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Author: Ken Kramer

Planning for Our State’s Water Future in the Midst of a Pandemic – You Have a Unique Opportunity for Your Voice to Be Heard!

By Ken Kramer, Water Resources Chair, Sierra Club - Lone Star Chapter Planning for the future is always a challenge – even more so in the midst of a pandemic. Texans currently are coping with the uncertainties of the Covid-19 crisis – financial hardships, continuing hospitalizations and deaths, the impacts of “reopening” the economy while the virus spreads – focused on the next several months, not looking 50 years ahead. However, the Covid-19 crisis may be a relatively short-term period in history, albeit one with profound impacts for years to come. On the other hand, Texas faces numerous ongoing and recurring challenges. For example, our state has had devastating droughts in the past and inevitably...

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Your guide to the 85th Texas Legislature’s water bills

Did you miss what happened with water conservation this legislative session? We’ve got you covered. In the recently concluded regular session marked by heated debates over bathroom rights and sanctuary cities, water was not a priority issue for the Texas Legislature. Still, numerous bills related to water management were introduced and considered. Among those were bills to advance water conservation. Although not all were able to make it through the legislative gauntlet, some did. The bills that passed are seen by conservation advocates as positive, if modest, steps forward. Key to the legislative guide. Water Conservation Advisory Council recommendations An important impetus to several of these bills was the December 2016 report to the...

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Motivated by Deadlines? Here’s One for You: Sept. 1

In today’s fast-paced society, it’s hard to keep up with all the important things we would like to do – like, for example, create a sustainable water future for Texas! Deadlines often help to spur us to take action. Well, here’s a deadline for you: September 1, 2014. Yes, that’s Labor Day 2014. But it’s also the deadline for public comments on the proposed rules to implement House Bill 4. HB 4 is the water funding legislation passed by the Texas Legislature in 2013. It took effect with voter passage of Prop 6 on last November’s state constitutional amendment ballot. By approving Prop 6 Texas voters authorized the creation of the State Water Implementation...

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