Latest news with #JointResolution66
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The Texas House wants voters to approve billions to save the state's water supply
LUBBOCK — The Texas House on Tuesday approved a key piece of legislation that brings Texas one step closer to investing $1 billion annually to address the state's water shortage. House Joint Resolution 7, led by state Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine, was overwhelmingly approved by the lower chamber, 138-6. Tuesday's vote sets the proposal on a path to voters. If the Senate also approves it, voters will be asked in November to approve the spending, which comes from the state's sales tax. The Senate has a similar proposal, asking voters for dedicated funding. However, it spells out how the money is to be used. Written by state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, Senate Joint Resolution 66 calls for 80% of the $1 billion to go toward projects that create new water supply, such as desalination or produced water treatment plants. The remaining 20% would be split among several programs that address other needs, including infrastructure upgrades for aging pipes, drinking water and wastewater treatment plants. Harris' House resolution does not specify how the billions should be spent. The Texas Water Development Board, the state agency that helps manage the state's water, would determine how the money is allocated. Harris told lawmakers the Legislature will work with the board on those decisions, but the board will decide. He also presented an amendment that protects existing groundwater supply, stating the new water supply fund could not be used for groundwater projects unless it's brackish groundwater. On the House floor Tuesday, Harris said the Legislature has the opportunity to address Texas' growing water needs by passing the resolution. 'This is an incredible opportunity for us to tackle this issue,' Harris said. [Texas is running out of water. Here's why and what state leaders plan to do about it.] Texas water supply faces several threats, including a growing population, climate change and leaking infrastructure. Texas does not have enough water to meet demand in the case of a historic drought, according to state data. The situation will become dire if the hundreds of projects detailed in the state water plan are not completed. Another piece of sweeping legislation, Senate Bill 7, is making its way through the legislative process. Also written by Perry, it covers a wide range of water needs and issues. The Senate unanimously approved it earlier this month. However, Harris made changes to the bill while it was in a House committee. The changes were celebrated by the state's water community. If the House approves the bill, the two chambers will have to reconcile the differences to pass the legislation forward. During a debate on the House Floor, state Rep. Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, objected to dedicated funding for water needs. Harrison argued the money should be going to property tax relief. Harris disagreed and argued that securing the state's water supply was an economic imperative. 'The Texas economy will come to a screeching halt,' Harris said, evoking the link between the state's water supply and economy that fuels the state's budget. Members of the state's water community celebrated the bill's passage. Jennifer Walker, director of the Texas Coast and Water program for the National Wildlife Federation, called it a historic win for Texas. 'Having sustained investments is going to be a huge help,' Walker said. 'This allows flexibility for the water board to utilize all the programs at their disposal to best meet the needs of Texas communities.' Perry Fowler, executive director of the Texas Water Infrastructure Network, said it was encouraging to see bipartisan support for the bill. 'We're optimistic that a reasonable and balanced funding approach will prevail,' Fowler said. 'One that empowers the Texas Water Development Board to support the full range of vital programs eligible.' According to Texas 2036, Texas needs to invest at least $154 billion over the next 50 years on water supply projects and infrastructure upgrades. While there are other state and federal programs to fund water needs, there is still a projected shortfall in funding of $112 billion. Water needs have become a focal point for Texas lawmakers in recent years. In 2023, the Texas Legislature allocated a one-time investment of $1 billion to create the Texas Water Fund, with approval from voters. Disclosure: Texas 2036 has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Tickets are on sale now for the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas' breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Get tickets before May 1 and save big! TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers push to spend billions of dollars for water projects and debate which ones to prioritize
Texas lawmakers agree that the answer to the state's looming water crisis is to invest billions of dollars into fixing the problem. What they don't agree on, at least for now, is exactly how to spend the money. State. Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, and state Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine, filed bills this month that take big swings at solving the ongoing water issues plaguing Texas. They include investing billions of dollars into repairing and upgrading aging infrastructure like water pipes as well as creating new water sources for the future. The discussion comes at an important time — a Texas Tribune analysis found the state could face a severe water shortage by 2030 if there was a recurring, statewide record-breaking drought and if state leaders and water entities failed to use strategies that secure water supplies. A pair of proposals — Senate Joint Resolution 66 and House Joint Resolution 7 — would allocate up to $1 billion a year to boost water projects. Their accompanying bills, House Bill 16 and Senate Bill 7, both would create new water committees to oversee the funding and promote investment into new water projects. Gov. Greg Abbott has declared water an emergency item for this legislative session, which means the bills could be on a fast track in the Legislature. Here's what you need to know as lawmakers begin to debate the two packages of bills. Both proposals would funnel up to $1 billion a year to the Texas Water Fund — a special account voters approved in 2023 to help pay for water projects. Perry's resolution calls for 80% of the money to fund projects to create new water supplies and 20% to repair aging infrastructure. Harris' resolution does not specify how the money would be split and would leave the structure how it is — letting the Texas Water Development Board decide how to prioritize projects. The debate around the bills centers on whether to prioritize projects for new water sources or repairing aging water pipes that leak massive amounts of water throughout the state. Water experts agree that projects to create new sources of water need to be funded. However, there is concern about neglecting repairs on water pipes around the state. A Texas 2036 report estimated that the state needs nearly $154 billion by 2050 for water infrastructure, including $59 billion for water supply projects, $74 billion for leaky pipes and infrastructure maintenance, and $21 billion to fix broken wastewater systems. Perry Fowler, executive director of the Texas Water Infrastructure Network, said the House and Senate will have to find a balance to move water legislation forward. 'I don't think anybody takes issue with the fact that we need to invest in new water supplies,' Fowler said. 'But there is a tremendous need to address aging infrastructure. We have a lot of immediate needs, like yesterday.' Texas is looking to desalination to remove salt from seawater or brackish groundwater to create more water for drinking, irrigation and industrial uses. Another strategy would be treating produced water, which is wastewater that comes out of the ground during oil and gas production. According to the Texas Public Policy Foundation, every barrel of oil produced also generates five barrels of wastewater. Perry lists both options as eligible for state money in Senate Bill 7. He also acknowledged that old pipes are leading massive amounts of water every year, calling that primarily a local issue. 'But I'm willing to leverage tax dollars, as we have in the past, and work on that at the same time,' Perry said. 'But supply has to be priority one.' Jennifer Walker, director for the Texas Coast and Water Program for National Wildlife Federation, said repairing old, leaking infrastructure should be considered a new water supply and urges lawmakers to be more liberal in that definition. 'Stopping that [water] loss and delivering more drops to customers, that is a new water supply for our communities,' she said. 'We're not delivering it to our customers otherwise, unless we address that.' A 2022 report by Texas Living Waters Project, a coalition of environmental groups, estimated that Texas water systems lose at least 572,000 acre-feet per year, or about 51 gallons of water per home or business connection every day — enough water to meet the total annual municipal needs of Austin, El Paso, Fort Worth, Laredo and Lubbock combined. Some of Texas' water infrastructure is nearly as old as the state itself — the oldest pipes date back to as early as the 1890s. In 2019, Little Bill's Plumbing in Pampa unearthed a wooden water pipe that experts believed could have been used before the city was incorporated. Tom Gooch, vice president and a water resource planner with Freese and Nichols, said much of Texas' water infrastructure is nearing the end of its useful life, but repairs remain largely a local responsibility — and funding is limited. "The tradition in Texas has been that this kind of maintenance and repair tends to be a local responsibility." Many pipes across the state are over 100 years old, and underground pipes can be damaged when the ground around them expands and contracts during droughts and wetter weather cycles. Corrosion and leaks are hard to detect, and with thousands of miles of underground pipes, repairs are expensive and time-consuming. Sources like the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas give local governments money to help, but there are more funding requests than the Water Development Board can fund. Most of the experts agree that both new water supply and fixing deteriorating infrastructure is important. However, some think it would be best to keep giving the water development board discretion over how state money is spent. Fowler, with the Texas Water Infrastructure Network, said he believes a lot of people supported the structure of the Texas Water Fund before because it was set up in a way to give flexibility to the board. 'If we're too prescriptive, then it could potentially impact our overall spending power and what we can actually do,' Fowler said. During a House committee meeting this week, Sarah Kirkle with the Texas Water Association testified in support of the House Joint Resolution. She said it would allow communities to meet new growth needs, upgrade existing facilities and fix broken lines. She was also in support of keeping the power to prioritize spending with the Water Development Board. Gooch said repairing and keeping old infrastructure running is essential. 'I don't know that you can rank it, you've got to do both,' Gooch said. 'You've got to keep your system functioning well, and you've got to go find additional water to put into the system, to appropriately use your resources to get both those things done.' Disclosure: Texas 2036, Texas Living Waters Project and Texas Public Policy Foundation have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. We can't wait to welcome you to the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas' breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Step inside the conversations shaping the future of education, the economy, health care, energy, technology, public safety, culture, the arts and so much more. Hear from our CEO, Sonal Shah, on TribFest 2025. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas lawmakers will debate saving the state's water supply after key legislation is introduced
