Search this site

This article was updated on September 19, 2024: Data centers have been proliferating in Texas to serve Bitcoin after China gave them the boot to protect their grid. Now we Texans are given the bum's rush for taxpayer funded loans for gas plants to serve data centers for Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI, like Bitcoin, is a massive energy hog . Ex: The tiny town of Oak Valley in Navarro County is the site of a 1GW Bitcoin operation . (One gigawatt serves  approximately 750,000 households.)   In Bastrop County alone, we already had a Bitcoin operation pop up and a data center is expected to apply  to the Bastrop County Commissioners Court for a Chapter 312 subsidy, a 10-year property tax abatement but we don't know when it will appear on their agenda. See this article here . Folks and animals in Hood County (city of Granbury) are suffering from debilitating noise near a Bitcoin facility powered by a huge gas plant next door. See the Granbury story here: " Texas leaders worry that Bitcoin mines threaten to crash the state power grid , "* Texas Tribune, July 2024. And, on September 16, the Texas Tribune released this article, " Texas lawmakers question agency's ability to oversee $5 billion energy loan program after initial glitch ." Come on, Texas! Is this the best the "energy capital of the world" can do?   Action Request   Call or visit with your state legislators and your county leaders . Tell them that Texans deserve cost-efficient solutions that do not put taxpayers on the hook for subsidizing Bitcoin and AI data centers. There are no-brainer solutions linger, despite multiple problems with the Texas grid since its near collapse in February 2021: connecting the Texas grid to neighboring states and robust energy conservation and fixing leaky pipes. ___________________________   This article  in Power Magazine is about the decision by the Texas Public Utility Commission (PUCT) to move 17 applicants forward to receive up to $5.3 billion in low-interest loans from the taxpayer-funded Texas Energy Fund (TEF) “In-ERCOT Generation Loan Program”. The loans are for “dispatchable” power projects that will beef up the Texas grid by 10GW.   “Dispatchable” means output from a power source that “can be controlled primarily by forces under human control.” In other words, no wind or solar need apply, coal is verboten these days, and nuclear isn’t ready, leaving natural gas as the fuel for all 17 plants. Apparently, this is the desired result for more reasons than one.   The state of Texas stands ready to subsidize a massive new generation of gas-powered power capacity to meet predicted future needs of the grid. What this encourages is a future population and industry increase that could come to depend on new, carbon-based power even more than now.   The increased dependence on natural gas would likely mean, if a new freeze came along like “Snowmageddon” in February 2021 (or extended heat waves) we could once again have a grid that comes within minutes of collapsing. Or, things could be worse, without a more reliable emergency supply, even at a much higher emergency price.   State-wide weather may have been the #1 problem for the grid in 2021. But close behind as #2 were the natural gas supply chain issues (declines in production due to freezing, plus dependence on weather-impaired gas power plants) that won’t go away by adding more gas plants.   Don’t let anyone tell you that allowing the Texas grid to be integrated with other states would have sacrificed our autonomy :   “According to  an analysis by the American Council on Renewable Energy ,  each additional gigawatt of transmission capacity connecting the Texas power grid with neighboring states could have saved nearly $1 billion and prevented blackouts in around 200,000 Texas homes during Winter Storm Uri last year.” Texas Tribune, Feb. 2022   The TEF funding decisions also fail to consider the natural gas supply that would be required --- and at what price to   ratepayers ? --- to match the new publicly-funded generating capacity. To boot, AI and data centers needed to house them may, and likely will be the primary beneficiary of an increased supply, rather than ordinary Texans.   Doesn’t the overwhelmingly voter - approved constitutional amendment that authorized a $10B TEF now look more like an ill-considered taxpayer subsidy to meet Texas’ growth appetite than protection for its citizens?     We turn to Goehring & Rozencwajg, Natural Resource Investors ( G&R), investment analysts for a smart perspective on energy resources like natural gas as investments . Here are a few snips from this article  which ultimately touts natural gas investment to be “the most asymmetric investment we can recall” :   "As a result, we believe the widespread proliferation of AI must be met with either coal, natural gas, or nuclear-based power. It is unlikely that new coal-fired power will be sanctioned in the US and the lead time on new nuclear power plants is too long to meet demand over the next several years. Therefore, natural gas should be the primary beneficiary of the AI rollout through the decade’s end... Although we have been very early, we believe North American natural gas, with less liquefaction and transportation, will converge with the global price, currently $10 per mcf. Investors are extremely bearish after two back-to-back mild winters but are neglecting the bullish shifts in both supply and demand currently underway.   