Since my last column, our state has been ravaged by the devastating floods that occurred in Central Texas on July 4. Wherever I go and whoever I talk to, someone has either been directly impacted by the floods or knows someone who has. This tragedy is a sobering reminder that we are all Texans and when one of us suffers, we all suffer. My family and I hold the victims of this catastrophe and their bereaved loved ones in our thoughts and prayers, and I encourage all of us to continue to do so.
On Monday, July 21, my fellow Legislators and I will return to Austin for the beginning of the First Called Special Session of the 89th Legislature. I look forward to returning to the Capitol to undertake the important work to consider ways to improve our disaster response and recovery efforts and, importantly, provide relief to our struggling friends and neighbors.
With that, here’s an update from your State Capitol…
Capitol Update
This week, on June 15, the Texas House Natural Resources Committee, of which I am a member, met in Austin to investigate the egregious taking of groundwater in Anderson, Henderson, and Houston counties by Pine Bliss, LLC, and Redtown Ranch, LLC.
As a special note, I would like to thank each and every witness who traveled to Austin to testify about the effects of these proposed projects. The commitment of folks from across East Texas to come to their State Capitol and make their voice known was inspiring and helped raise awareness for this issue among members of the Legislature.
During the hearing, committee members heard from a wide array of folks directly involved in this project. State agencies, local elected officials, agricultural and forestry organizations, and passionate local citizens all testified that these projects, which aim to extract over 15 billion gallons of groundwater per year from our aquifers, are problematic and will have a severe impact on our region.
Additionally, the proprietor of Pine Bliss and Redtown Ranch testified before the committee. He made it clear to the committee, in no uncertain terms, that this project is intended to send East Texas’s water to other regions of our state.
Let me be clear, I am an ardent supporter of private property rights and will always stand for the rights of Texans to use the resources on their property in the way they deem fit. We are all fortunate to call East Texas home and should be able to take advantage of our bountiful resources.
But this project fails to protect the property rights of its neighbors and is a bridge too far. I am unequivocally opposed to this project and will do everything in my power to halt it. We must protect East Texas’s groundwater from exploitation, which will impact our residents, our communities, and our future.
The mobile office is on the road again in August, and our District Director looks forward to seeing you on the following dates, in the following locations: August 6 at the San Augustine County Courthouse from 9:30-11:30am; August 13 at the Polk County Commissioner’s Court Room in Livingston from 9:30-11:30am, or at the Tyler County Courthouse in Woodville from 1:30-3:30 pm; August 20 at the Houston County Courthouse Annex in Crockett from 9:30-11:30am, or at the Trinity County Courthouse in Groveton from 1:30-3:30pm.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office if we can help you in any way. My district office may be reached at (936) 634-2762 and my Capitol office may be reached at (512) 463-0508. Additionally, I welcome you to follow along on my Official Facebook Page, where I will post regular updates on what’s happening in your State Capitol and share information that could be useful to you and your family: https://www.facebook.com/RepTrentAshby/.
