WEBVTT 1 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:08.400 Today's episode of the trib Cast is sponsored by the 2 00:00:08.400 --> 00:00:16.679 City of Corpus Christi, Texas Realtors and water Groves. Welcome 3 00:00:16.679 --> 00:00:19.719 to the trib Cast. I'm Eleanor Clibanoff, women's health reporter. 4 00:00:20.760 --> 00:00:22.800 I am not the women's health reporter at the Texas 5 00:00:22.839 --> 00:00:23.760 Tribune anymore. 6 00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:25.760 Wow, that is just like muscle memory. 7 00:00:26.280 --> 00:00:29.920 I'm Eleanor Klibanoff, as of today, the law and politics 8 00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:33.880 reporter at the Texas Tribune. Here with my as always 9 00:00:33.880 --> 00:00:36.719 with my co host, Matthew, editor in chief, still has 10 00:00:36.759 --> 00:00:38.479 the same job as he did yesterday. 11 00:00:39.159 --> 00:00:43.399 Yeah, but sometimes I've worked at the Tribune for ten years, 12 00:00:43.439 --> 00:00:46.840 but sometimes I still almost instinctively tell people that I'm 13 00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:48.560 a reporter from the Dallas Morning News. 14 00:00:48.640 --> 00:00:49.640 So I feel you. 15 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:54.159 That's a deep cut for you, Matthew. Where in the 16 00:00:54.159 --> 00:00:56.840 world are you, Eleanor. 17 00:00:57.320 --> 00:00:59.960 I'm someplace warm. I have a place where the beer 18 00:01:00.079 --> 00:01:04.200 flows like wine, where beautiful women instinctively flock like the 19 00:01:04.239 --> 00:01:07.519 salmon of Capistrano. I'm talking about a little place like 20 00:01:07.640 --> 00:01:08.359 called Aspen. 21 00:01:09.079 --> 00:01:09.799 Wow. 22 00:01:10.040 --> 00:01:13.280 That, by the way, just before I creep anyone out. 23 00:01:13.319 --> 00:01:16.280 As a quote from Dumb and Dummer, I hope folks 24 00:01:16.280 --> 00:01:16.879 picked up on that. 25 00:01:16.920 --> 00:01:18.799 And I'm not just talking. Yes, I'm an Aspen. 26 00:01:19.120 --> 00:01:22.959 I am at a convenient of the American Academy of 27 00:01:23.040 --> 00:01:27.359 Arts and Sciences. It is almost too beautiful to bear 28 00:01:27.920 --> 00:01:31.640 out here. I'm angry to be inside recording for these 29 00:01:31.680 --> 00:01:33.200 forty five minutes and not outside. 30 00:01:33.280 --> 00:01:38.920 But yeah, that's what's that. I said. At least you 31 00:01:38.920 --> 00:01:39.799 have all those plugs. 32 00:01:39.920 --> 00:01:42.640 Yeah, yeah, you had everything charging. It's a good chance 33 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:44.560 to get charged up before you go back out. 34 00:01:44.599 --> 00:01:47.840 And Carlos, I unplugged that before we started recording, and 35 00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:49.480 I appreciate you bringing it up. 36 00:01:50.680 --> 00:01:52.879 We invite you to watch this episode on YouTube and 37 00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:58.799 you know, see the Matthews plug setup. Well, that sounds great. 38 00:01:58.840 --> 00:02:01.319 I am glad you're an Aspen. I'm not jealous at all. Actually, 39 00:02:01.359 --> 00:02:03.560 as we've discussed, I weirdly am going to Aspen in 40 00:02:03.599 --> 00:02:06.120 a couple of weeks for a different conference. Apparently it's 41 00:02:06.159 --> 00:02:07.599 real conference season and Aspen. 42 00:02:08.240 --> 00:02:09.840 Yeah, I think so. I think so. 43 00:02:09.960 --> 00:02:12.439 I think you might be actually coming to the same 44 00:02:12.439 --> 00:02:15.360 place that I am right now. And I will tell 45 00:02:15.400 --> 00:02:16.479 you Eleanor it's pretty good. 46 00:02:17.159 --> 00:02:19.479 That's great. How are you with the altitude? 47 00:02:21.080 --> 00:02:26.599 I'm doing okay, okay, it's my flight in got canceled 48 00:02:26.800 --> 00:02:29.840 on Sunday night, so I had to spend a night 49 00:02:29.919 --> 00:02:36.000 in the crappy near the Denver Airport Hotel, which allowed 50 00:02:36.039 --> 00:02:39.879 me to adjust a little bit more, you know. 51 00:02:39.960 --> 00:02:41.520 Gradually to acclimatize. 