This is the most asymmetric investment we can recall. ” [Emphasis added.] Simply stated, an “asymmetric investment” is one that is low risk, high reward.   The article illustrates why natural gas prices are expected to rise . As supplies peak, global prices move higher. Good news for investors, perhaps bad news for ratepayers in a very uncertain market. This market includes the possibility of a real game-changer – small nukes – which LIV will be covering soon.   From G&R’s investor point of view, the gas demand will come from AI and data centers, which are known to be electrical power hogs. But some experts have pointed out the assumption that AI will drive the future U.S. economy is anything but certain.   As LIV readers know, we have been engaged in the ongoing water wars that threaten our water availability and water quality. Is Texas now risking stranded energy assets – assets that lose value or become liabilities before the end of their useful lives, but still have to be paid for with ratepayer wallets -- to our list of big Texas problems?   In Conclusion: Put the Texas Energy Fund Dog in the Doghouse   G&R claims there are only three plausible options, coal, gas and nuclear , but within this decade of exploding demand, the choice is only cleaner gas or dirtier coal.   Maybe so. But giving big energy-user a NOT-fat free lunch without addressing the safety risk of another massive disruption of the Texas grid is just all kind of wrong.   We urge a go-slow -- sincerely conservative -- approach. Make the connection of our grid to neighboring states, already. Combine this with funding the “low hanging fruit” of energy conservation touted by environmental advocates who have been hoping for the Legislature’s full attention for a very long time. See some of the Sierra Club’s helpful suggestions here . *Note: Here is " Marathon's Commitment to Granbury ," initiated in March 2024, is underway to mitigate problems and they have more to do. __________________ Additional articles: " Google to Invest $1 Billion in Texas Data, Cloud Center Infrastructure ," The Texan, August 16, 2024 " Why Texas Republicans are souring on crypto: Playing the state’s energy market has become more profitable than mining bitcoin ," The Economist, Aug. 27, 2024. Why Water Cooling In Data Centers Is Not Always Sustainable : - https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/cooling/why-water-cooling-in-data-centers-is-not-always-sustainable What Data Center Sustainability Trends Will Shape the Industry in 2024? https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/sustainability/what-data-center-sustainability-trends-will-shape-the-industry-in-2024- Texas lawmakers question agency's ability to oversee $5 billion energy loan program after initial glitch: https://www.texastribune.org/2024/09/16/texas-energy-fund-puc-finalist-rejected-power-grid/

September 13, 2024 : It's Friday the 13th for the Bastrop City Council Members led by John Kirkland who gathered 850 of the 1600 signatures submitted to recall Bastrop Mayor Lyle Nelson . The recall was based on the lie that the Mayor was under investigation for his supposed involvment in "misuse of public funds with his girlfriend." Susan Smith , the former CEO of Visit Bastrop, a nonprofit organization that receives city of Bastrop HOT (hotel taxes) funds was NO BILLED by the Bastrop District Attorney's office on September 10. In a letter from the District Attorney's Office to Bill Aleshire , Lyle Nelson's attorney, the DA indicates Nelson was not even the subject of an investigation. Kirkland's recallers and fellow Council Members Kevin Plunkett and Cynthia Meyer , repeatedly refused to wait for an investigation to conclude. This caused the expenditure of at least $137,080 in city tax dollars for audits, investigations and attorney fees. See the DA's letter here . Yesterday, September 12, Bill Aleshire sent a letter to Irma Parker , Interim City Secretary -- the entire text of which is below. The letter lays out what records have yet to be released by Parker. Parker was handpicked by her longtime friend, City Manager Sylvia Carrillo , to serve as Interim Secretary just as the recall petitions were filed last month. Parker has yet to issue a determination on the certification of the recall petition. Parker promised at the last City Council meeting on Tuesday, September 10, to issue her determination today, Friday, September 13th. The court of public opinion is now in session! Read Aleshire's letter below. Dear City of Bastrop Public Information Officer:                This is a public information request by Lyle Nelson, my client. On August 6, 2024 Mr. Nelson requested: “Please promptly supply a copy of any correspondence (electronic or paper) regarding the forensic audit of Visit Bastrop (dated December 8, 2023) by Haynie & Company in the possession of the Bastrop City Manager, Bastrop City Attorney, Bastrop City Council Member or other Bastrop staff or agent to or from any Visit Bastrop Board Member, staff, or attorney since December 8, 2023.”                  