Last month was Texas’ hottest June on record and its fourth-hottest month ever recorded. Texas A&M University said the accompanying drought is “sapping the record books dry” and “racking up dire statistics.”

Gov. Rick Perry said the initiative is “heavy-handed and misguided” and threatens Texas jobs. But a prominent Texas environmentalist said extra costs will be “insignificant” and will reduce the heavy health toll of coal power plants’ emissions.

Climate change. Air quality. Water supplies. There are plenty of contentious issues in the continuing fight over the future role that coal will play in supplying electricity to the state that already uses the most coal.

The lawmaker who led the failed drive to suspend California’s emission-lowering law heads Draft Rick Perry 2012. Meanwhile, GOP candidates already running are reversing earlier climate-action positions.