H.R. No. 1132
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Members of the Edwards Aquifer Recovery
Implementation Program successfully completed the development of
the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan, which was approved
by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in March 2013; and
WHEREAS, A unique groundwater resource, the Edwards Aquifer
is the primary source of drinking water for over two million people
and meets the agricultural, industrial, and recreational needs of
most of South Central Texas; two major tributaries of the Guadalupe
River, the San Marcos and Comal Rivers, originate in the aquifer as
the San Marcos and Comal Springs, which are home to eight species
listed as threatened or endangered under the federal Endangered
Species Act; and
WHEREAS, In 2007, the Texas Legislature directed the Edwards
Aquifer Authority and four state agencies to engage diverse
stakeholders in a consensus-based process to prepare a habitat
conservation plan for managing the Edwards Aquifer; the goal
established for the Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation
Program was to protect threatened and endangered species while
maintaining the aquifer as a viable resource to meet the needs of
the region; and
WHEREAS, The program sought the involvement of
representatives from a wide range of interests, including water
authorities, public utilities, municipal government, environmental
organizations, state agencies, industry, and agriculture; working
together, the stakeholders came to agreement on the key features of
the habitat conservation plan and submitted it to the Fish and
Wildlife Service for review; and
WHEREAS, Through their dedicated efforts, participants in
the Edwards Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program achieved
approval for the Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan, which
represents a successful resolution to decades of disagreement over
the management of the aquifer; the plan will shield the region from
further litigation under the Endangered Species Act, avert the
threat of federal intervention into the management of a state
resource, and provide unprecedented assurance to users that they
will be able to rely on Edwards Aquifer groundwater to meet their
diverse needs in the years to come; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby congratulate the participants in the Edwards
Aquifer Recovery Implementation Program on the approval of the
Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan by the United States Fish
and Wildlife Service and commend them for this historic
achievement; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the administration of the Habitat Conservation Plan as
an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.
Miller of Comal
______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 1132 was adopted by the House on April
10, 2013, by a non-record vote.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House