Mr. Nelson hereby renews that public information and, without limiting that request, also requests that the City provide what it labeled “Exhibit D” and “Exhibit E” attached to the City’s request for ruling to the Texas Attorney General, dated August 27, 2024 (OAG Tracking ID: OR24033856;  Texas.gov  Request ID: 66238632). Mayor Nelson hereby withdraws his public information request dated August 6, 2024 and suggests the City notify the Attorney General that there is no need for the AG to issue a ruling on that request.                  In the ORR request, the City said:  “ Exhibit D  contains internal records or notations of a law enforcement agency or prosecutor that are maintained for internal use in a matter relating to law enforcement or prosecution. The investigation pertaining to the request is still pending (see  Exhibit E ).” There has been a change of circumstances, as you can see from the attached correspondence I had with the Bastrop District Attorney’s office.  Former Visit Bastrop CEO Susan Smith was “no-billed” by the grand jury this week and the DA affirmed that no case was even brought against Lyle Nelson. The DA’s office specifically said they now have no basis on which the so-called “law enforcement exception”, TPIA Section 552.108, would apply to the requested information.                With this conclusion—that there never was any criminal conduct by Mayor Nelson or Susan Smith—the House of Cards built for the recall of Mayor Nelson will collapse. First, incomplete and misleading information in the 2023 Haynie Report (suggesting that embezzlement of funds had occurred) was a card on which the City Council-directed investigation by outside counsel, Sarah Glaser, was stacked. The specific contours of that investigation were defined by the Bastrop City Manager, as directed by the City Council, and consisted for 4 parts. The first three parts were about apparent financial irregularities in spending public funds by Visit Bastrop. Mayor Nelson fully cooperated and turned over all his records and answered all questions regarding the investigation into use of public funds, and the investigation report so noted. The Investigation issues and conclusions on those 3 points said: “ Assess any knowledge the Mayor held regarding misuse of public funds .” The report said, “The Mayor denied any knowledge of misuse of public funds, and my investigation to date uncovered no evidence otherwise.” Did the Mayor share confidential or legally privileged information with the CEO ? The report said: “There is no evidence to date that Mayor Nelson shared any other confidential or legally privileged information with Smith.” “Did the Mayor participate in discussions regarding Visit Bastrop where he had a non-disclosed conflict of interest?” The report said:  “Therefore, there is no discussion in which the Mayor participated in where he had Conflicting Interest, as that term is defined in the Code of Ethics.”                 But the 4th part of the Investigation asked: “ Has the Mayor been involved in a romantic relationship with the leader of Visit Bastrop, and did he attempt to lie or conceal this relationship from the public or City Council during the election or after being sworn in? ”   This was a highly improper inquiry by a governmental body to begin with. The City of Bastrop had no business spending public funds on such an investigation violating the privacy rights of Mayor Nelson and Ms. Smith. Mayor Nelson refused to waive his right of privacy by turning over his private texts. That totally justified refusal, was warped into the next floor in the House of Cards, an Ethics Complaint made by the City Council itself to the Ethics Commission the City Council appoints. The complaint alleged that Mayor Nelson was guilty of “interference” in the investigation of the use of funds by Visit Bastrop. Blacks Law Dictionary 971 (11th ed. 2019) defines “interference” as “The act or process of obstructing normal operations or intervening or meddling in the affairs of others.” No evidence ever existed that Mayor Nelson engaged in any such behavior about any  legitimate and legal  part of the Glaser Investigation. And tellingly, no one conducting the criminal investigation into the use of the Visit Bastrop funds ever needed or subpoenaed those private text messages in order to determine if public funds were embezzled or misused. But the next floor of the House of Cards consisted of a reprimand by the City Council-appointed Ethics Commission. Then the same Council Members leading the charge for the Glaser Investigation, then the Ethics Complaint, then added the last floor of the House of Cards by circulating a Recall Petition accusing Mayor Nelson of “interfering in an investigation into misuse of public funds by his girlfriend.”   It is time for transparency, particularly with the requested records and correspondence between the City Manager and Visit Bastrop, to show the House of Cards was built on false assumptions despite costing taxpayers over $137,080 for the audit, investigation, and attorney fees. Bill Aleshire AleshireLAW PC LIV Note: If you want to see Bastrop's Recaller's House of Cards collapse, get ready for the next innings because it's game on for open government. Comments welcome.

