State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) today expressed his frustration with the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to include Wise County in its DFW non-attainment area. Yesterday the EPA announced their designation of Wise County to the non-attainment area, citing their belief that pollution levels had increased in the county due to natural gas exploration activities in the Barnett Shale.

Today State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) announced that the Texas Transportation Commission has approved an almost $10 million expenditure for maintenance and safety improvement projects on roads impacted by the energy sector in the Barnett Shale area. King has worked tirelessly since the Barnett Shale boom began to ensure that adequate resources are allocated for this area to maintain the safety of the roads.

“In the shadow of the Obama Administration’s out-of-control tax and spend policies, Texas must stand strong and fight to keep our budget as lean as possible,” King explained, “Texans are already taxed enough at every turn and cannot afford for government to take even more of their hard earned money. By adopting strong, conservative policies now, we can ensure that Texas remains the number one place in the country to do business. That’s why I am pledging my support for the Texas Budget Compact.”

State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) today lauded the organization Texans for a Conservative Budget for their hard work in laying out a conservative roadmap for the next Texas budget. King announced his intention to work toward achieving many of the measures included in the plan during the next legislative session.

The Texas Department of Public Safety is again urging Spring Breakers to avoid traveling to Mexico as a result of continued violence throughout the country.

I read yesterday’s Fort Worth Star-Telegram editorial piece: “End-of-course exams in Texas schools raise a furor” with dismay. The piece discusses the impending “end-of-course” exams in Texas public high schools, which will count for 15% of the student’s final grade.

State Representatives Jim Keffer (R-Eastland) and Phil King (R-Weatherford) today called for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide scientific evidence to show why it is necessary that the EPA add Hood and Wise counties to the DFW nonattainment area. Late last week the EPA notified Texas officials that they planned to add the two counties to the current 9-county nonattainment area of: Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall and Tarrant counties based on the fact that Hood and Wise counties were part of the region being developed for natural gas in the Barnett Shale region. The EPA stated that due to increased ozone and air pollution in these areas, they believed the counties should be added.

“It has been the honor of my life to serve the people of District 61 in the Texas House of Representatives,” King stated, “I would be humbled to be chosen to go to Austin again to fight for their interests. I have spent my tenure in office fighting for lower taxes, smaller government, and family values and will continue to fight for these principles that are so important to District 61 and Texas as a whole.”

Last week State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) was listed among the top ten rated pro-life legislators in the Texas House of Representative by Texas Right to Life. King was ranked the sixth highest pro-life legislator out of 150 in the Texas House, receiving a score of 140%.

This week, State Representative Phil King (R-Weatherford) was named as a recipient of the “Courageous Conservative” Award by the Texas Conservative Coalition (TCC). King received the third highest score out of all 150 members in the Texas House of Representatives.