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By APRIL CASTRO
Associated Press Writer
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Everything's big in Texas - big pickup trucks, big SUVs and the
state's big carbon footprint, too. Texans' fondness for large, manly vehicles has helped
make the Lone Star State the biggest carbon polluter in the nation.
The headquarters state of America's oil industry spewed 670 million metric tons of
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in 2003, enough that Texas would rank seventh in
the world if it were its own country, according to the most recent figures from the U.S.
Energy Information Administration. The amount is more than that of California and
Pennsylvania - the second- and third-ranking states - combined.
A multitude of factors contribute to the carbon output, among them: Texas' 19
coal-burning power plants; a heavy concentration of refineries and chemical plants; a
lack of mass transit; and a penchant among ranchers and urban cowboys alike for
brawny, gas-guzzling trucks - sometimes to haul things, but often just to look Texas
tough.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...S?SITE=WWL&TEMPLATE=USHEADS.html&SECTION=HOME
Associated Press Writer
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Everything's big in Texas - big pickup trucks, big SUVs and the
state's big carbon footprint, too. Texans' fondness for large, manly vehicles has helped
make the Lone Star State the biggest carbon polluter in the nation.
The headquarters state of America's oil industry spewed 670 million metric tons of
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere in 2003, enough that Texas would rank seventh in
the world if it were its own country, according to the most recent figures from the U.S.
Energy Information Administration. The amount is more than that of California and
Pennsylvania - the second- and third-ranking states - combined.
A multitude of factors contribute to the carbon output, among them: Texas' 19
coal-burning power plants; a heavy concentration of refineries and chemical plants; a
lack of mass transit; and a penchant among ranchers and urban cowboys alike for
brawny, gas-guzzling trucks - sometimes to haul things, but often just to look Texas
tough.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/storie...S?SITE=WWL&TEMPLATE=USHEADS.html&SECTION=HOME