The two attorneys named Bill -- Bill Aleshire, Bill Bunch of Save Our Springs Alliance , along with Joe Riddell , former staff attorney at the Attorney General's Office -- are to be congratulated for hitting the right target. That is the hyper-hypocritical majority on the Austin City Council and Austin Mayor (again) Kirk Watson . Their Texas Open Meetings Act (TOMA) violation was so bold that Judge M aya Guerra Gamble ruled on Thursday to pull all 13 Austin City charter amendments off the November ballot, stating: " The Austin City Council violated the Texas Open Meetings Act when it placed 13 city charter amendments on the Nov. 5 general election ballot, District Judge Maya Guerra Gamble ruled on Thursday. " From the Austin American-Statesman 8/29/24 For details on Thursday's TOMA court ruling read the Austin Monitor article " Judge's Order Halts Nov. 5 Charter Election . " Please also note this is Bunch's second win on Austin City Council TOMA violations. The last one was in May . The court's ruling is a relief to us here at LIV. We had planned to oppose one of the Watson Council's amendments that could delay citizen petitions from a public vote for up to 4 years! Some history is in order. Watson has long made the Texans' right to petition one of his favorite targets. It started when he first ran for Mayor in 1997. Kirk Watson's political ally, then Austin Mayor Bruce Todd , sent an emissary over to the City Clerk's Office ordering the city clerk to decertify the petition filed by Austinites for a Little Less Corruption (ALLC). ALLC was a local citizen's petition for campaign finance reform. Aldridge ruled that 14,000 of the 28,000 signatures filed were "invalid," based on hyper-technical claims not allowed under Texas election law. ALLC had to sue the city of Austin to overturn Aldridge's decertification. Thanks to the stellar pro-bono attorneys Fred Lewis and Hugh Lowe (ACLU) and non-nonsense federal judge Sam Sparks , the court overturned Aldridges' decertification. Sparks, known for his Scotts-Irish temper, had just broken his leg. He ordered the city of Austin to place the measure on the ballot and to "get out of my courtroom." BUT Watson got what he needed to ensure his first electoral success.  The measure passed by a 72% margin in August. It was delayed past the May Mayoral election when Watson was in a heated three-way race that included the popular City Councilman Max Nofziger . Max was running on the ALLC banner. This was the start of Watson's history of targeting the right to petition in Texas that he carried to his Senate seat but we'll stop here. Open Government in Texas and Petition Rights Are Connected By the way, the well-versed-on-TOMA Mayor Watson is on the ballot again in November. The Austin Bulldog reports he is facing three other contenders . __________________- Fun Historical Notes : The ALLC case is referred to on the Secretary of State's website here . The Austin City Clerk's Office cleaned up its act, handling petitions with fairness and transparency. The name, Austinites for a Little Less Corruption, made it into the news clips on Jay Leno's show five years after the case was closed,

Bill Aleshire has been a very busy man! Friday's big win against the City of Austin's violation of the Texas Open Meeting Act in district court was the day after he filed another lawsuit. The suit is Aleshire's second challenge to Austin's taxpayer boondoggle rail project -- Project Connect. The second case is a unique class action suit. If it prevails we're talking about $400 per year in taxpayer savings to the average Austin household. Thanks to The Austin Bulldog for their always thorough and accurate coverage in " Lawsuit seeks to halt light-rail tax ." There is another big challenge for gas ratepayers by the dauntless consumer advocate, Paul Robbins. Robbins is featured in this Austin Monitor Article, " Texas Gas Service rate hearing at Council this Thursday ." We pulled these two quotes from the article: According to Robbins, if Texas Gas Service “gets its proposed rate increase, its residential rates per customer will have risen 105 percent in six years. Inflation between 2019 and 2024 was 23 percent.” Robbins noted. “TGS proposes a 31 percent increase in residential rates while proposing a 34 percent decrease for industrial customers and a 7 to 9 percent decrease for commercial customers,” A big thank you to Bill and Paul our (us ordinary folks') very own dauntless taxpayer advocates. We wish we could say with a straight face that the check is in the mail.

