Work

Jim Marston is founding director of the Texas office of Environmental Defense Fund, located in Austin, where he has served since its beginning in 1988. He also leads the organization's national energy program, which spans EDF offices from New York to California.

Jim leads efforts on environmental policy in Texas, setting program and policy agenda on issues including air pollution, water quality, and energy. He 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.

Jim formerly served as state climate initiatives director, working on legislation and regulation to reduce the emission of global warming gases in more than a dozen states. He has worked closely with policymakers in California on passage of clean car standards and 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
• chairman of the Central Texas Clean Air Force

He serves on the boards of the:

• Texas Environmental Research Consortium
• Pecan Street Project, Inc.
• Energy Future Holdings 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