Hon. Carlos Truan [deceased]

Region: Coastal Plain

Topics: Public Health, Legislation, Government


Mr. Truan represented Corpus Christi in the Texas House from 1968 through 1976 and subsequently in the State Senate through 2001.  He was a staunch proponent of open government, participating in both the Dirty Thirty ethics coalition of 1969 and the Killer Bees escape of 1980.  He was also a consistent environmental and public health advocate - helping enact laws to establish a birth defects registry, to authorize Texas Department of Health investigations of toxic exposures, to establish the Texas Coastal Management Program, to enact the Dune Protection Act, the Oil Spill Control Act, the Water Saving Plumbing Fixtures Act, lead abatement regulation, and a variety of other laws. As the Legislature became less sympathetic to environmental concerns in recent years, some of his most noted contributions were in stopping short-sighted legislation, such as bills that would have reduced landfill standards, abridged local control of habitat conservation plans, or harmed citizens' ability to participate in the state's regulatory process.

Interviewed

February 21, 2000
Corpus Christi, Texas
Reels 2072 and 2073