On Saturday, August 31, Opal Lee, best known as the " grandmother of Juneteenth ," honored Bastrop speaking at the Kerr Community Center. She was there to bid farewell to the amazing Harriet Tubman - The Journey to Freedom sculpture leaving for its next stop in Charleston, SC. Opal Lee is a 97-year-old activist powerhouse. She stood while speaking in the 100-degree heat to several standing ovations. Read her bio here on Wikipedia . She is also hilarious. We captured most of her talk in the 10-minute video posted at the top of this article. Following Ms. Lee's speech, she took pictures with much of the crowd, one by one. One 63-year-old construction worker, Jeff Harper, after shaking Lee's hand commented, "Did you feel the steel grip of her hand?!" Rev. Benie Jackson delivered a beautiful opening prayer. Elgin Mayor Theresa McShan gave a rousing welcome as did Bastrop Mayor Lyle Nelson . Dock Jackson emceed as Opal Lee honored Bastrop and the entire community. Pictured here with Opal Lee is Bastrop City Council Member, Cheryl Lee , one of all but one of the five Bastrop City Council members to attend along with the Mayor. Everyone knew this was Opal Lee and Harriet Tubman's historical show. The rest of us were there to soak it all in.

Update : On Wednesday, August 10, it became known that a supposedly corrected petition filing by recallers was made. That's all we know about it at this time. Stay tuned! Mayor Nelson recently held a community meeting with B ill Aleshire . It was an open meeting, of course. Four recallers even attended and whatever questions they asked -- other than the salacious ones about the Mayor's affair -- were answered. Enjoy and learn. The video is up on Lyle Nelson's home page: KeepMayorNelson.org "This was the best community meeting I'd been to in 40 years. Aleshire made plain how a small town can be disrupted by transparency transgressors* who get elected when there's little competition. Watch the audience, chock full of community leaders who erupt with passion for fairness and open government" said Linda Curtis , one of the founders of the League of Independent Voters of Texas. Last week, Bastrop City Manager, Sylvia Carrillo's handpicked interim city secretary, Irma Parker, submitted a written staff report for the meeting on August 13 that contained the following statement, but at the meeting Parker was verbally inconsistent, stating she didn't know whether to certify or de-certify the petition and wanted more time: "While the petition contains a sufficient number of valid signatures, it is insufficient because it does not include the required affidavits. An attestation of truth from a signer of each page of the petition is required for each page." At the August 27th City Council meeting, Irma Parker contended that the city charter's provision that gives the petitioners 10 days to correct the petition was invoked. But petitioners (Carrillo and Parker's bosses) knew they had a problem on August 13. If Parker's sleight-of-hand prevailed, she gave petitioners until September 3 (today) to correct their problem by getting 91 petition signers to now swear that the petition is "true." Aleshire lays out the problems they might face trying to alter a petition that was already filed. In 30 years of advocacy for the right to petition in Texas, Curtis has yet to see a petition filed by members of the body that was being petitioned -- the City Council. Aleshire laid out his evidence that the recallers caused the expenditure of $137,070 in taxpayer dollars in the small city of Bastrop. The word about this was getting around in the community, despite the failure of local media to cover it...yet . The irony of the Bastrop politician's recall was also laid out by Aleshire . If the petition was "cured" and certified by Parker, it must go to the City Council. Might there be a slight "conflict of interest" for petitioners sitting on the dais to accept their own petition? The greatest irony may turn out to be this one . Kirkland is up for reelection -- IF he chooses to run -- in May of 2025, the next possible date for a recall reelection. Lyle Nelson's term ends in May 2026. Oops! ___________________ Additional Notes: Local media, especially Community Impact News , continues to report significant errors that appear to support recaller's claims of "misuse of public funds" by Visit Bastrop. We highly recommend Council Member Cheryl Lee's report made at the August 27th Council meeting captured here on the Mayor's site: https://keepmayornelson.org/blog/ We previously reported that 96% percent of the 1600 signatures were collected by City Council Members, John Kirkland and Kevin Plunkett , and a few family members. City Council Member Cynthia Meyer  also pitched in a page of signatures. That's three voting members out of five members of the City Council. Be sure to visit BastropBOG.com  for how the Bastrop community can close the door on ongoing violations of the spirit and intent of the Texas Open Meetings Act.