52 00:02:41.919 --> 00:02:46.000 Yeah, when I'm going, I'm going directly from New Orleans, 53 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:48.560 which is like the lowest sea level to Aspen, which 54 00:02:48.599 --> 00:02:50.639 is like the highest, and so I think I might 55 00:02:51.599 --> 00:02:52.800 die anyway. 56 00:02:52.599 --> 00:02:53.360 Drink lots of water. 57 00:02:54.400 --> 00:02:56.240 Everyone has been telling me that, They're like, oh, you're 58 00:02:56.240 --> 00:02:59.000 from Texas, drink lots of water. Well, and then they're 59 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:02.039 also like, we we in Colorado hate Texans. 60 00:03:02.280 --> 00:03:07.560 So this is a perfect segue to talk about our 61 00:03:07.680 --> 00:03:10.680 subject of the week, which is, you know, we've jokingly 62 00:03:10.719 --> 00:03:12.960 been calling this episode infrastructure Week. 63 00:03:13.759 --> 00:03:17.879 You know, as most people listening, I presume no. Yesterday 64 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:21.080 was sineed. I the last day the legislative session, and 65 00:03:21.159 --> 00:03:23.080 a lot of times like the stuff that gets the 66 00:03:23.120 --> 00:03:27.400 biggest headlines or the you know, most the legislators certainly 67 00:03:27.439 --> 00:03:29.080 enjoy talking about a lot are sort. 68 00:03:28.919 --> 00:03:29.479 Of these. 69 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:35.360 Culture war issues or sort of more social socially conservative 70 00:03:35.400 --> 00:03:37.919 issues obviously gets a lot of airtime, but a lot 71 00:03:37.919 --> 00:03:41.439 of what Texans care about has to do with our infrastructure, 72 00:03:41.520 --> 00:03:44.879 Can we keep the lights on? Can we keep water flowing? 73 00:03:45.439 --> 00:03:48.639 And so we wanted to talk today about what our 74 00:03:48.800 --> 00:03:51.800 lawmakers did on those issues and what the future of 75 00:03:52.879 --> 00:03:56.000 life in Texas looks like to do that. We are 76 00:03:56.080 --> 00:04:00.520 joined by Alejandra Martinez, the Texas Tribunes Environmental Reporter, and 77 00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:04.360 Carlos Nogeros Ramos, the Texas Tribunes Permian Basin Reporter. 78 00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:05.560 Welcome to both of you. 79 00:04:06.840 --> 00:04:07.240 Thank you. 80 00:04:08.840 --> 00:04:10.680 Quite a geographic spread we have. 81 00:04:10.759 --> 00:04:14.960 We've got Austin, Fort Worth, Odessa, and Aspith. 82 00:04:15.960 --> 00:04:18.240 Yeah yeah, yeah, we are all over. 83 00:04:18.720 --> 00:04:22.240 Yeah yeah. Well let's start with water. 84 00:04:23.199 --> 00:04:27.079 Hugely important topic this session the Texas Tribune, you know, 85 00:04:27.199 --> 00:04:33.120 specifically Alejandra, Carlos, your teams, especially with Jamie Lozanocarver. Did 86 00:04:33.480 --> 00:04:37.399 I believe more almost two dozen stories on the water, 87 00:04:38.079 --> 00:04:41.399 the state of the state's water systems, a phenomenal project. 88 00:04:41.439 --> 00:04:44.360 If you guys haven't taken the chance to look at 89 00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:47.079 these stories, I mean really just so comprehensive and really 90 00:04:47.079 --> 00:04:50.959 really accessible. It was a huge topic of conversation this session. 91 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:54.439 So Ali, why don't you start by telling us why 92 00:04:55.360 --> 00:04:55.920 why water? 93 00:04:56.000 --> 00:04:57.279 And why now? Like why this? 94 00:04:57.639 --> 00:04:59.800 Why are we now talking about water. What's the state 95 00:04:59.839 --> 00:05:01.120 of the crisis. 96 00:05:01.759 --> 00:05:04.399 Yeah, yeah, well, I mean, not to be an alarmist, 97 00:05:04.480 --> 00:05:07.839 but I mean in the state, Texas is running out 98 00:05:07.839 --> 00:05:09.759 of water and pretty fast. 99 00:05:09.920 --> 00:05:10.879 There's a lot. 100 00:05:10.680 --> 00:05:14.480 Of things threatening our water supply. There are aging pipes 101 00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:18.480 that are leaking, and that's like old old infrastructure, sometimes 102 00:05:18.600 --> 00:05:21.399 hundreds of years old, still under the ground and piping 103 00:05:21.399 --> 00:05:25.000 our water that hasn't been repaired or upgraded. There are 104 00:05:25.439 --> 00:05:29.879 drought pressures that are only really worsening with climate change. 