August 25, 2009
Today, Governor Rick Perry announced the appointment of Carlos Rubinstein to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Rubinstein will fill the vacancy left by Commissioner Larry Soward whose term expires on August 31st.
Rubinstein has served as TCEQ Deputy Executive Director since June of 2008, serving as the chief operating officer and assisting the Executive Director in the administration of the agency. Rubinstein’s background and experience will certainly be an asset as he assumes his new role as Commissioner.
“As Deputy Executive Director, Carlos has performed his duties with temperance and objectivity,” said TCC President Hector L. Rivero. “He has demonstrated an ability to work with stakeholders to identify pragmatic and reasonable solutions to complex issues. TCC congratulates Carlos on his appointment and looks forward to working with him in his new capacity as Commissioner.”
Previously, Rubinstein served as the TCEQ director of field operations for the border and South-Central Texas area, which includes the Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, Laredo, and Harlingen regions. In this capacity, Rubinstein provided oversight and direction and coordinated strategic planning, budget, purchasing, and human resource issues for the five regional offices.
Rubinstein also served as the Rio Grande Watermaster, responsible for allocating, monitoring, and controlling the use of surface water in the Rio Grande basin from Fort Quitman to the mouth of the Rio Grande River.
Rubinstein began his career at the agency as a waste program manager and moved up to serve as the regional director for the Harlingen and Laredo offices. He also worked for the city of Brownsville as the health and EMS director, health and permitting director, operations manager, and rose to the rank of city manager.
Rubinstein has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry from The University of Texas – Pan American.
In addition to the appointment of Rubinstein, Governor Perry named Commissioner Bryan Shaw as the new Chairman of the Commission (effective September 10, 2009). TCC congratulates Commissioner Shaw and looks forward to working with the Commission in the future.
Texas needs all the energy it can muster to handle future growth in both population and demand, Barry Smitherman, chairman of the Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC), told members of the TCC Board of Directors recently. Smitherman appeared at the Summer Board Meeting, where he assessed the State Energy Plan submitted to Gov. Rick Perry by the Governor’s Competitiveness Council.
The population of Texas is expected to soar to 50 million by 2045-2050, engendering an energy demand that will need 50 to 70 gigawatts of generating capacity by 2028, according to Smitherman. Every resource – including natural gas, clean coal, nuclear, wind and solar – should be tapped to meet this projected consumption, he said.
Presentations from the EHS Seminar are now available for attendees to download.