We are sharing this blog post by Carol Spencer , a respected Republican in Bastrop County. We don't always agree on things, but LIV started appreciating Carol's efforts in the 2023 regular legislative session to move a bill ( HB 339 8 -- scroll down ) sponsored by Rep. Stan Gerdes . The bill would give counties more control over development. It went nowhere, but the call for more local control is mounting. The next session starts in January 2025. We highly recommend you check out Carol's very recent blog, " Power and Control ." about what is happening in Bastrop City government. Here 's an excerpt: "That voting majority is trying its hardest to keep that power, to be able to decide issues away from the public view, to run government in private. This is completely opposite of government 'of the people, for the people and by the people'." LIV's own Linda Curtis attended the most recent Bastrop City Council meeting with a pointed message to the three of five city council members who collected signatures to push a divisive recall election costing $137.070 taxpayer dollars on Bastrop Mayor Lyle Nelson . Linda confronted them with, "The right to petition in Texas was never meant for you -- politicians sitting at the dais. It was meant for citizens to get after you when you get out of control." As conflicts of interest abound in the Bastrop politician's recall sham, Mayor Lyle Nelson is holding his own information meeting on Tuesday, August 20, at 6:30 pm at the Hampton Inn. Lyle Nelson has asked that folks sign in to make sure seating is available at: https://KeepMayorNelson.org/events __________________ LIV is a big supporter of the rights of all Texans, regardless of party affiliation, to petition for a public vote on issues. Texan's rights to petition for a public vote on issues (including recalls) is limited. Those rights are only for municipal elections in home rule cities, cities with at least 5,000 population and a city charter. These rights were enshrined in the Texas Constitution in 1912 as part of the Texas Home Rule Amendment. See more at our website here on "I&R" and here -- LIV's homegrown petitions . Let's not to allow politicians to harm our petition rights by abusing them for their narrow political purposes.

The story of how the gold rush on development and water in Texas can also bring in bad political actors is laid out in this article about Bastrop's terribly mistaken recall attempt of Lyle Nelson , " Mob Rule or Citizen's Right to Petition . " ==> Heads up, folks, on ballot measures that could be on your November ballot. City Councils who try to mess with petition requirements get it wrong. That's because citizen's petitions are aimed at them. We will report soon after we see what's headed for the November ballot. Let us know what's happening in your town or city. Don't tread on us, city councils. Citizens of all persuasions like to exercise OUR rights to petition. ==> We had a wonderful time this year at the Southern Family Farms conference in San Marcos. We wish to thank Dana Michaud and Renee Rusch for helping at the LIV Booth. Save the date for our next online LIV Forum. It will focus on what we learned about a big and wonderful solution to our problems with managing water and land resources in Texas. It's known as Regenerative Agriculture. Sign up now to join at 8 pm on Monday, September 9 on Zoom here. Important Read! ==> We love this NY Times article , " She’s Fighting Big Oil in Texas. But Republicans Want to Make Her D.A ." with West Texas wildcat, Sarah Stogner . Sarah continues to fight to clean up the mess being made in the Permian Basin that endangers our truly most precious resources ---- groundwater and land. Sarah never minces words about her small "i" independence. ==> Do we really need to give tax abatements to corporations setting up shop in Texas? What if they use tremendous amounts of energy and water? Read this Austin Business Journal article about this data center's plans for Western Bastrop County. Are you following other such "deals" in your area? Contact us after you read this: Virginia-based global data center operator eyes construction of $1.4B campus in Bastrop County Congratulations to these independent candidates who were recently certified for a place on the November ballot! ==> Robert F. Kennedy, Jr . for President, Kodi Sawin , for Texas House District 19 (Incumbent, Ellen Troxclair), and Nathan Lewis , US Congress 19th District, Lubbock area. Are we missing any other independent candidates? Let us know, please. Calendar of Events Tuesday, August 13, starts at 6 pm , Bastrop City Council Meeting at Bastrop City Hall. See our post at the top of the page for details. Monday, August 19, 6:30 pm , meeting in Bastrop with Bastrop Mayor Lyle Nelson to answer all your questions about the attempt to recall him. Sign up here on Lyle's site . Monday, September 9, 8:00 pm online . Save this tentative date for a forum on what we learned about a Big Wonderful Solution to those engaged in protection of water and land resources, not to mention healthy food production: Regenerative Ag. Save a seat here . Send us events for our calendar, y'all. Love ya! LIV

Bastropians for Open Government (BOG) Don’t Bog Transparency Down! Please visit the BastropBOG.com website for lots more!   Mission Statement : BOG is a coalition of people in Bastrop -- city and county – who seek transparency and openness in local government and adherence to the Texas Open Meetings Act. Have you ever attended or watched a public meeting and had the feeling that everything has already been decided and the public comments are merely tolerated but make no impact? You may feel that way because it is happening in Bastrop right now.   Imagine 3 (out of 5) City Council Members meeting to discuss city business in private. Imagine the same three then meet, negotiate and strategize with the city manager, developer or anybody else, not in a public meeting but in private , away from the public. out of the public eye.     Does this seem right to you? Every person we’ve talked to says the same thing. Absolutely not!  More at BastropBOG.com .

