Work

Jim Marston is the founding director of the Texas office of Environmental Defense Fund, located in Austin, where he has served since its beginning in 1988.

Jim leads efforts on environmental policy in Texas, setting program and policy agenda on issues including air pollution, water quality, and energy. He recently led the successful fight to stop TXU from building a dozen coal plants in Texas and other states, and ultimately negotiated a first-of-its-kind deal with private equity buyers involving more than a dozen commitments on global warming.

As state climate initiatives director, Jim has worked in states from the West Coast to New England to Florida that are initiating legislation and regulation to reduce the emission of global warming gases. He has worked closely with policymakers in California on the passage of AB32, the first state legislation with a cap on statewide emissions of greenhouse gases.

Currently, Jim is:

• president of the Texas League of Conservation Voters,
• president of the board of directors of the Texas Observer, and
• chairman of the Central Texas Clean Air Force.

He serves on the boards of the:

• Texas Environmental Research Consortium and
• TXU Sustainable Energy Advisory Board.

Background

• Partner, Doggett, Jacks, Marston, & Perlmutter (1980-1988).
• Operations manager, Doggett for U.S. Senate (1984).
• Assistant attorney general, State of Texas, Environmental Protection Division (1978-1980).

He is former chair of the U.S. Good Neighbor Environmental Board, Presidential Advisory Committee, former president of Texas Citizens Action, and former vice-chairman of the Texas Ethics Commission. He has served on the boards of Texas Watch, Texas Rural Legal Aid, Green-e, and numerous other advisory boards for the State of Texas, the City of Austin, electric utilities, and a university.

Degrees

J.D., New York University, Root-Tilden Scholar.