Episode 25: Dr. Evgenia Spears

In Episode 25, we continue our updates with Dr. Evgenia Spears, by exploring the changes enacted by the 89th Texas Legislature. Dr. Spears will explain to us about the shift in oversight for produced water and desalination discharge. Evgenia Spears is the Water Program Coordinator at the Sierra Club's Lone Star Chapter, where she leads advocacy efforts to protect access to clean water resources in Texas. Through grassroots organizing, water education, and legislative advocacy at the Texas capitol, she works to ensure that communities across the state have a voice in shaping a sustainable water future. Having lived in rural Ukraine, suburban Russia, and now in the U.S., Evgenia brings a unique perspective on water management, viewing water not simply as a resource to manage but as a relationship to nurture. Guided by this philosophy, one of the new initiatives Evgenia is leading is the Sierras Club Water for People & the Environment Committee, created to educate Texans about water issues across the state and empower them to become stronger advocates in their communities. Through her leadership, this committee brings together Texans from diverse backgrounds and geographic regions, united by a shared commitment to protecting our water resources. Prior to joining Sierra Club, Evgenia spent several years at Texas A&M University in College Station where she earned a doctorate with a focus on natural resource management, taught undergraduate courses on natural resource policy, served as a watershed coordinator with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, and collaborated with Texas A&M and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to develop strategic natural resource planning documents for the state. Outside of her work, Evgenia enjoys being with her family, spending time in nature, and traveling. DIVE DEEPER! Desalination study done by the Texas GLO and TPWD. Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter Sierra Club's action alert and petition to TCEQ to strengthen the surface water quality standards in Texas.