Latest news with #AgricultureandRuralAffairs
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Sewage testing for birth control and abortion pills? Texas eyes a long game
If you can get past the obvious ick factor, a city's sewage contains an ocean of information. During the pandemic, for instance, Austin and other cities tracked COVID surges and new variants of the virus by routinely testing the wastewater — a sensible public health endeavor. But some of the same Texas lawmakers who seem awfully obsessed with who's in the bathroom stall next to you are pushing another kind of bathroom bill that's even creepier. Senate Bill 1976 would start testing wastewater in certain communities for traces of substances related to birth control pills and abortion pills. Because your most personal decisions are supposedly hurting the environment. Before you start drawing up plans for an outhouse, know that any test results wouldn't be traceable to any particular location, as the samples would come from wastewater plants receiving sewage from tens of thousands of homes. But this effort is nonetheless insidious and alarming, a first step in a long game to potentially restrict the Pill as a pollutant of the natural world, or provide the ammunition to sue the makers of abortion medication out of existence. And if this sounds like a far-fetched use of environmental law to further restrict personal reproductive healthcare decisions, recognize that the overturning of Roe v. Wade was never the finish line, and those who wish to take child-bearing decisions out of your hands will be unrelentingly resourceful in their use of tools. 'Environmental law has teeth. It already exists,' Kristi Hamrick, the vice president of Students for Life of America, said at the group's annual conference earlier this year, according to reporting by Politico. 'And, frankly, I'm for using the devil's own tools against them.' SB 1976 author Sen. Bryan Hughes' office did not respond to my questions about the bill, but Hughes put a decidedly green spin on the measure at an April 14 discussion at the Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs. The prevalence of hormones and other chemicals seeping into the environment, and eventually into drinking water supplies, 'is a growing concern around the country, and it's not a left or right issue,' Hughes told the committee. 'It's a health issue. It's a life issue, especially when we think about pregnant moms and vulnerable populations like that.' While the bill calls for testing a few substances in addition to those in birth control and abortion pills — including BPA appearing in plastics, the carcinogen benzophenone and a couple of chemicals used in fragrances — it's hard to buy Hughes as a champion of the environment. The Republican from Mineola was tied for the lowest score in the Senate in Environment Texas' 2023 scorecard, and his latest 4% rating from the Texas Sierra Club was so embarrassingly low that the organization simply noted: 'The score speaks for itself.' Hughes is well known, however, for authoring Texas' first successful abortion ban in half a century, the 2021 measure empowering private citizens to sue anyone they believed assisted in an abortion after about six weeks into the pregnancy. Recall that, too, was a novel strategy — one that seemed audacious and improbable right up until the courts allowed SB 8 to stand. For those who actually care about the science, the notion that birth control pills are contaminating the environment is hogwash. Yes, studies have found elevated levels of estrogen making their way into waterways, even affecting some fish populations. But researchers say the synthetic estrogen found in birth control accounts for less than 1% of the trace amounts of estrogen found in drinking water. Up to 90% of the estrogen is coming from agricultural operations — steroid implants that promote the growth of cattle and sheep, then appearing in the manure used to fertilize crops. Moreover, the feds already looked into this question back in 2015, testing for hormone levels in 12,000 water systems across the country, including 1,000 systems in Texas, Cari-Michel LaCaille, the director of the Office of Water for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, told the Senate water committee on April 14. 'They had less than 1% of those systems showing detects,' she said. In the meantime, if we're so concerned about the trace amounts of the abortion medication mifepristone that end up in the sewage, why aren't we testing for the contamination from scores of more widely used pharmaceutical products? Funny, I didn't see Propecia or Viagra on the testing list for SB 1976. Perhaps the saving grace for women will be Texas leaders' apathy toward the environment, especially when it comes time to pay for things. The original version of SB 1976, calling for a statewide sewage testing program estimated to cost nearly $24 million a year, was pared down to a committee substitute bill for testing 10 random sites as part of a pilot program. 'It's one of those tough things that you probably should know (about various contaminants in the water), but the more you know, the more you might decide we've got a real problem we can't fix,' state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, said as the committee hearing closed. The bill was left pending in committee. We can only hope this wasteful idea goes down the drain. Bridget Grumet is the Statesman's Editorial Page Editor. Her column contains her opinions. Share yours via email at bgrumet@ or via X or Bluesky at @bgrumet. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Sewage testing for birth control pills? Texas eyes long game | Grumet
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas lawmakers consider bat protection bill