105 00:05:30.519 --> 00:05:34.800 And then we have the population growth these booming areas 106 00:05:34.839 --> 00:05:38.560 across the state. I think DFW is going to need 107 00:05:39.079 --> 00:05:43.680 more like about half as more as it requires now 108 00:05:43.720 --> 00:05:46.560 in a couple of years. And so there's all these 109 00:05:46.639 --> 00:05:52.040 things really squeezing our water resources. And you mentioned the 110 00:05:52.079 --> 00:05:57.720 series Running Out where we documented all these different aspects 111 00:05:57.720 --> 00:05:59.920 of what's happening with our water supply and the state 112 00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:03.680 part of that series, we used state data from the 113 00:06:03.680 --> 00:06:07.240 Texas Water Development Board to look at what is our 114 00:06:07.600 --> 00:06:11.879 long term water supply and how long is that gonna last. 115 00:06:12.399 --> 00:06:16.600 And one instament that showed that Texas towns and cities 116 00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:20.639 will and I'm saying will not could will face a 117 00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:24.959 water shortage by twenty thirty, you're talking about five years 118 00:06:25.160 --> 00:06:28.240 from now. This is if there's a historic drought like 119 00:06:28.319 --> 00:06:32.240 we saw in the nineteen fifties and if no water 120 00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:33.879 solutions are implemented. 121 00:06:34.519 --> 00:06:37.000 And so water was a. 122 00:06:37.000 --> 00:06:40.839 Pretty big deal, and our state leaders took note of that. 123 00:06:41.639 --> 00:06:45.079 You had Governor Greg Abbott that made water, who made 124 00:06:45.079 --> 00:06:48.399 water an emergency item and called really early in the 125 00:06:48.439 --> 00:06:53.720 session for a quote like Texas Wide investment to water. 126 00:06:54.439 --> 00:06:57.319 And so there were all these different things that people 127 00:06:57.399 --> 00:07:01.519 were paying attention to and that people had been noticing 128 00:07:01.720 --> 00:07:04.959 in these last couple of years, with like the intense 129 00:07:05.040 --> 00:07:08.839 droughts that we've been having across the state, the continuous 130 00:07:08.879 --> 00:07:13.399 boil water notices that happened because water pressures are down 131 00:07:14.160 --> 00:07:20.319 doue to old infrastructure, and so really they want really 132 00:07:20.439 --> 00:07:23.399 this session, they'd geared down and started figuring out. 133 00:07:23.279 --> 00:07:24.160 What can we do? 134 00:07:24.959 --> 00:07:28.519 And I guess they're so like, where did we end 135 00:07:28.600 --> 00:07:32.759 up with? Right, you mentioned Siany die was yesterday and 136 00:07:33.040 --> 00:07:36.519 after a lot of debate and discussion, which we should 137 00:07:36.519 --> 00:07:39.079 definitely get to later, all the water drama that was 138 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:43.319 happening at the Capitol, but the final deal that came 139 00:07:43.319 --> 00:07:48.720 out would allocate one billion dollars a year starting in 140 00:07:48.879 --> 00:07:53.279 twenty twenty seven until twenty forty seven to secure the 141 00:07:53.360 --> 00:07:58.199 state's water supply. That's twenty billion dollar dollars in total, 142 00:07:58.959 --> 00:08:02.639 and that money would be used for new water quote 143 00:08:02.680 --> 00:08:05.120 new water supply projects is what they call it, which 144 00:08:05.160 --> 00:08:10.240 is desalination, which is removing minerals and salt from brackish 145 00:08:10.600 --> 00:08:16.680 groundwater that's that really salty water. Or another solution is 146 00:08:16.759 --> 00:08:22.720 repairing old infrastructure conservation and flood mitigation projects. And so 147 00:08:23.000 --> 00:08:26.839 that one billion dollar will be a ballot amendment measure 148 00:08:27.079 --> 00:08:30.199 that voters will get to, you know, castor ballots and 149 00:08:30.279 --> 00:08:34.399 vote on this upcoming November. So that's one piece of 150 00:08:34.399 --> 00:08:36.720 the bucket. And then the second piece of the bucket 151 00:08:36.919 --> 00:08:43.320 is a one time investment of two point five billion 152 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:46.639 dollars into the water fund that came out of the 153 00:08:46.639 --> 00:08:51.200 current budget surplus. So you have billions of dollars that 154 00:08:51.240 --> 00:08:54.320 were secured this session for water. 