News Release | Environment Texas

Texas House passes major water legislation

AUSTIN – By a vote of 141 to 4, the Texas House today gave final approval to legislation which more than doubles the state’s investment in water conservation and creates a new water infrastructure fund to provide state financing to reservoir, pipeline and conservation projects. Once the Senate approves the conference report to HB 4, the bill will finally head to the Governor’s desk. The bill directs that 20 percent of the funding go towards water conservation measures and another 10 percent go towards rural projects, for which agricultural water conservation projects also qualify. The 2012 State Water Plan calls for just 11 percent of state funding to go towards conservation, but with the passage of HB 4, as much as 30 percent of the funding will now be directed to water-saving measures.  

News Release | Environment Texas

Progress made on water conservation, Budget funds local parks

AUSTIN – In a series of promising developments for the environment, important progress was made today in the Legislature for Texas parks and rivers. First, the House Appropriations committee approved a constitutional amendment to authorize $2 billion in spending in water infrastructure. If conservation targets in companion legislation HB4 are maintained, the combination of actions would result in a historic investment in water conservation. Second, the House approved a bill to prevent homeowners associations from blocking members from planting of drought-tolerant landscaping. Finally, the budget conference committee restored $15.5 million to the local parks grant program.

News Release | Environment Texas

Water Bill Includes Historic Increase in Funding for Conservation

Today the Texas House of Representatives adopted HB 4, which establishes a new water infrastructure fund to provide state assistance to water providers seeking to build new reservoirs, pipelines, and other supply projects. The bill sets aside 20% of funding for conservation and re-use projects. If companion bill HB 11, which transfers $2 billion from the rainy day fund to the new water fund, also passes, at least $400 million will go toward conservation and re-use.  The fund is expected to grow over time, so ultimately billions could go toward conservation in the coming decades

News Release | Environment Texas

Report: Conservation Could Save 500 Billion Gallons of Water per Year, Helping Rivers and Whooping Cranes

AUSTIN - Strategies to conserve water in agriculture, landscaping and energy production could save 500 billion gallons of water per year in 2020, according to a new Environment Texas Research and Policy Center report. The report comes a week after a federal judge ordered the state of Texas to keep more water in the Guadalupe River to support endangered whooping cranes and as the Legislature considers funding a fifty year water plan.

News Release | Environment Texas

Senate Passes Bill to Help Texans Conserve Water on their Lawns

AUSTIN - Today the Texas Senate passed SB 198 (Watson), to prevent homeowners associations from prohibiting use of native grasses, or xeriscapes, as landscaping.

News Release | Environment Texas

House Committee Passes Water Funding Bill

AUSTIN - This morning, the House Committee on Natural Resources voted 11-0 in favor of HB 4, a bill that sets up a revolving loan fund to support projects in the State Water Plan. If approved with companion HB 11, $2 billion would be taken from the “rainy day fund “to support new reservoirs, pipelines, desalination and conservation.

News Release | Environment Texas

Federal Judge Orders Texas to Keep Water in Rivers for Whooping Cranes

AUSTIN - On Mar. 10, a federal judge ruled that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) violated the Endangered Species Act by failing to guarantee sufficient flows of water in the Guadalupe and San Antonio river basins. The court ordered the TCEQ not to approve or grant new water permits affecting the Guadalupe or San Antonio Rivers, “until the state of Texas provides reasonable assurances to the court” that new permits would not result in harm to the whooping cranes

News Release | Environment Texas

Environmental Groups Criticize Water Board Priorities

AUSTIN – Environment Texas, the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance and Clean Water Action today criticized a list of projects prioritized by the state water board for largely ignoring water conservation as a key component of addressing Texas’ future water needs. The list, released today by the Associated Press, identifies $8.3 billion in priority water projects, with just $280.7 million-about 3.3%- going for water conservation.

News Release | Environment Texas

Response to Gov. Perry’s Call for Billions for Water

Statement by Environment Texas Director Luke Metzger: “Texas faces stark choices in how to meet its water needs. We can invest billions of dollars in new environmentally harmful reservoirs, pipelines and desalination plants. Or we can take the more sustainable path and ensure that the industries that consume the most water in Texas use it more efficiently.

News Release | Environment Texas

Chairman Ritter should set aside more for water conservation

AUSTIN – In response to Chairman Allan Ritter’s announcement to transfer $2 billion from the rainy day fund to support water projects in the State Water Plan, Environment Texas’ Luke Metzger issued the following statement:

“We’re calling on Chairman Ritter and other state leaders to set aside at least half of rainy day funds for water conservation, re-use, repairs of leaking pipes and protection of flows in our rivers and water quality. Damming rivers and draining aquifers is very harmful to the environment and we need to exhaust all conservation and efficiency before we spend money on those projects. We need to see a much bigger commitment to conservation and repairs before we can support this bill.”

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