The Brief Testimony was held on a bill that would provide new protections for bats in Texas Senate Bill 1285 would restrict how and when bats can be removed from buildings Operators of Austin Bat Refuge in east Austin also testified AUSTIN, Texas - Texas lawmakers heard testimony on a bill that would provide new protections for bats. Senate Bill 1285, filed by Austin Democrat Sarah Eckhardt, would restrict how and when bats can be removed from buildings. The backstory At the Austin Bat Refuge, more than 100 bats are being nursed back to health. Lee Mackenzie and Dianne Odegard operate the refuge in East Austin. The two are preparing for summer when bat activity picks up, especially for young pups. "We're making sure we have all the powders that we use to make the different formulas for the different species of bat babies. And we're hiring our summer interns to help us during the summer when we're raising all the bat pups to release," said Dianne Odegard. There are 47 bat species in the United States and 32 are located in Texas. Lee spoke about two bats that recently arrived at the refuge. One bat was found at UT and is not a local frequent flyer. "Classic Free Tail bats right here, this guy (the larger bat) is supposed to be in Big Bend right now. We have no idea how he got here. He was found in the Astronomy Building at UT and who knows he might have hitched his ride with the astronomers," said Lee Mackenzie. Dig deeper Earlier Monday, Dianne and Lee were before the State Senate Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs committee for a hearing. They were among a group testifying on legislation regarding bat remediation and explained why sealing up exterior holes should never be the first step in the removal process. "We've seen bats, both dead and alive, hanging half out of an exit encased in hardening, expanding foam, or dead and dying on glue traps," said Dianne Odegard. SB 1285 amends the state parks and wildlife code. It mandates non-lethal techniques, and the bill also prevents removals between May and August, when bat pups are still learning to fly. Under current law, it's a class c misdemeanor to hunt, purchase, or sell bats, and a special permit is needed to possess them. All that remains in place with Senator Eckhardt's Bat Bill. The committee also heard about an incident in Abilene at a mall. The controversial removal made headlines two years ago. "The property manager sealed a bat roost on the side of the mall. When their natural exit to the outside was blocked, these bats ended up flying through the mall directly in the path of the shopping public," said Amanda Lawler with Bat World Sanctuary. Most of those who testified voiced opposition to an exception in the bill. It allows animal control experts and health officials to deal with bats, anytime when found in occupied buildings. "They are the ones who do most of the exclusion or removal work around Austin and in occupied buildings, and we want to make sure that they do it, not during baby season, that they exclude bats rather than simply entombing them in a wall," said Mackenzie. What's next The bill was left pending in committee with an uncertain future, like the tiny creatures being cared for at the refuge in East Austin. What you can do Bat World Sanctuary has more information on the bill and is asking for help. For more information, click here. The Source Information from a Texas legislative committee hearing and interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's Rudy Koski
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill seeks to bolster firefighting efforts amid a worsening climate
AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Texas Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs heard testimony Monday on a bill that would bolster firefighting efforts and better prepare the state for future blazes. State Sen. Kevin Sparks, R-Midland, filed Senate Bill 34 to address issues discovered in an investigation conducted in the months following the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the most destructive fire in the state's history. In part, investigators found that rural volunteer fire departments were underfunded. 'Despite the heroic efforts of volunteer firefighters, response times were hindered by a lack of timely air support and poor communication between agencies' responders, largely due to incompatible equipment,' Sparks said. Sparks' bill increases the funding cap for the Texas Rural Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) Assistance Program. Run by the Texas A&M Forest Service, the program provides rural volunteer fire departments with funds to purchase firefighting vehicles, fire and rescue equipment, protective clothing, dry hydrants, computer systems and firefighter training. Sparks said the bill increases the funding cap for that program from $30 million to $40 million. 'This will ensure volunteer fire departments, which cover more than 85% of the state's land, receive the necessary resources to prepare for and respond to increasingly severe fire seasons,' Sparks said. The bill would also require more inspections of power lines, which ignited the Smokehouse Creek Fire. 'Wildfires started by power lines have been among the most destructive in the region between 2002 and 2024,' he said. Austin Firefighter Association President Bob Nicks said he is heartened by the prospect of more funds being pumped into rural volunteer fire departments. 'These folks are your real heroes in the state of Texas when it comes to firefighting,' said Nicks, who was a battalion chief for 37 years. 'Funding is a constant issue.' 'Their job is harder than ever with the advent of increased wildfires,' he continued. 'Any funds that go to volunteer departments in Texas will definitely provide them the support that will help them do their job better.' Nicks said, every year, conditions worsen, increasing the risk of larger and more intense fires. He said it has never been more important to have competent and committed firefighters. 'They need to be well-trained and have the right equipment,' he said. 'These community heroes really need the support, and I'm glad that legislators are looking after them.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
