Latest news with #TWDB
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Neptune Flood Research Group Releases Analysis Confronting the Growing Flood Risk in Texas
Largest private flood insurance provider highlights increasing flood risk as coverage declines ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., May 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Neptune Flood has released its latest research issue exploring the accelerating flood risk across Texas and the widespread underinsurance that threatens to magnify its impact. With more than 2.1 million properties projected to face flood exposure over the next 30 years, and over 200,000 expected to flood with near certainty, Texas is facing a critical insurance shortfall. Urgent action is needed to close this gap and strengthen the state's resilience. Key Findings in Texas According to the First Street Foundation, of the 2.1 million properties at risk, 1.15 million face at least a 1% annual chance of flooding. By 2050, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) expects mass migration, development trends, and climate intensification to add 2.6 million more people and 740,000 new buildings into high flood risk areas. FEMA maps identify only 860,000 total at-risk properties, highlighting the mapping inadequacy. Nearly 50% of all active National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policies in Texas are Pre-FIRM homes (older structures more vulnerable to loss). Since 2005, over 52% of NFIP claims in Texas have occurred outside FEMA-designated high-risk flood zones. The Cost of Inaction Texas ranks second nationally in NFIP claims, with over 150,000 claims and $11.6 billion paid over the past decade. Harris County accounts for nearly 50% of all NFIP payouts statewide, yet over 78% of homes remain uninsured. According to TWDB, the state has identified over $54.5 billion in needed flood risk reduction solutions, yet only $10.6 billion in available funding has been identified. Texas's Widening Coverage Gap Only 7% of residential properties statewide have flood insurance. In major inland metros like Dallas, Denton, and Bexar, coverage rates remain below 1% despite repeated flood events. Even in FEMA-designated high-risk zones, only 28% of residential buildings have flood insurance coverage. Since the launch of Risk Rating 2.0 (FEMA's new property-level pricing model) in 2021, average flood insurance premiums in Texas have risen 35%, while the number of buildings covered has dropped 30%. As rates transition to full-risk pricing over the coming decades, affordability concerns grow, with premiums consuming an average of 4-5% of household income in some counties. "Texas faces a clear and growing flood risk, yet millions of properties remain without adequate insurance coverage," said Matt Duffy, President of Neptune. "This report underscores the scale of the challenge and the need to improve both awareness and access to flood protection. As flood risk continues to rise due to climate change and development patterns, and with an active 2025 hurricane season on the horizon, addressing these gaps remains a critical priority for homeowners, insurers, and policymakers alike." Texas stands at a critical juncture. The convergence of outdated flood maps, rapid development, climate change, and declining insurance coverage has created a perfect storm of risk and vulnerability. Addressing this crisis will require a coordinated effort - leveraging better data, smarter policy, public-private collaboration, and expanded private flood insurance coverage. This report aims to inform that effort and provide a roadmap for strengthening resilience in the face of growing flood threats. Click here to view the complete analysis. About Neptune Flood Neptune Flood is the largest private flood insurance provider in the United States, revolutionizing the industry with AI-driven underwriting and machine learning technology. Neptune simplifies the flood insurance process, offering instant, affordable, and comprehensive coverage in minutes—without the delays and complexities of traditional insurance. Operating in 49 states and Washington, D.C., with Alaska launching soon, Neptune is committed to closing the flood insurance gap and making coverage accessible nationwide. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Neptune Flood
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Water supplies in Texas one step closer to extra boost
AUSTIN (KXAN) — One of Gov. Greg Abbott's priorities for the 89th Legislative Session is nearing reality: a major investment in water. On Monday, the Texas Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs met to vote on Senate Bill 7. The bill, if approved, will add $1 billion a year for 50 years to the Texas Water Fund. Following public comment, the committee voted to move the bill forward to the Senate floor, where it will then see a vote. The Texas Water Fund (TWF) is controlled by the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB). Established three years ago, the TWF can be used to support projects that either generate new water supply, like the construction of desalination plants, or repair busted infrastructure. The TWF was started with a billion dollar investment, but experts estimate that will not be enough to support the growing need for water in the state. Nonprofit organization Texas 2036 estimates that the state will need more than $150 billion over the next 50 years to support growing demand. Their report accounted for new industries, growing population, flood control strategies and replacing infrastructure. Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, chairs the Senate Committee on Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs and has led the charge on SB 7. The bill is one of two filed this session with a focus on growing the TWF. The other, House Bill 16 — written Rep. Cody Harris, R-Palestine — differs in a few ways. Funds from both bills would be controlled by the TWDB board. They would determine which projects receive funds. 'There isn't a silver bullet. We often say that silver buckshot. You know, it's like a number of things. And infrastructure is one of them. Conservation is one of them. And more innovative, supplies of water is also one of those,' said Dr. Robert Mace, executive director and professor of practice in the department of geography, of the Meadows Center at Texas State. Mace said one of the key parts of Perry's plan is a focus on desalination. These plants take sea water and convert it into drinkable water. 