We can send a man to the moon, but we can't figure out what to do with our wastewater on god's green earth.
Sean Hensley, a biologist who lives by the Colorado River in Bastrop, spoke at last night's botched TCEQ meeting -- many people couldn't get in due to a lack of seating. Hensley made a simple challenge to Elon Musk's representative concerning the permit demand by a Musk-related company (Gapped Bass LLC) to discharge 142,500 gallons of wastewater per day into the Colorado River. It boiled down to this simple argument:
if the wastewater is clean enough to be released into the Colorado River, why not reuse it?'
Last night another speaker claiming to be one of Elon's business associates expressed his unequivocal support for the Gapped Bass Permit, and called Elon "the world's greatest environmentalist?"
We say not so fast and not just yet! Though he could be.
Innovators of the World Unite: Message to Elon!
Dream with us at LIV for a second. The man many think of as one of the world's greatest innovators could turn his attention to solving the world's greatest problem short of perpetual war. That's having clean drinking water for the planet and handling wastewater. That is the world-class environmentalist for whom we pray.
Furthermore, might we take up Environmental Stewardship's Steve Box suggestion last night? Box asked Musk's representative put together a meeting of all the interested parties from local government, businesses, landowners, and non-profit water guardians to INNOVATE a SOLUTION.
Now, there's some real genius, ya think?!
Embarrassed for or Appalled by TCEQ
What does it say to you that TCEQ botched this meeting in the presence of national media (the Wall Street Journal was there), not two days before the TCEQ Sunset Review bill hits its first committee hearing?
To be clear, we don't blame TCEQ employees. We blame the Legislature and TCEQ commissioners for years of ignoring the threats to Texas water.
The Sunset Review bill on TCEQ (HB1505/SB1397) has a hearing in the House Environmental Regulation Committee tomorrow, Thursday, March 23 at 10:30 am. Hearing notice here.
LIV will submit our own comments. We hope you will too. You can send the Committee a message before the end of the hearing.
To help you think about this more deeply, go to LIV's 88th Legislative Session Page here for the details. New information will be added over the coming hours, so keep checking back or call us at 512.213.4511.
Bring in the Feds?
We suggest you read this press release detailing the serious problems posed to our drinking water by TCEQ, a state agency run amok. Release: “Take Corrective Action or Risk Losing Authority Over Clean Water and Clean Air Programs.”
The League of Independent Voters of Texas filed these formal comments on the Gapped Bass permit.
Must Read, Especially for Austinites:
The Wrong Side of Town, Paul Robbins, The Austin Bulldog.