Texas Commissioner Barry Smitherman Says EPA will Turn off Power to Air Conditioners in Summer Heat

Texas Railroad Commissioner Barry Smitherman spoke at the State Republican Executive Meeting in Austin, TX on October 1^st, 2011.

His message was clear.

Obama’s New EPA Rules will cause Texas to shut down power plants, which will mean that homes could go without power (Lights and even Air Conditioning) in the middle of next year’s 2012 Texas Summer heat.

Texas is fighting tooth and nail to stop this rule form going into effect. Barry Smitherman is fighting too and he is part of every lawsuit that Texas has against the EPA.

It is already enough that Texas has to fight the Federal Government over our right to drill in Texas. The reason the Feds do not want us to drill for our own oil is because of a lizard that is not even endangered. Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson explains that situation here

So back to the EPA...

Smitherman says that the EPA could not get Cap and Trade passed though the United States Congress so the EPA is trying to do it on its own without going through Congress.

Back in July 2009, Smitherman wrote an article for the Houston Chronicle titled “Texans Will Pay a Price for Cap and Trade”

Smitherman was right, and even though Cap and Trade did not pass, Texans will still pay a huge price if the EPA bullies their way into controlling the affairs of Texas through backdoor channels.

Specifically, if the EPA has its way, Texas will be forced to shut down many power plants which will cause a shortage of energy. This could be deadly in the Texas Summer heat for the sick and elderly.

Texas Governor Rick Perry, a 2012 Republican presidential candidate, is fighting back against this potential power shutdown and has said that the EPA rule “threatens Texas jobs & families.”

Here is a video of Texas Railroad Commissioner Barry Smitherman talking to the SREC on October 1^st, 2011 about the EPA threatening to Turn off the Lights in Texas: