TX-15 House Race Backgrounder

Michelle Vallejo Is A Climate Champion Who Will Protect Our Progress 

Small business owner and community advocate Michelle Vallejo will be a climate champion for Texans. Vallejo has called for “immediate climate action” and is committed to being a climate leader in Congress, ensuring South Texans’ present and future are protected. Vallejo knows that South Texas is ground-zero for the effects of climate change, and supports legislation that would address the increasing severity of natural disasters, record heat waves, deadly wildfires, and flooding. She also knows that South Texas is on the verge of the worst water crisis in its history and has committed to advocating for legislation that will protect the region’s future. On clean energy, Vallejo sees the development of wind and solar power as an opportunity to bring good-paying jobs to areas dominated by the fossil fuel industry. It’s clear that Vallejo is the advocate and leader South Texans need to represent them in Congress.

In stark contrast, Monica De La Cruz is running for reelection and has made fossil fuel dependence a centerpiece of her campaign. De La Cruz said she would reduce “burdensome environment projects imposed under the guise of climate change” and cosponsored a bill that nullified an executive order to advance environmental justice by addressing climate change. She has opposed legislation that provides funding to make South Texas’ communities more resilient to natural disasters and extreme weather events, as well as provided $1.3 billion for water infrastructure projects across the state to protect public health and preserve water resources. She also takes every opportunity to oppose the transition to clean energy – at the height of Texas’ worst storm in recent history, De La Cruz posted memes falsely blaming renewable energy and parroted fossil fuel talking points. It should come as no surprise that she also cosponsored legislation that would benefit polluters. Big Oil has financed her campaigns, giving nearly $300,000 over her career – the 6th most of any industry. De La Cruz’s record in Congress shows that she would be a detriment to South Texas’ health and future. 

De La Cruz is completely out of touch with Texans. 64% of Texans support expanding solar generation, but De La Cruz opposes the clean energy plan and has criticized a transition to solar energy. In Texas, the impacts of climate change will likely cause more severe storms, the expansion of the desert, and summers that will become increasingly hot and dry. 

The state’s agriculture, its economy, and people’s health will all be hurt: 

• In the past decade, Texas has experienced 106 billion-dollar climate-related disasters that caused $512.2 billion in damages and killed 1,514 people. 
• Texas is the 14th-fastest warming state in the nation. 
• Increasing temperatures in Texas have led to hundreds of heat-related illnesses and deaths each year. With 202 heat-related deaths, Brooks County, which is located in Texas’ 15th Congressional District, ranked second in the state for most heat-related deaths from 1999 to 2022.
• Due to the increasing rate of climate change, devastating floods will impact thousands of South Texans. 70.3% of all properties in Brooks County, located in Texas’ 15th Congressional District, are at risk of flooding over the next 30 years. 
• Texas has some of the worst air quality in the nation. According to the American Lung Association’s 2024 State of the Air report, Hidalgo County – which is partly located in Texas’ 15th Congressional District – received F grades for 24-hour particle pollution and annual particle pollution.

Advancing Climate Action

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While Vallejo has called for “immediate climate action” and committed to being a climate leader in Congress, De La Cruz said she would reduce “burdensome environment projects imposed under the guise of climate change” and cosponsored a bill that nullified an executive order to advance environmental justice by addressing climate change, preventing pollution, and more. 

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• Vallejo has called for “immediate climate action” and committed to being a climate leader in Congress. 
• De La Cruz said she would reduce “burdensome environment projects imposed under the guise of climate change.” 
• In 2023, De La Cruz cosponsored a bill that nullified an executive order to advance environmental justice by addressing climate change, preventing pollution, and more. 

Expanding The Clean Energy Economy

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The clean energy plan has already spurred $17.02 billion in investment and helped create 24,122 new clean energy jobs in the Lone Star State. While Vallejo supports the development of wind and solar energy and believes we must invest in renewables to lower costs and create thousands of good-paying jobs, De La Cruz posted memes falsely blaming renewable energy at the height of Texas’ worst storm in recent history, criticized a transition to solar and wind energy, and opposed the clean energy plan. 

