The Ellis County Press: Clean Air: Sen. Averitt bill mirrors feds cap-and-trade

Clean Air: Sen. Averitt bill mirrors feds cap-and-trade
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Editor on 11/27/2009 18:49:00


STAFF REPORT
The Ellis County Press
AUSTIN - State Sen. Kip Averitt, R-McGregor, authored a clean air bill in the
recent legislative session that mirrors the federal cap and trade legislation.
Averitt, representing Ellis County in the 10-county state senate district since
2002, blamed the defeat of his clean air legislation on inept lawmakers.
Several provisions of his now-defeated bill is expected to get another hearing
in Austin should he win re-nomination in March against primary challenger Darren
Yancy include:
_• Banning the idling of trucks when driver is asleep restricting when and
where this can be done_
• Creates a green house gas registry
• Reducing nitrous oxide emissions
_• Hybrid rebate of $4,000_
Conservative critics of the legislation said the layers of taxes, fees and
regulations saddled with the provisions would mirror the federal cap-and-trade
bill that passed the Democratic-controlled U.S. House, U.S. Senate and the White
House earlier this summer.
Averitt told the alternative weekly newspaper the _Austin Chronicle_ several
months ago, Senate Bill 16 his clean air bill numerical notification-was
defeated because of our own [31-member senate] incompetence.
A self-described moderate, Averitt served in the state House of Representatives
where he accumulated a conservative voting record that did not gauge above 50
percent on most report cards that rank legislators.
While in the senate, Averitt's votes have largely remained the same. In 2002s
GOP primary, he lost Ellis County in the 10-county region to former
congressional candidate Ed Harrison.