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No prayer necessary: Texas Legislature passes major water infrastructure and conservation bill

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


Texas is expected to change in several ways in the coming decades. A population boom is showing no signs of slowing as companies, manufacturers, and people move here. Our climate, already warm and dry, is expected to become warmer and drier. Both forces add up to increased demand on the state’s diminishing water supplies.

In a state whose Governor once prayed for rain, a miracle of climate adaptation legislation passed the House of Representatives recently – albeit without actually mentioning “climate change”. Nathanial Gronewold reports for EENews:

To a round of applause, 146 state legislators approved H.B. 4, which would finance a new fund to begin investing in new infrastructure and other projects by dipping into the state's so-called rainy day fund. The $2 billion that would be taken from the rainy day fund for the water plan is just a down payment toward TWDB's call for some $53 billion in spending over the next 40 years, $27 billion of which is expected to come directly from the state government.


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Does it get better? Yes! Allan Ritter, the Republican state representative who introduced the bill, even dropped the “s” word (via StateImpact Texas):

“As Mother Nature has reminded us in the last couple of years, we can’t change the weather,” Ritter said at the outset of the hearing, “but with sound science and far-sighted planning, we can conserve and develop supply to meet our future demands.”

Again, I think conservatism (small “c’), in the true sense of the word, is not at odds with environmentalism, with both valuing efficiency and stewardship of resources.

David Wogan is an engineer and policy researcher who writes about energy, technology, and policy.

David's academic and professional background includes a unique blend of technology and policy in the field of energy systems. Most recently, David worked at Austin Energy, a Texas municipal utility, implementing a Department of Energy stimulus grant related to energy efficiency. Previously, David was a member of the Energy & Climate Change team at the White House Council on Environmental Quality for the Obama Administration.

David holds two Master's degrees from The University of Texas at Austin in Mechanical Engineering and Public Affairs. While at UT, David was a researcher in the Webber Energy Group, where his research focused on advanced biofuel production to offset petroleum use in the transportation sector. David holds a Bachelor's of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin, where he researched nuclear non-proliferation measurement technology.

David is a 2013 Aspen Institute Journalism Scholar, joining a select group of journalists from Slate, ABC News, and The New York Times.

David lives in Austin, Texas. Follow along on Twitter or email him at david.wogan@me.com.

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