155 00:08:55.759 --> 00:08:58.879 Is that enough? We know that it's not right. 156 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:03.519 There are a lot of of amazing thing tanks like 157 00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:06.320 Texas twenty thirty six and others that have made. 158 00:09:06.200 --> 00:09:08.000 Their estimates of how much is needed. 159 00:09:08.960 --> 00:09:13.639 Sometimes I think that estimate's like hundreds of billions of dollars. So, 160 00:09:14.279 --> 00:09:18.600 but it is one step forward, is what water experts 161 00:09:18.639 --> 00:09:20.279 and water lobbyists are saying. 162 00:09:21.399 --> 00:09:23.159 Oh, I want to drill a little bit deeper into 163 00:09:23.200 --> 00:09:25.799 that last point that you made. Right, So, the Texas 164 00:09:25.840 --> 00:09:29.840 twenty thirty six report you're talking about, I'm citing a 165 00:09:29.919 --> 00:09:32.360 story that you wrote here, was that the state needs 166 00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:35.519 one hundred and fifty four billion dollars by twenty fifty. 167 00:09:35.639 --> 00:09:37.080 Right, So when you. 168 00:09:37.080 --> 00:09:40.399 Hear twenty billion dollars plus another two point five you think, wow, 169 00:09:40.480 --> 00:09:42.759 twenty two point five billion dollars. That's a lot of money, 170 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:46.360 But that's a lot less than one hundred and fifty 171 00:09:47.080 --> 00:09:53.000 billion dollars by twenty fifty. I mean, what's the what's 172 00:09:53.120 --> 00:09:55.879 the mood among the people who have been calling for this, 173 00:09:56.159 --> 00:09:56.639 you know, in the. 174 00:09:56.639 --> 00:10:01.679 Lead up to this session? Is this is it? Yeah? 175 00:10:01.720 --> 00:10:04.159 This is great? We did what we need to do. 176 00:10:04.360 --> 00:10:06.039 Is it okay, this is a good start? 177 00:10:06.159 --> 00:10:06.600 Or is it? 178 00:10:07.240 --> 00:10:07.799 Oh god? 179 00:10:07.879 --> 00:10:09.799 You know this was the big moment when everyone was 180 00:10:09.919 --> 00:10:13.320 rallied around this and we didn't even you know, get 181 00:10:13.360 --> 00:10:15.879 to half of what some people said we needed up 182 00:10:15.960 --> 00:10:16.639 until this time. 183 00:10:17.200 --> 00:10:17.440 Yeah. 184 00:10:17.559 --> 00:10:21.879 Yeah, I think the mood is it's a great start. 185 00:10:22.120 --> 00:10:26.159 I mean a lot of these water experts and lobbyis 186 00:10:26.320 --> 00:10:29.200 are just, I think, in some ways happy that the 187 00:10:29.320 --> 00:10:33.799 issues like finally getting attention. You have a senator at 188 00:10:33.799 --> 00:10:38.159 the capital, Senator Charles Perry, who's been advocating for water money, 189 00:10:38.200 --> 00:10:42.159 like any funding for water for I think over a decade. 190 00:10:42.559 --> 00:10:46.399 And so there's been a few number of people who 191 00:10:46.440 --> 00:10:49.840 have been really pushing for this kind of water investment, 192 00:10:50.399 --> 00:10:54.639 but it wasn't until like this year that it seemed 193 00:10:54.639 --> 00:10:58.679 like more people got on board or understood what. 194 00:11:00.600 --> 00:11:01.279 Is happening. 195 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:05.559 I think a lot of recent events added to that. 196 00:11:06.360 --> 00:11:08.720 I mean, I know God Loos who's on this quote too, 197 00:11:08.799 --> 00:11:12.159 Like he wrote about I don't remember if it was 198 00:11:12.200 --> 00:11:15.559 Odessa or Milan, but cities in West Texas with continuous 199 00:11:15.559 --> 00:11:16.679 boiled water notices. 200 00:11:16.759 --> 00:11:16.960 Right. 