Rick Perry Rejects TV Recycling Legislation

Colleen McCain Nelson/Editorial Writer

Environmental advocates notched few victories this legislative session. Sadly, their short list of successes got even shorter Friday when Gov. Rick Perry vetoed legislation that would have required television manufacturers to provide free recycling for discarded TVs.

The bill seemed innocuous enough. After all, older televisions are laden with lead. Recycling the TVs keeps the toxic chemicals from making their way into our soil and water.

The bill's Senate sponsor, Kirk Watson, said that both environmental and industry groups were involved in crafting the compromise legislation.

But that wasn't enough for Perry, who deemed the mandate onerous and opted once again to side with industry over environmental protections.