Austin – EVs Are cooler, cleaner and cheaper than conventional vehicles and they are the next big tool to fight against climate change

Hosted by the First Unitarian Universalist Church Green Sanctuary Committee –

Electric Vehicles are not only cool, but they can drastically reduce transportation costs to business, individuals as well as local, state and national governments as they lower their carbon footprints.  Join us to discover how Texas is planning for the future needs of Texas by promoting a state wide EV charging infrastructure.  Learn about battery electrification of not only cars and trucks but busses, airplanes, ships and trains.  Also the health benefits and equity issues can be discussed.

Tom “Smitty” Smith is currently the executive Director of the Texas Electric Transportation Alliance (TxETRA), an Alliance of vehicle manufacturers, dealers, utilities, environmentalists and consumer groups, that are working together to develop and promote the policies needed to electrify the Texas transportation system.

Smith retired 2017 as director of Public Citizen’s Texas office, after 31 years. Public Citizen is one of the state’s best-known consumer, environmental, energy and ethics advocacy organizations.

Over the years Smitty testified in front of the Texas legislature and US Congress more than 1,000 times.

His most notable accomplishments include:

• helping to start Texas’ renewable energy boom by organizing citizens,
• creating the Texas Emissions reduction program, and
• ethics reforms.

Smith and his organization received more than 2 dozen awards and recognitions for this work.

Smitty has also headed up an anti-hunger advocacy group, and worked at legal aid as a paralegal