201 00:11:17.000 --> 00:11:20.879 So there's like more and more communities facing those immediate 202 00:11:23.000 --> 00:11:27.000 problems or issues because of our water systems. 203 00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:31.399 Right. And so I will note that also last session. 204 00:11:32.840 --> 00:11:37.879 There was a dedication for water funding, nothing as big 205 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:42.000 as this session, but I think it's like what I'm 206 00:11:42.039 --> 00:11:45.759 hearing is like these baby steps are what's gonna build 207 00:11:46.159 --> 00:11:47.600 or get us somewhere bigger. 208 00:11:47.799 --> 00:11:50.360 Right. So, although we had one of the what. 209 00:11:50.320 --> 00:11:54.120 They're calling the biggest investments for water in Texas history. 210 00:11:56.639 --> 00:11:59.679 They're gonna come back next session and push for more. 211 00:12:00.039 --> 00:12:03.039 And I'm hearing Carlos, I want to ask, like, you're 212 00:12:03.080 --> 00:12:07.159 in the Permian Basin, like a region that you know, 213 00:12:07.240 --> 00:12:10.320 as I understand it is really hopefully going to benefit 214 00:12:10.360 --> 00:12:12.519 from some of this water money. I mean, what's the 215 00:12:12.559 --> 00:12:15.519 outlook there for water and what are you sort of 216 00:12:15.559 --> 00:12:19.120 hearing about, uh, you know, how this deal is being 217 00:12:19.159 --> 00:12:21.919 received in that area. 218 00:12:23.639 --> 00:12:26.759 I would agree with Alejandra's assessment that there is a 219 00:12:27.399 --> 00:12:33.600 lot of buzz and excitement. We will take anything we 220 00:12:33.639 --> 00:12:37.679 can get. You know, the water boil notices that I 221 00:12:37.720 --> 00:12:39.200 wrote about was because I lift them. 222 00:12:39.279 --> 00:12:40.440 You know, we were without. 223 00:12:40.159 --> 00:12:43.960 Water for almost a day, and before I had moved, 224 00:12:43.960 --> 00:12:46.159 I had moved to Odessa a year before the city 225 00:12:46.159 --> 00:12:49.679 had been without water for two days, and that was 226 00:12:49.720 --> 00:12:53.639 an infrastructure issue more than it was a money problem. 227 00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:57.679 And so, you know, like she said, we you know, 228 00:12:57.720 --> 00:13:01.600 if there's a solution, we we want because the ones 229 00:13:01.720 --> 00:13:05.559 we have now are limited. The Texas Water Development Board 230 00:13:05.879 --> 00:13:08.639 is limited in what the authority it has and the 231 00:13:08.759 --> 00:13:12.879 and the money it can distribute, and so yeah, it's 232 00:13:12.919 --> 00:13:15.480 you know, it's it's good news. I would also say 233 00:13:17.559 --> 00:13:21.600 I covered water from the oil and gas industry standpoint, 234 00:13:21.679 --> 00:13:27.200 and you know, among among uh these these folks, you know, 235 00:13:27.519 --> 00:13:29.799 there is a sense that you can't just throw money 236 00:13:29.960 --> 00:13:32.559 at a problem and expect it to kind of make 237 00:13:32.600 --> 00:13:35.519 it go away or disappear. And so there was a 238 00:13:35.559 --> 00:13:39.360 conversation here around what the oil and gas industry could 239 00:13:39.399 --> 00:13:45.440 contribute into the water dielemma, considering that it's an industry 240 00:13:45.480 --> 00:13:48.480 that requires so much water to operate and run. And 241 00:13:48.519 --> 00:13:51.720 as you know, we broke records last year for oil 242 00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:53.720 and gas production. This year we are set to do 243 00:13:53.799 --> 00:13:55.679 the same. I mean, we are drilling for so much 244 00:13:55.960 --> 00:13:58.840 oil and gas, which takes water and so but you know, 245 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:03.120 from under the earth also comes water. And you know, 246 00:14:03.159 --> 00:14:06.720 the question was can can we clean this water or 247 00:14:06.720 --> 00:14:10.440 can we treat it to a standard that is acceptable 248 00:14:10.639 --> 00:14:14.399 to the agency and safe for conception. But guess what, 249 00:14:14.480 --> 00:14:17.720 that's also going to require so much money because it 250 00:14:17.759 --> 00:14:21.159 takes