
The 2025 Earth, Wind and Fire Conference will be held March 1 at Brookhaven Campus. One of the topics to be discussed is the future of the DFW water supply. The planned Marvin Nichols Reservoir would flood 66,000 acres of East Texas bottomland to provide more water to DFW. Courtesy of Texas Conservation Alliance.
Dec. 16, 2024
An environmental conference planned for Dallas will bring together regional and national experts to speak on local land, air and water issues.
The Earth, Wind and Fire Conference, hosted by the Dallas Sierra Club, will be held on March 1 at Dallas College’s Brookhaven Campus.
Organizers are inviting anyone interested in the state of the environment to attend. Register here.
This will be the third Earth, Wind and Fire Conference the Dallas group has held, with the last one being hosted in 2016.
Victoria Howard, Dallas Sierra Club chair, said after the long hiatus since the group’s previous two conferences, they thought it was “high time” to create another such event.
“Our goal in creating the Earth, Wind and Fire Conference 2025 was to not only allow an opportunity for environmentalists in the DFW Metroplex to listen and learn from our stellar panel of speakers but to also create a ‘safe space’ (so to speak) for like minded thinkers to come and take a mental ‘deep breath’ from the social and political bombardment of this moment and be around other environmentally conscious people,” said Howard.
Returning as conference organizer is Rita Beving, who organized the previous two EWF conferences. She said the upcoming conference will have a slightly different focus than in previous years.
“The last two conferences were 100 percent focused on energy,” said Beving, “This year there will be a special focus on air and water issues.”
Doug Lewin, a nationally recognized energy expert, will give the keynote address on the Texas electric grid.
He will address the new Texas Energy Fund, approved by Texas voters in 2023. The fund would inject $10 billion into energy infrastructure, including $7.2 billion to build new power plants in Texas. Most of these funds are expected to be used for natural gas plants, but there may be investment in coal and nuclear.
Lewin will discuss the impact of these new plants on our environment and whether they’ll make the grid more reliable.
Other topics to be discussed include:
WATER
The future of the DFW water supply. How will the fast growing region meet the increasing demand? Are we doing enough to conserve water? A group of North Texans are fighting plans to build the controversial Marvin Nichols Reservoir, which would flood 66,000 acres of East Texas bottomland to provide more water to DFW.
Forever chemicals in our water supply. In 2024, the EPA set its first set of standards for five types of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in drinking water. In Texas, 49 public water utility systems, including some utilities in DFW, exceeded the new federal limits on these substances. Hear more about the negative health effects and the solutions to clean up our water from an expert in this field.
The dangers of ethylene oxide. The flammable, colorless gas is used in chemical manufacturing and to sterilize medical equipment and some spices and plastics. There are two EtO plants in Grand Prairie and more plants located around the state putting workers and families at risk. New EPA rules have recently been finalized to require these facilities to significantly lower their EtO emissions.
Microplastics in our waterways. At least 35 facilities that produce microplastics in powder, flake, or pellet form are currently operating in Texas. What kind of harm is being done with these materials and how is this mounting problem with plastics being addressed?
PFA contamination from fracking fluid. Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been used in everything from nonstick pans to fire-fighting jackets and fast-food containers. Today, these chemicals can be found in our drinking water and are linked to negative health effects. A 2023 report now shows there is wide use of PFAS in oil and gas drilling. Learn more about “Fracking with Forever Chemicals” from one of the co-authors involved in conducting the research in Texas.
AIR
Clearing DFW’s Air. The North Central Texas Council of Governments is working with stakeholders to develop the Dallas-Fort Worth Air Quality Improvement Plan. The DFW AQIP will create a roadmap for the region to improve air quality by reducing criteria pollutants and greenhouse gases, protect public health, and reduce impacts of extreme weather events. Learn about what plans are in works to clear DFW’s air.
The risks of urban fracking. In Texas, more than 5.3 million people live within one half mile of an oil and gas well. Within the Barnett Shale, Tarrant County is one of the top two counties in America for urban fracking with more than 400 wells exposing over 1 million people to the emissions from drilling. The speakers will address the harmful pollutants associated with fracking and the short and long-term health effects due to ongoing exposure.
LAND
Deep injection and earthquakes. There has been a significant increase in seismicity rate and magnitude in the Permian Basin and other oil and gas fields in Texas. Learn more about the causes of induced seismicity and the related hazard and risk of earthquake occurrence in Texas.
REGISTRATION
Registration is now open. Early Bird tickets are on sale through the end of December for $55. Prices go up to $70 till January 31. Late registration tickets (Feb. 1-15) are $85. Students pay $25.
Green Source DFW and Oak Cliff Earth Day are media sponsors of the event. Other sponsors include Liveable Arlington, Environment Texas, Public Citizen, League of Women Voters of Tarrant County, Water District Accountability Project, Women in the Environment and Greater Fort Worth Sierra Club.
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Earth, Wind and Fire Conference 2025
Hosted by: Dallas Sierra Club.
When: March 1, 2025, 8 a.m. to 4:20 p.m.
Where: Dallas College Brookhaven Campus, 3939 Valley View Lane, Building H, Farmers Branch.
Cost: $55-$85. $25 for students. Register here.
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