'The Gulf is what allows me to sleep at night thinking about the future of Texas. Because I do see a future where we have, we have desalinated sea water coming up to our urban centers,' Mace said. In Monday's committee meeting, Corpus Christi Mayor Paulette Guajardo backed the plan during the public comment period. 'We believe that regional water suppliers, like the city of Corpus Christi, are best positioned to develop new water supplies,' Guajardo said. The city recently received approval to build a desalination plant. At least four are planned for the area. Several people spoke out against desalination during the public comment period. Some focused on damage these plants can have to environments along the coast, while others had issue with the cost. Some speakers pushed back against the need to build new infrastructure that would be needed to carry the water from the coast to places like Lubbock. 'You know what's more expensive than desalinated sea water? No water,' Mace said. Mace is this month's featured lecture at the University of Texas' Hot Science Cool Talks lecture series. His session called 'The Future of Texas Water' is scheduled for March 28 at 7 p.m. at UT's Welch Hall. The event is free. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State lawmakers aim to fund water projects for years to come
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Gov. Greg Abbott called on state lawmakers to make a Texas-sized investment in water infrastructure and supply during his State of the State address, amid concerns the resource can't keep up with growth in the state. Lawmakers have already filed two bills, one in each chamber, that would amend the Texas Constitution to create a dedicated stream of revenue to the Texas Water Fund, which was created in 2023 after Texas voters approved a one-time $1 billion investment. But since the creation of the Texas Water Fund, the threat facing Texas is becoming clearer. Farmers in South Texas are only able to plant on 50% of their land as the U.S. and Mexican governments dispute over a water treaty, local officials warn of the potential of public health crises, water reservoirs are drying up, and West Texas residents face constant boil water notices and leaky pipes. Water experts say the investment in 2023 was a good start but it is barely enough. 'It was a good measure and a good appropriation but it's literally a drop in the bucket compared to the $154 billion that we need to invest long term,' Jeremy Mazur explained. He is the director of infrastructure and natural resources at Texas 2036, a nonpartisan public policy research organization. State Sen. Charles Perry, R–Lubbock, and State Rep. Cody Harris, R–Palestine, authored their respective bills in each chamber. Perry's bill has 25 other co-authors in the Senate, showing bipartisan support for the initiative. Both bills would dedicate a portion of sales tax revenue to the Texas Water Fund (TWF), similar to what the state does for the State Highway Fund. Harris' bill would allocate up to $2 billion each year to the TWF, while Perry's bill would allocate $1 billion each year with an emphasis on new water supply. The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) is responsible for doling out the funds from the TWF. The TWDB uses the money from the fund to award money through existing financial assistance programs. The TWDB has committed $48,459,153 of TWF money to water infrastructure improvement projects in rural areas. The agency also approved a one-year, $2 million contract with the Texas Water Foundation to develop a statewide water awareness campaign, according to a spokesperson with the agency. Texas voters would have to approve the dedicated funding for the TWF if the constitutional amendments pass. Mazur said Texans already show support for water legislation, adding, 'If we want to see this thing called the Texas economic miracle continue for generations to come, we need three things in place — dependable electric grid, reliable workforce, and dependable water infrastructure.' Traditionally, Texas' water sources have been rivers, lakes, wells, and aquifers, but the state must now search for new supplies. Dr. Robert Mace, the executive director of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University, said the near future of water in Texas will be about reuse and water conservation. 'Squeezing every drop out of our drops of water,' Mace explained. A growing trend communities around the state are exploring is direct potable reuse, where you treat wastewater and then bring it back into the drinking water supply. 'In many ways your wastewater treatment plant is like a local source of water,' Mace said. El Paso Water recently began construction on its Pure Water Center, a facility that will use direct potable reuse to provide 10 million gallons of drinking water per day for its customers on the western tip of the state. 'El Paso Water now is going to be the beacon for a lot of communities to show that it is possible to close their recycling loop,' Gilbert Trejo, the vice president of operations and technical services for El Paso Water, said. 'To be able to have a drought-resistant, sustainable water supply.' The utility has been leading the way on finding new supplies of water, including housing the world's largest inland desalination plant. The Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant produces 27.5 million gallons of water per day and the utility is working to expand that capacity to 33.5 MGD. A spokesperson for El Paso Water said the desalination plant produces 10% of the yearly water supply for El Paso. Mace says the future of Texas' water supply could come from the Gulf Coast, where seawater desalination plants could be developed. Currently, Texas does not have any seawater desalination plants, but Corpus Christi is in the process of creating the first one in the state and plans to finish it by 2028. 'The fact that we have the Gulf right there is comforting,' Mace said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tense moment in Texas House committee over DEI policies leaves agency head in tears