infrastructure, it takes energy to clean it. And then 251 00:14:21.360 --> 00:14:22.960 you know, once you do, how do you get it 252 00:14:22.960 --> 00:14:25.039 to the places where it needs to go? You know, 253 00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:27.080 do we build pipelines and then do we have a 254 00:14:27.120 --> 00:14:30.039 workforce that's able to build that, and so it's a 255 00:14:30.279 --> 00:14:33.679 it's a it's a dilemma with with a lot of 256 00:14:34.120 --> 00:14:37.320 moving parts, and so certainly people say, you know, this 257 00:14:37.399 --> 00:14:40.440 is a good start, but certainly nowhere near the finish 258 00:14:40.519 --> 00:14:41.000 line either. 259 00:14:42.200 --> 00:14:45.559 It was interesting, I'll a be there was a lot 260 00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:47.720 of agreement on the idea that we need to do 261 00:14:47.759 --> 00:14:51.000 something about water, but there was a lot of disagreement 262 00:14:51.159 --> 00:14:54.200 in how to go about doing that. I think like 263 00:14:54.279 --> 00:14:56.840 one of the big questions, right is, if you're going 264 00:14:56.879 --> 00:15:00.480 to solve the water problems, you can create more supply 265 00:15:01.159 --> 00:15:03.360 or you can patch up and fix a lot of 266 00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:06.200 that infrastructure. Right, Like, one of the big issues driving 267 00:15:06.240 --> 00:15:08.759 this water problem isn't just that we don't have enough water. 268 00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:11.440 It's that a lot of the water that we have 269 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:15.000 is being leaked into the ground via pipes. You know, 270 00:15:15.360 --> 00:15:19.080 there's Carlos mentioned the problems in Odessa. There's things like 271 00:15:19.080 --> 00:15:22.320 that happening all over the state. And there seemed to 272 00:15:22.360 --> 00:15:25.399 be some disagreement among lawmakers right about whether which of 273 00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:29.240 those two things to invest more in the supply or 274 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:31.159 the patching up of the pipes. Can you talk a 275 00:15:31.200 --> 00:15:33.759 little bit about that conversation and where we landed there. 276 00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:38.360 Yeah, this is definitely where the water drama happened. 277 00:15:38.639 --> 00:15:40.799 The how are you going to spend this? 278 00:15:41.159 --> 00:15:44.679 The allocation of this money, right the leaky pipes versus 279 00:15:44.919 --> 00:15:48.320 new water supply, which it could include like desalination or 280 00:15:48.320 --> 00:15:51.840 treating oil field wastewater, that godless is mentioning. 281 00:15:52.159 --> 00:15:55.039 And so at the early. 282 00:15:54.759 --> 00:15:56.480 Start of the sessions, there were kind of these two 283 00:15:56.559 --> 00:16:01.440 proposals that were put up, one by Senator Charles Perry 284 00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:05.440 that kind of divided those buckets of money into an 285 00:16:05.519 --> 00:16:08.960 eighty twenty split. Eighty percent of that fund would go 286 00:16:09.000 --> 00:16:13.399 to new water supply projects, desalination, treating oil field wastewater, 287 00:16:13.840 --> 00:16:17.840 and then the remaining twenty percent would go to everything 288 00:16:17.879 --> 00:16:28.879 else that includes infrastructure, conservation, water vus aquafer storage, recovery projects. 289 00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:34.320 So and then the other proposal, which was by Representative 290 00:16:34.399 --> 00:16:39.679 Cody Harris, kind of made the allocation and said, you know, 291 00:16:39.759 --> 00:16:43.519 the Texas Water Development Board will know where best to 292 00:16:43.559 --> 00:16:47.159 spend this money because they're the ones they're the agency 293 00:16:47.360 --> 00:16:50.720 that have the biggest connection with communities across the state, 294 00:16:51.320 --> 00:16:55.559 and the Water Board knows best. And so this is 295 00:16:55.639 --> 00:17:01.000 where that kind of fight over the ratio, the split 296 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:05.319 grew more heated and heated over the course of the session. 