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• Vallejo supports the development of wind and solar energy and believes we must invest in renewables to lower costs and create thousands of good-paying jobs. 
• At the height of Texas’ worst storm in recent history, which killed 246 and caused $195 billion in damages, De La Cruz posted memes falsely blaming renewable energy for the power grid failure. 
• De La Cruz simultaneously opposed solar and wind energy while bragging about Texas being a leader in wind energy. 
• De La Cruz falsely claimed Democrats’ transition to 100% renewable energy would eliminate thousands of oil field jobs in TX-15 alone. 
• Da La Cruz criticized the clean energy plan and said the Biden-Harris administration failed the American people.   

Droughts And Water

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While Vallejo knows that South Texas is on the verge of the worst water crisis in its history and has committed to advocating for legislation that will protect the region’s future, De La Cruz opposed legislation that has provided Texas with over $1.3 billion for water infrastructure projects across the state to protect public health and preserve water resources. 

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• Vallejo knows that South Texas is on the verge of the worst water crisis in its history and has committed to advocating for legislation that will protect the region’s future. 
• Vallejo believes it’s now more urgent than ever that we address South Texas’ regional water shortages. 
• De La Cruz opposed and regularly spread false claims about the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which has provided Texas with over $1.3 billion for water infrastructure projects across the state to protect public health and preserve water resources. 

Extreme Weather

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While Vallejo knows that climate change is increasing natural disasters and the severity of floods for South Texans, and supports legislation that would upgrade the region’s drainage and bridges to address the issue, De La Cruz opposes the same legislation and regularly spreads false claims about it. 

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• Vallejo knows that climate change is increasing natural disasters and the severity of floods for South Texans, and supports legislation that would upgrade the region’s drainage and bridges to address the issue. 
• Vallejo called for climate action to address extreme weather, record heat waves, and deadly wildfires in South Texas. 
• De La Cruz opposed and regularly spread false claims about the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provides funding to make Texas’ communities more resilient to natural disasters and ensure infrastructure is moved to locations not continuously impacted by extreme weather and natural disasters. 

Holding Big Oil Accountable

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While Vallejo believes clean energy could bring substantial job opportunities to areas dominated by the fossil fuel industry and supports a federal jobs guarantee to help build out a carbon-free energy sector, De La Cruz cosponsored legislation that would benefit polluters and parroted fossil fuel talking points during Texas’ worst storm in recent history. It should come as no surprise that Big Oil has strongly backed De La Cruz, giving nearly $300,000 over her career. 

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• Vallejo believes renewable energy could bring substantial job opportunities to areas dominated by the fossil fuel industry and supports a federal jobs guarantee to help build out a carbon-free energy sector.
• In 2023, De La Cruz cosponsored legislation that included numerous provisions designed solely to benefit polluters in the oil, gas, chemical, and mining sectors. 
• In 2023, De La Cruz cosponsored legislation prohibiting pollution disclosure requirements for recipients of federal contracts.  
• In 2023, De La Cruz cosponsored legislation that eliminates an Environmental Protection Agency program providing incentives for pollution reduction. 
• In 2024, De La Cruz cosponsored a resolution condemning the Biden-Harris administration for its ban on the issuance of LNG export permits.     
• On the first day of Texas’ 2021 winter storm, which killed 246 and caused $195 billion in damages, De La Cruz took to Twitter to parrot fossil fuel talking points. 
• De La Cruz criticized President Biden for canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline and “halt[ed] oil and gas leases on federal lands.” 
• De La Cruz claimed Democrats planned to destroy Texas’ economy by ending oil and gas and said “a vote for Monica is a vote to keep your oil field job.” 
• De La Cruz has taken nearly $300,000 from the oil and gas industry – the 6th most of any industry – and her top donor was Energy Transfer LP, an oil and gas pipeline company from Dallas.