Note! LIV has no plans to endorse in this election. BUT, we are encouraged by more people paying attention to national, state, and local politics. In this edition : => Is your city abusing the spirit and intent of the Texas Open Meetings Act? That's what's going on in the small city of Bastrop, Texas. Curtis is on the loose showing voters who may have been misled to sign the petition to recall Mayor Lyle Nelson, how to have their signatures removed BEFORE the petition is filed and what this has to do with open government.  Read , " Recalling the Recallers of Bastrop Mayor Lyle Nelson. " If you are having similar problems with open government in your community, read this and contact us. => The State of Texas is moving with lightning-bolt speed to pass copious amounts of gas by planning to build 125 gas power plants all over rural Texa s. For what purpose? To incentivize people moving to Texas as fast as possible, while bringing in massive energy users -- bitcoin and AI data centers! Beautiful, peaceful rural Blue (Lee County) is a community tired of having a target on its back. They are already fed up with massive water transfers for the "San Antone Hose," with more projects threatening their water supply and aquifers. Thanks to the Lexington Leader for this article, Blue residents speak out about power plant . If you live in a community expecting the same treatment, contact us. We do not have to lay back and enjoy the rape. => Andrew Yang's article today, Biden is Out, What's Next , is a worthwhile read if you honor the obvious -- the Election Swing by Indies. It focuses on what's going on in the Democratic Party related to their presidential nominating process. It is helpful to gain more understanding about how steps taken by the Democrats could have big implications for us independents, the voters most likely to determine who wins the Whitehouse.

Update! The minute this message went out, we heard that Trump's call for Secret Service protection for RFK, Jr. may have sealed the deal. Good deal for both candidates! We're relieved that former President Trump is OK. We mourn the loss of life -- Corey Comperatore -- while we pray for the injured. And, we are not OK with the pump-fisting for us to “fight, fight, fight.” Independent voters, including millions who may vote for either Trump or Biden, are sick and tired of the fighting. Now, before you Trump supporters get your you-know-whats in a wad, keep reading. President Biden ’s failure to employ sincere diplomacy in Ukraine and Israel is leading millions of independents to search for leadership to stop the U.S. from getting dragged into bloody, costly, unwinnable, and forever wars that pose increased instability throughout the globe. Our search includes a candidate who could keep us out of easily avoided partisan wars in our own country based on hyperbolic, false claims. A bold example was on July 4th, when the Biden-Harris campaign made this obvious false and over-the-top claim about the U.S. Supreme Court decision on immunity: “ Trump would now be immune for assassinating a political rival . ” Might the same then be true for Joe?! Then there is RFK, Jr. , the independent voters’ alternative presidential candidate. RFK turned his back on millions of us, especially younger generations, who want Israel in check, using diplomacy and the leverage the U.S. has by withholding weapons and funding from Israel. Instead, RFK has continually doubled down for Israel. Combined with a poorly organized campaign, RFK is bleeding support, having self-inflicted damage to his campaign. (See more in LIV's Linda Curtis article in Independent Political Report here .) We are making no predictions. And, we’re not telling you who you should vote for either, including whether you should vote for third-party candidates, Libertarian Chase Oliver, or Green Jill Stein. Message to all presidential candidates from LIV: We – the people, remember us? -- have real problems. Your job now is to ratchet back the rhetoric and false claims, and start working together to solve big problems like these: Millions of Houstonians, in the 4th largest city in the nation, sat without power due to Hurricane Berle. People died and it's only 3 years ago that 700+ died in the February "Snowmageddon" when the grid nearly collapsed. Currently, it's been 8 days for hundreds of thousands  still baking in the blistering summer heat in the "great" energy state of Texas. It is not hyperbole to say that our water future is facing depletion, pollution, and waste. ( See SAWDF report for facts, humility, and grace.) Join us in Caldwell (Burleson County) this coming Thursday for the Groundwater Summit to ask a bunch of questions. The Lt. Governor, Dan Patrick, and ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas, aka "the unreliability council") claim that “power demand could double in six years”, due to a “ significant rise in requests from large users such as data