297 00:17:05.880 --> 00:17:10.279 We had water experts and lobbyists at first being kind 298 00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:16.759 of hesitant to speak speak for or against that ratio 299 00:17:17.279 --> 00:17:22.880 or split in fear that you know, speaking about it 300 00:17:23.160 --> 00:17:26.599 would put in jeopardy any type of water funding. 301 00:17:26.720 --> 00:17:30.079 Right. These are people that are finally like, yay, we're. 302 00:17:29.960 --> 00:17:34.359 Finally talking about water funding, and you know, if we 303 00:17:34.480 --> 00:17:37.920 say the wrong thing, maybe everything will come undone and 304 00:17:38.039 --> 00:17:44.039 no more water funding. So but as the session you know, progressed, 305 00:17:45.799 --> 00:17:51.319 and they saw that, you know, these bills weren't coming 306 00:17:51.319 --> 00:17:54.400 out of committee, or they were being delayed on the process, 307 00:17:54.559 --> 00:17:57.279 or they weren't getting put on the House or Senate floor, 308 00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:02.039 more and more of them started speak up against and 309 00:18:02.200 --> 00:18:03.960 and it was and when they spoke up, it was 310 00:18:04.039 --> 00:18:09.039 against this eighty twenty ratio, led by their quote water 311 00:18:09.240 --> 00:18:12.440 champion Senator Charles Perry, who finally put. 312 00:18:12.680 --> 00:18:18.039 Water on the map at the Capitol. And so it was, 313 00:18:18.480 --> 00:18:20.599 it was very it was. 314 00:18:20.680 --> 00:18:23.759 It required a lot of conversation with different people because 315 00:18:23.799 --> 00:18:27.279 so many of them were at many times hesitant to 316 00:18:27.319 --> 00:18:29.599 go on the record because of what I just explained. 317 00:18:29.599 --> 00:18:34.480 Putting water funding in jeopardy, but knew that or they 318 00:18:34.640 --> 00:18:40.839 felt that that split wasn't the best because they were 319 00:18:40.960 --> 00:18:44.039 very concerned about, why are we going to start creating 320 00:18:44.119 --> 00:18:49.359 new water supply right when we haven't fixed our infrastructure, 321 00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:51.960 so we're just gonna pump more water for it to 322 00:18:52.039 --> 00:18:56.039 leak out of our aging pipes. It just they didn't 323 00:18:56.079 --> 00:19:01.920 agree with that approach, and so so what we ended 324 00:19:02.000 --> 00:19:05.079 up with, or what they ended up with and landed at, 325 00:19:05.240 --> 00:19:07.599 was that a fifty to fifty split. 326 00:19:08.160 --> 00:19:11.319 So the first half of the money would go to 327 00:19:13.599 --> 00:19:15.359 all of the projects. 328 00:19:14.880 --> 00:19:19.920 Conservation water we use, dsal of seawater, brackish ground water, 329 00:19:20.279 --> 00:19:24.599 and developing reservoirs, and then the remaining would go to 330 00:19:24.680 --> 00:19:30.440 the Water Development Board, which what we heard has identified 331 00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:33.000 a number of projects that already need that money, and 332 00:19:33.079 --> 00:19:36.519 they will determine which of those projects will get it. 333 00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:40.200 I think a lot of people are interested on like 334 00:19:40.519 --> 00:19:43.839 what projects end up getting that money after that really 335 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:47.720 like back and forth debate over new water and infrastructure, 336 00:19:48.079 --> 00:19:50.559 and that's what we'll have to see in the next 337 00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:53.759 couple of years as that money starts rolling out. 338 00:19:55.759 --> 00:19:58.519 And all hundred just sort of to tie up this issue, 339 00:19:59.160 --> 00:20:02.559 it now will go to the voters, right, and yeah, 340 00:20:02.680 --> 00:20:05.160 I mean, do they anticipate this will pass? Like it 341 00:20:05.240 --> 00:20:07.680 seems like an issue people are sort of generally supportive of, 342 00:20:07.720 --> 00:20:09.039 but