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — A usually mundane House Appropriations Committee hearing became tense as a Republican lawmaker probed members of the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), including two Black officials, about their hiring practices and accusing them of discrimination. L'Oreal Stepney, the chair of the TWDB, was there to present the agency's financial request for the upcoming biennium but was ultimately left in tears during her testimony over an exchange about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies. State Rep. Brian Harrison, R – Midlothian, questioned a sentence in the agency's most recent strategic plan that reads, 'As society becomes more diverse the TWDB workforce must mirror this diversity.' Stepney and Edna Jackson, the deputy executive administrator for the TWDB, were both there to answer questions from Harrison. 'So why do you have this on your strategic plan and have you in fact been engaged in race-based employment decisions to mirror society in general,' Harrison questioned. Members of the agency denied any race-based employment practices. Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order on Jan. 31 this year directing state agencies to ban DEI policies. 'I would believe this is facially unconstitutional because we should not be discriminating on the basis of race for employment decisions,' Harrison said during the meeting. Rep. Nicole Collier, D – Fort Worth, criticized Harrison's line of questioning and said it was offensive to her and Black people. 'I'm tired of having to justify my blackness,' Collier said. 'If someone feels inferior to me because I am Black then that is a matter that has to do with them, not me.' 'So I want to thank you so much for doing your job based on your qualifications as a person. And I appreciate you and I see you. And I said that for not just myself, I said it for all Black women and all women because sometimes we all get, we all get the short end of the stick on that,' Collier said. Collier and her Democratic colleague Rep. Armando Walle, D – Houston, consoled Stepney before the 33-year government employee spoke about her career. 'I have protected the drinking water supply of 31 million Texans. I've sat across the table from IBWC and Mexico and made sure they delivered water to Texas,' Stepeny said. 'I went to bat for Texas and it has been my life's honor.' The exchange gained attention all around the Capitol including Texas' Big 3 — Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dustin Burrows. The governor took to X to say, 'Water is one of the most important issues that the State of Texas will address this session. There is no one better and no one I have more confidence in to lead and implement our water solutions than TWDB Chairwoman L'Oreal Stepney.' Burrows said, 'House Members are afforded great latitude to ask probing questions; however, I expect all public servants to be treated with utmost respect and decency in the Texas House.' Harrison stands by his questioning and said it was a 'fantastic and professional exchange,' and added he asked the same questions to other agencies before the Appropriations committee earlier in the week. He also said he did not call Stepney's qualifications into question. 'At no point in time did I ever think about or even discuss her qualifications. The only person who brought up her qualifications were two Democrats on the committee,' Harrison explained. The tense moment in the Capitol comes at a time when many officeholders are attacking DEI policies nationwide. Eric McDaniel, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin and the Co-Director of the Politics of Race Ethnicity Lab, said there has been increasing distrust in institutions and the belief that the government is failing because we have incompetent or corrupt bureaucrats. He argues there is a disconnect on what DEI is. He said DEI is usually tied to race, but it also relates to veteran status, age, disability and women who recently had children. 'DEI really is about trying to set up an environment in which people from all walks of life can come in and contribute to an organization. But also normalizing the fact that people can be different but still be skilled and take on leadership roles,' McDaniel explained. He relates attacks on DEI to a witch hunt. He said opponents of DEI see the policy as a zero-sum gain. 'That a success for one is a loss for another, but the data has shown that when you create a more equitable work place, that it actually benefits everyone,' McDaniel explained. McDaniel watched the exchange at the Appropriations committee and said Harrison came off as trying to publicly humiliate Stepney, even if that was not his intended purpose. He does caution continued attacks could have harmful impacts in the future. 'It will be a concern about when have you gone too far? When does this lead to a witch hunt where we are chasing out highly qualified people,' McDaniel questioned. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
L'Oreal Stepney: Gov. Abbott defends TWDB leader after accusations of DEI hiring practices
The Brief Texas Water Development Board Chair L'Oreal Stepney was brought to tears after accusations of race-based hiring practices Rep. Brian Harrison repeatedly questioned the board's hiring decisions, claiming there were race-based hiring policies AUSTIN, Texas - The leader of the state's water supply was in tears after accusations of race-based hiring practices. After the hearing at the Texas Capitol, Governor Abbott came to the defense of the Texas Water Development Board Chair, L'Oreal Stepney. The backstory The TWDB chair testified in front of a Texas House Appropriations subcommittee on Thursday. Representative Brian Harrison repeatedly questioned the board's hiring decisions, claiming there were race-based hiring policies. However, TWDB leadership said they are following Governor Abbott's executive orders. Stepney: "If there are things that aren't where they need to be in our policies and procedures, we need to take a look at them and we will." Harrison: "That I agree with, and I plain language read your document, and boy, I don't know any other way to read this. Race is being used in employment determinations." Harrison added: "So why do you have this in your strategic plan, and have you been in fact engaged in race-based employment determinations to mirror society in general?" The DEI questioning continued by Harrison, and it resulted in Stepney crying. Stepney: "But what have I done? I have protected the drinking water supply of 31 million Texans." Stepney added, "I don't mind tough questions. I never get this emotional. I can't even believe I'm saying all of this right now. And what have I done? What they're saying Rep. Harrison posted on X Thursday evening following the incident. Gov. Abbott and several other state leaders commented on what happened during the hearing. Abbott said in part, "There is no one better and no one I have more confidence in to lead and implement our water solutions than TWDB chairwoman L'Oreal Stepney." The Source Information from a Texas legislative hearing and statements from Gov. Abbott, House speaker Dustin Burrows, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick
