Convenience Big Store: Thinking of the children and gassing up Texas

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"God bless the child that's got his own."

Young people have always wondered what kind of world their elders would leave behind, worried they might get cheated. Today, many young people wonder if the world they inherit will even be inhabitable.

Greta Thunberg personified the next generation's rage while still in public school, leading walk-outs that asked, "What good is an education if I have no future?" Time magazine named her a Person of the Year in 2019 for her activism.

Older people often question what they owe future generations. Many may be willing to go without to benefit their children, but what about their children's grandchildren? What about other people's children? Or another nation's children?

Climate change demands we answer these questions. How much of our wealth must we invest in overhauling our energy systems so that future generations can enjoy an equal living standard, let alone a higher one?

So far, Baby Boomers and Generation X have done little or nothing, allowing carbon dioxide emissions to rise year after year. We keep exploring for additional fossil fuels and keep combusting them, even though we know the damage they will inflict on future generations.

Montana's constitution does not leave this question up for debate. Perhaps because delegates to the constitutional convention in 1972 were part of an emerging environmental movement, they wrote a clause that was both logical and revolutionary.

Article IX, Section 1 states: "The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. The legislature shall provide for the administration and enforcement of this duty."

Young activists, as young people tend to do, tested the state's commitment to this promise. They won in court when a judge agreed that the legislature was failing to protect the environment for them by allowing continued extraction and use of fossil fuels.

"Every additional ton of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions exacerbates plaintiffs' injuries and risks locking in irreversible climate injuries," District Court Judge Kathy Seeley wrote.

A spokesperson for Montana's attorney general called the ruling absurd.

The absurdity, though, is that young people have so little power to protect their future, and their elders care so little. As Billie Holiday sang, "God bless the child that's got his own."

CORRECTION: Last week, I referred to Lina Hidalgo as a county commissioner when she is the Harris County judge who presides over the commissioner's court. I've always thought calling the county's chief executive a judge was confusing, but that does not mean I get to take shortcuts with people's titles.

Chris Tomlinson, Business Columnist

What Else I'm Writing

Traffic is sparse on the snow-covered I-45 near The Woodlands Parkway following an overnight snowfall Monday, Feb. 15, 2021 in The Woodlands. Temperatures plunged into the teens Monday with light snow and freezing rain.

Photo by: Brett Coomer/Staff Photographer

Part One: Lawsuits allege 2021 blackouts triggered by greed

Did pipeline companies mistakenly trigger blackouts that killed hundreds in pursuit of profit? Multiple lawsuits allege they did exactly that.

Houston Police officers Kenneth Bigger, center, and Aaron Day, center-right, hand out blankets to people as a winter storm continues to hit the area Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021, under the elevated portion of I-45 in downtown Houston.

Photo by: Jon Shapley/Staff Photographer

Part Two: Pipeline operators triggered blackouts, lawsuit alleges

Companies reduced natural gas supply ahead of the 2021 winter storm to drive up the price, a lawsuit alleges.

Hailey Cheevers, 11, sits in a chair in her living room as her father Stan, left, and Samir Haq, a home-health nurse, prepare the home following several days of winter storms Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in Houston. Pipes broke in the cold weather causing parts of the ceilings to collapse.

Photo by: Jon Shapley/Staff Photographer

Part Three: Kansas and Oklahoma AGs sue pipeline companies

States suspect companies manipulated prices to overcharge consumers during winter storm Uri.

Hannah Siqueiros, clears insulation from a damaged ceiling after a broken pipe was repaired pipe above the kitchen in Michelle Toy's home Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021 in Spring. Water from a damaged pipe above the kitchen caused the ceiling to collapse.

Photo by: Brett Coomer/Staff Photographer

Part Four: Texas refuses to investigate pipeline's role in 2021 blackouts

While other states investigate pipeline companies' role in price gouging during the winter storm of 2021, only a private lawsuit digs into pipelines' role in grid failure in Texas.

What I'm Reading

Must Read: Divided and disappointed: A family's endless search for home in the chaotic U.S. asylum system (Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News)

Should Read: Texas ranks among top states affected by natural disasters causing billion-dollar damage (Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News)

Interesting Read: We're All Living in the World Enron Created Some of the bad guys had the last laugh. (Texas Monthly)

Technical Read: Business Retreats and Sanctions Are Crippling the Russian Economy Sanctions are catastrophically devastating the Russian economy. (Yale University)

Fun Read: When Trucks Fly Monster truck rallies are less demolition-derby crash-fests than aerial acrobatic shows involving 12,000-pound vehicles. (The New Yorker)

Question of the Week

Should the U.S. Constitution have a clause like the one found in Montana? Reply directly to this email and tell me your thoughts.

Mailbag

Last Week's Question: Should a history of mental illness disqualify someone from leadership?

"Maybe. Mental illness is a very broad term. Some forms of it are easily treated and should not be an impediment to leadership. Being open and honest about it is a sign of a good leader. More severe forms are another matter." – John Singleton, Houston

"Opiate abuse. It is certainly to be considered a mental health issue, and many high performers get caught in that trap. Often due to a well-meaning doctor who starts it. Methadone should be free and de-stigmatized. It works for alcohol, too. Clinics should be easy to get to and abound. That is my take." – Sue Snyder, San Antonio

"Mental illness, cancer, COPD, lupus, diabetes, heart disease, PTSD and having children all have lifelong consequences necessitating changes. How a person handles themselves should be more important than the diagnosis. None of us is without flaws; it is how we manage them that counts." – John Callaghan, San Antonio

"I think a politician could still be effective as long as he/she are aware of their mental problems and is getting good therapy along with the right drugs to help them deal with their deficiencies. No one is completely sound of mind, although many may think that they are. I speak from experience." – Clark Walker, Victoria

"Mental illness never seems to disqualify anyone for political leadership as long as it remains undiagnosed." – Kathleen Weber, Houston

The Takeaway

The fourth and final part of my "Pipelines, Blackouts and Politics" series was published online Wednesday and will appear in Sunday's print editions. I took a deep dive into numerous allegations that pipeline operators in Texas triggered the 2021 blackouts during Winter Storm Uri by trying to goose natural gas prices.

While I will follow up as these cases develop, reporters like me always feel powerless after publishing these kinds of exposés. I did my research, checked my facts and published my findings. Now, it's up to the public and politicians to do something with them.

The court cases are essential, and I hope they bear some results in clawing back some of the ill-gotten gains. But what we need is for the Legislature to overhaul pipeline laws. Texas should conform with other state and federal laws by banning operators from owning the commodity inside their pipes. Pipelines should be toll roads, not monopolistic tools for manipulating prices.

Pipeline reform does not make for a very good campaign bumper sticker. But as long as Texas lawmakers protect these operators' monopolies, Texans are at risk of another deadly blackout.