it's a pretty big price tag. 343 00:20:09.920 --> 00:20:10.200 Yeah. 344 00:20:10.319 --> 00:20:13.559 Yeah, I think there have been a couple of surveys 345 00:20:13.680 --> 00:20:17.680 that were done ahead of session of do voters want 346 00:20:17.759 --> 00:20:21.599 more money to go towards water? And I think and 347 00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:25.839 overwhelmingly so, they were overwhelmingly supportive of that. The people 348 00:20:25.880 --> 00:20:32.240 that they that these organizations surveyed, and based on conversations 349 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:37.119 I've been having, there are no worries there. But we'll see, 350 00:20:37.319 --> 00:20:39.400 you know, we'll see when the election comes around. 351 00:20:40.279 --> 00:20:41.759 It's a slam dunk, it'll pass. 352 00:20:42.400 --> 00:20:46.720 Yeah, that's a certainly feels like a thing people are. 353 00:20:47.359 --> 00:20:49.400 It's very tangible to be like, you know, do you 354 00:20:49.440 --> 00:20:53.400 want to be able to have water? It's hard to 355 00:20:53.519 --> 00:20:56.759 vote no on that, though some people, I'm sure find 356 00:20:56.759 --> 00:20:59.559 a way. Well, let's take a quick break and think 357 00:20:59.559 --> 00:21:03.440 our responds. Today's episode is supported by Corpus Christie Water. 358 00:21:03.880 --> 00:21:07.599 Learn how the City of Corpus Christi is securing an affordable, sustainable, 359 00:21:07.759 --> 00:21:11.400 and environmentally friendly water solution for the coastal Bend during 360 00:21:11.440 --> 00:21:17.200 serious drought conditions. 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Well, let's turn out to the other 370 00:21:49.880 --> 00:21:53.000 major issue that gets people a little stressed out, which 371 00:21:53.160 --> 00:21:56.079 is the grid and our energy infrastructure. 372 00:21:57.599 --> 00:22:00.799 I would just like to just to say that there 373 00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:02.839 are way more than two of issues that get people. 374 00:22:03.519 --> 00:22:07.640 Two issues that stress Texans out. Survey says only two. 375 00:22:08.039 --> 00:22:12.279 Everyone is so calm about everything else. No one is 376 00:22:12.400 --> 00:22:16.359 freaking out about th HC or bail or you know 377 00:22:16.440 --> 00:22:17.079 anything else. 378 00:22:19.680 --> 00:22:22.319 Sorry, mess up your flow. 379 00:22:22.839 --> 00:22:23.119 Fine. 380 00:22:24.519 --> 00:22:26.759 Texas is expecting well, let me say this, if you're 381 00:22:26.799 --> 00:22:29.599 not freaking out about the grid, stand by uh. Texas 382 00:22:29.640 --> 00:22:32.119 is expecting the state's energy demand to double in the 383 00:22:32.119 --> 00:22:35.400 next six years. Uh, it's really unclear for we'll be 384 00:22:35.400 --> 00:22:37.119 able to sort of meet that demand and keep up 385 00:22:37.160 --> 00:22:40.599 with with that. This was such a huge issue on 386 00:22:40.640 --> 00:22:44.720 people's minds. You know, when we had winter storm or Yuri. 387 00:22:44.880 --> 00:22:47.559 I was I say winterstorm Uri. 388 00:22:49.759 --> 00:22:53.319 Anyways, so they had the freeze. I don't mean the 389 00:22:53.440 --> 00:22:56.039 name Uri is faked, to be clear, I mean calling 390 00:22:56.119 --> 00:22:58.000 winter storms names of shakes. 391 00:22:58.559 --> 00:23:02.960 The freeze of twenty twenty one in the middle of session, 392 00:23:03.400 --> 00:23:08.039 you know, put this issue really in the spotlight. Carlos, 393 00:23:08.079 --> 00:23:10.880 I know you've been covering this sort of whole infrastructure 394 00:23:11.559 --> 00:23:14.680 of the energy infrastructure. How big of an issue was 395 00:23:14.720 --> 00:23:16.400 this for lawmakers this session? 396 00:23:18.599 --> 00:23:20.400 First, I just have to say I'm glad we're having 397 00:23:20.880 --> 00:23:23.960 this conversation now because I'm working on my story that 398 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:25.519 I have to file, and it'll be nice to have 399 00:23:25.599 --> 00:23:27.400 this fresh in my mind. And maybe I'll just take 400 00:23:27.880 --> 00:23:29.799 what I said here and just put it into words 401 00:23:29.839 --> 00:23:31.079