From Barbara Wilson in Houston to all Astronomy Organizations
in Texas!
I am attempting to contact all amateur astronomy organizations
in Texas.
I need your help in getting the light pollution bill passed. Can you put
this information out to your members?
House Bill 164 sponsored by Dora Olivio has been passed by the Texas House
and is now in the Senate Intergovernmental Relations Committee.
Please contact these folks now to voice your support .
Many of these Senators have sites which allow you to make web
based comments.
This bill will allow counties within 5 miles of the George,
Stephen Austin Observatories and (within 57 miles of McDonald Observatory) to
regulate outdoor lighting within any unincorporated area of the county. If passed, we will ask county commissioners to enact ordinances to
effect energy efficient full cutoff outdoor lighting. It will help us save the
observatory from becoming light polluted.
I feel that we need all friends of the George Observatory, volunteers,
Texas astronomy lovers, and club members and all people interested in
conserving energy and lighting to contact members of this Senate in support
of the bill. We have come so far, we can't drop the ball now.
You can click below and go to the Senators
directly:
Here is a link to the Senate committee:
When you call or write remember to tell the committee members that
the lighting practices you seek to promote with surrounding counties with HB 164
is good lighting for the community, not just George. Win-win!
If we can get this bill into law, think of the millions
of dollars in energy that we could save by using the new types of full cutoff,
high quality outdoor lighting fixtures that redirect light downward, allowing
the use of lower wattage bulbs which place the same amount of lumens on
the ground where the light is needed.