Sometimes it’s easy to know who your best friends are. One of them stood up last night at a
specially called meeting of the Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District – Keith Hansberger. (Sorry for this lousy picture of a man we respect).
Keith, a retired airline pilot who has represented Lee County on the Lost Pines board since day one, voted no to the current plan for a negotiated settlement with End Op LP. This plan may or may not be acceptable to Lee and Bastrop county citizens — they haven’t been asked about it. Keith simply said it needs to go slow.
You can read this Statesman article, though we take no responsibility for its accuracy.
Bastrop and Lee County residents: We suggest that you show up at the next regualr Lost Pines GCD meeting on September 16 to ask some questions. We will be following up with more details, as we get them, so keep an eye out and pencil in this important — VERY! — meeting.
I attended the “Growth Summit” held in San Marcos a week ago. Keynote speakers were Austin Mayor Steve Adler and San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor. Both acknowledged that they have been meeting every 8 weeks to discuss how to connect Austin and San Antonio into “one continuous metropolitan region”. Adler was silent on Austin’s affordability crisis and its cause – the unbridled growth he boasted about. Taylor bragged about San Antonio’s water conservation while never mentioning its Vista Ridge massive water grab. Taylor never peeped a word about the 16-20% rate hikes San Antonio ratepayers can expect for Vista Ridge water that is clearlly intended for use to build out over its own Edwards Aquifer recharge zone, likely in the Hill Country.
Yes, this is madness.
Folks, the simple fact is that – unlike Mr. Hansberger – as ordinary citizens we don’t yet understand the value of water in Texas. Moreover, we don’t yet understand that the buck (or bucket) stops with us.
But many are getting a clue! Hundreds of people have begun carrying these petitions or sending folks to our website to sign it.
Keep kicking your heels up, Texas — and get to one of our upcoming events and bring a neighbor: College Station, Sept. 21, San Marcos, Sept. 22, Geronimo (Guadalupe County), Sept. 30, Bexar County, Oct. 3, or invite us to your city or town. We’ll also be at Liberty Fest this coming Saturday in Houston and the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance Annual Conference in Bryan the following Friday and Saturday. All the details are here in our Events section.
I personally have no plans to becoming a sheeple. I suspect neither do any of you.