Texas 2011 - 82nd Regular

Texas House Bill HCR61 Compare Versions

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Old	New	Differences
1	1	82R8273 BPG-D
2	2	By: Callegari, Creighton, Ritter, H.C.R. No. 61
3	3	Miller of Comal, King of Zavala, et al.
4	4
5	5
6	6	HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
7	7	WHEREAS, The State of Texas has an effective and
8	8	well-developed water planning process that relies on stakeholder
9	9	input and promotes local control, but the executive and legislative
10	10	branches of the federal government are embarking on a campaign to
11	11	shift water resources planning from the state and local levels to
12	12	the federal level; and
13	13	WHEREAS, Currently being considered by the federal
14	14	government are a sweeping array of legislation, executive orders,
15	15	and agency rules that, taken together, cover nearly all aspects of
16	16	water resources policy and law; these measures would erode state
17	17	and local primacy over water resources planning and management and
18	18	severely constrain the planning and implementation successes Texas
19	19	has already achieved; and
20	20	WHEREAS, More than half a century ago, following an
21	21	extraordinary drought, state legislators created the Texas Water
22	22	Development Board to ensure the continued availability of water
23	23	supplies; since then, state leaders have developed water planning
24	24	processes to identify and cultivate the resources required to meet
25	25	growing domestic, agricultural, and environmental needs; these
26	26	carefully crafted policies address the state's unique
27	27	environmental conditions while respecting private property rights,
28	28	and they are essential to keeping pace with the demands of a
29	29	population that is expected to double by the year 2060; and
30	30	WHEREAS, Increasing federal requirements and control over
31	31	water planning and development would greatly complicate and
32	32	unnecessarily extend the process of securing federal permits for
33	33	many water-related projects sought by local interests, rendering
34	34	some simply unviable; moreover, federal initiatives would be
35	35	unlikely to incorporate sufficient input from the local, regional,
36	36	and state stakeholders who are most impacted; regional and local
37	37	water entities are the most knowledgeable about the needs of their
38	38	communities and have a proven track record of expertly balancing
39	39	the many environmental, economic, and human factors that constitute
40	40	an effective planning discipline; and
41	41	WHEREAS, A federally centralized approach would not only
42	42	undermine the state's strong tradition of stewardship over its
43	43	waters, transferring responsibility to far-removed officials, but
44	44	would also infringe on the sovereignty of the State of Texas; the
45	45	future of the state's economy, public health, and treasured natural
46	46	resources is closely tied to its ability to manage and control its
47	47	water supplies; it is therefore imperative that final decisions
48	48	regarding the needs of local communities reside with the state,
49	49	regional, and local entities that are so uniquely qualified to make
50	50	them; now, therefore, be it
51	51	RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas
52	52	hereby express its opposition to federal interference in state
53	53	management of Texas' water resources; and, be it further
54	54	RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
55	55	copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
56	56	the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of
57	57	Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the
58	58	members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that
59	59	this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a
60	60	memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.