centers, hydrogen production facilities ,  and oil and gas companies that are electrifying their operations. ” ( Texas Tribune, June 20 and Forbes here .) Note: We are just learning what data centers mean for demands on our grid. AI is a voracious power consumer , not to mention bitcoin. “ Sometimes it seems like Lee County has a target on its back ,” wrote longtime environmental organizer and SAWDF Board Member, Travis Brown . Besides another mega-permit on their groundwater that's twice the size of Vista Ridge (San Antone Hose), Lee County is currently the target of one of the largest gas-powered plants in the nation. Read Brown’s articles in the Lexington Leader here and here and stay tuned for an in-depth report next week. We agree with all leaders – from all parties -- who call for dialing back the political rhetoric. But what is the chance this will either happen or make a difference without a demand from us -- regular citizens, especially independents who could decide this election -- setting the tone? It won't happen unless a lot more folks take a chance with LIV and the independent movement unites and grows. Fight? Forget about it and let's fix, fix, fix our problems. What You Can Do : Share any articles from this newsletter, including our Calendar of Events below. Take three minutes to do our LIV Forums Survey here . Become a member or donate to LIV today. Keep showing up, dear friends, and get involved with LIV. Additional News Items Please consider subscribing to the following news providers, including newspapers like the Lexington Leader, Giddings Times, the Longview News-Journal and many more rural local papers that still print! Glenn Greenwald 's System Update Covering the U.S. Supreme Court immunity ruling "meltdown " . Greenwald and the ACLU have fought to reduce immunity protections for the president for years. He's well-qualified, therefore, to bust the false claims running rampant about this recent ruling. Michael Tracey , one of our favorite independent writers, in, " Project 2025" is just "Project 1981 , " hits the nail about the hysteria surrounding the agenda dating back to the Reagan years. Former NE Texas State Representative David Simpson has another opinion article in the Longview News-Journal, filled with his usual wisdom and spiritual guidance, " When Things Are Upside Down ." Calendar of Events   • July 17, 6 pm , Lost Pines Groundwater Conservation District Meeting, Giddings, Agenda here .    • July 18, 9-4 pm  Groundwater Summit, hosted by Post Oak Savannah Groundwater Conservation District, Caldwell, TX. See article in this newsletter.   • Aug. 5-6 , Southern Family Farmer's (FARFA) Conference , San Marcos. LIV, as usual, will have an exhibit and urges your attendance!   • Aug. 8 , Save the evening for a Big Bastrop Pow Wow. More soon!

SAWDF (the nonprofit Simsboro Aquifer Water Defense Fund ) is not known to engage in hyperbole. So, their news is alarming. Read the full report posted below. Join us at important water events this week and contact local and state officials now -- instructions below. If you thought the Vista Ridge (San Antone Hose) water grab in Lee, Milam and Burleson counties was a bad idea, guess what? Another project twice the size of "The Hose" is now in play at a neighboring groundwater district, the Brazos Valley Groundwater Conservation District. The good news is Texas A&M (gig 'em Aggies!), the City of Bryan, the City of College Station, Brazos County, Twin Creek Water Supply Corporation, and two landowners are contesting this madness. It appears the Brazos Valley GCD is following the same recipe of rules concocted by the Post Oak Savannah GCD that brought us Vista Ridge. Therefore, Post Oak and Brazos Valley GCDs got some 'splainin' to do. We want to see you at Post Oak's annual, "Groundwater Summit" this coming Thursday, July 18, in the city of Caldwell. Show up and ask them everything you want to know. Here is the agenda . Please show up for the panel at 10:05. Sign in to get a free BBQ lunch here . Click Simsboro Aquifer Water Defense Fund news ! Get on the horn, people, and talk to your officials! Instructions below. Contact Governor Greg Abbott here , Lt. Governor Dan Patrick here , your State Representative and State Senator here , and your County Judge. Texas House Membership Directory here . Texas Senate Membership Directory here . We suggest your message is this multi-pronged question: “ I want to know what you are doing to protect our groundwater from over-permitting and over-pumping; what you are doing about massive water loss from leaky big-city pipes; and what you are doing to protect our water quality from lax pollution protections by the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality.” Tell us what kind of response you receive. Got questions? Call or text LIV at 512.213.4511 or email us at contact@livtx.org Please read other articles published with this one in LIV News on July 15.