Under the Bush Administration, TNRCC, a Texas environmental protection agency, initiated a program to "undo any state regulations that had no parallel federal regulation or requirement. In the fall of 1997 the agency acted to remove the rules in its Air Toxics Regulation III, concerning hydrogen fluoride standards. One of the most deadly chemicals used in manufacturing today, Hydrogen Fluoride is released from burning fossil fuels, such as coal and lignite, as well as from refineries and computer chip manufacturing. This regulation was intended to provide stringent protection for human health, welfare, animal life, and vegetation." (www.txpeer.org/Bush/Quiet_Little_War2.html).
This regulatory rollback for hydrogen fluoride benefitted the coal burning utilities and the semiconductor industry. They contributed over $112,700 to Bush's campaigns. The chart below is from the Texas PEER website at www.txpeer.org/Bush/quiet_little_war3.html. The HF emissions are the pounds of hydrogen fluoride air pollution.
| Company | HF Emmissions (lbs.) | Contribution |
| GWB Advanced Micro Devices | 305 | $1,000 |
| Motorola | 5200 | $6,500 |
| National Semiconductor | 886 | $2,000 |
| Owens Corning | 50,000 | $36,500 |
| Shell Oil | 870 | $42,700 |
| Texas Instruments | 17,060 | $20,500 |
| Weatherford | 1000 | $3,500 |
| Totals | 75,321 | $112,700 |
Texas Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Texas PEER) is a local chapter of a national alliance of local state and federal resource professionals. Their home page is at www.txpeer.org/. Their mission statement is:
Texas PEER’s environmental work is solely directed by the needs of its members. As a consequence, we have the distinct honor of serving resource professionals who daily cast profiles in courage in cubicles across the country.Public employees are a unique force working for environmental enforcement. In the ever-changing tide of political leadership, these front-line employees stand as defenders of the public interest within their agencies and as the first line of defense against the exploitation and pollution of our environment. Their unmatched technical knowledge, long-term service and proven experiences make these professionals a credible voice for meaningful reform.