Texas is one record-breaking drought away from a water crisis, and state leaders want to avoid such a catastrophe with a big investment. Debate on how much to finance and how to spend that money can begin in earnest at the Legislature after state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, introduced Senate Bill 7 Thursday. The legislation — which has been anticipated by Texas' water community all year — addresses a wide range of issues and includes the building of infrastructure that would transport water across the state. "Water scarcity is no longer a distant threat — it's here, and it's already disrupting the lives of Texans across the state," Perry said in a statement. 'The bottom line: We are out of time. Texas must act now to secure a reliable water supply for today and for future generations.' Perry's bill is part of a mix of legislation that would help the state fix aging pipes, expand water supplies, mitigate floods and bolster projects that focus on creating new water supply. Earlier this session, state Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine, introduced House Bill 16, another sweeping piece of legislation that covers similar topics. 'If we don't dig in and do the hard work of figuring out how to solve this problem for future generations of Texans, then we have done a huge disservice to the people who elected us,' Harris said earlier this month at an event focused on water at the Capitol. [Texas is running out of water. Here's why and what state leaders plan to do about it.] Both men have also filed proposals to funnel up to $1 billion a year to the Texas Water Fund, a special account created in 2023 to help pay for water projects. There is a strong likelihood voters will be asked to approve the spending. Earlier this year, Gov. Greg Abbott called for a 'Texas-sized' investment in water. Texans have proven they're willing to pay for water. Voters overwhelmingly approved spending $1 billion to improve water infrastructure in 2023. There are differences in what the two chambers want Texans to vote on later this year, however. First, Harris' proposal would last for up to 10 years, while Perry's seeks to go on for 16 years beginning in 2027. Funding for the amendment also varies. The Senate resolution would take money from state sales and insurance premium taxes, while the House resolution takes money from just sales tax. The primary dispute is over how that money would be spent: Perry's Senate Joint Resolution 66 calls for a large allocation to projects that create new water supply — such as desalination. Harris' bill — House Joint Resolution 7 — does not specify. Perry has spent months gathering support to direct the bulk of the funding to new water sources. House lawmakers, certain water experts and advocacy groups argue for a more balanced approach. 'It represents two different approaches, and they're going to have to work through the differences on them effectively,' said Perry Fowler, executive director of the Texas Water Infrastructure Network. 'Good policy is a result of compromise and negotiation and we are confident that everyone shares the same goal to secure our water future.' The two chambers will also have to adjudicate differences between Senate Bill 7 and House Bill 16, which have similar aims but many differences in details. For example, Senate Bill 7 would establish the Texas Water Fund Advisory Committee for oversight and the Office of Water Supply Conveyance Coordination to improve regional and statewide water infrastructure connectivity. Meanwhile, the House bill would create the Texas Water Fund Advisory Committee to oversee operations on each fund and report to the Texas Water Development Board. The legislation packages are meant to secure the state's water supply, which is under threat from the state's expansive growth, climate change and outdated infrastructure that loses billions of gallons of water each year. Texas is booming, with its population projected to swell 73% by 2070. About half of this growth will be concentrated in the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston metro areas. But while the so-called 'Texas Miracle' charges ahead, the state's water supply is falling behind. According to the state's 2022 water plan, water availability is expected to decline by 18%, with groundwater seeing the steepest drop. If water supply can't keep pace with demand, one estimate suggests the state's municipal supply could face a water catastrophe by 2030 if there's a record-breaking drought and certain changes aren't made now. A Texas 2036 report estimated that the state needs nearly $154 billion by 2050 for water infrastructure, including $59 billion for water supply projects, $74 billion for leaky pipes and infrastructure maintenance, and $21 billion to fix broken wastewater systems. Disclosure: Texas 2036 has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. We can't wait to welcome you to the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas' breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Step inside the conversations shaping the future of education, the economy, health care, energy, technology, public safety, culture, the arts and so much more. Hear from our CEO, Sonal Shah, on TribFest 2025. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
