain water resources.  While historically more people have lived in the countryside than cities, that trend has been changing, and by 2020, urban dwellers will outnumber their rural counterparts. As a result of this population density, municipalities will have increasing difficulty providing sufficient amounts of water to their residents.

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