By David A. Díaz Legislativemedia@aol.com
A bipartisan coalition of state legislators, including Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, Rep. Sergio Muñoz, Jr., D-Mission, and Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, are working to rally voter support during the November 5, 2013 statewide constitutional amendment election in favor of Proposition 6, which would help communities statewide pay for needed water and conservation projects.
Water Texas, a political action committee (PAC) in favor of Proposition 6, announced on Wednesday, August 21, the members of its Statewide Leadership Team, a bipartisan coalition of legislators working to help pass Proposition 6, which is designed to address the state’s water crisis.
The Statewide Leadership Team includes 152 members of the 181-member Texas Legislature. Canales said the Valley, with its rapidly-growing population – Hidalgo County alone has more than 840,000 residents as of 2012 – needs to have access to funding options in order to manage the continuing positive growth of deep South Texas.
“Water is life, and it is our duty as Texans to protect, conserve, and plan for the future water needs of our state, taking in to account population growth and the reality of severe drought,” said Canales. “This measure is the first of many steps we must take to not only protect our economy, but our very way of life and the lives of future Texans.”
Texas is going to face critical water shortages during the next 50 years, Canales said.
“Proposition 6 would provide a dependable source of revenue for many of our communities to use to help finance water and wastewater projects,” the House District 40 lawmaker noted.
Proposition 6 would establishing a revolving fund to help local communities pay for needed water and conservation projects, according to Water Texas PAC.
Water Texas PAC is a bi-partisan coalition of legislators who are working with like-minded groups to promote passage of Proposition 6. Water Texas PAC officials say they will engage in a robust grassroots, television, radio, print and social media campaign, along with an aggressive get-out-the-vote program.
“Water Texas understands that water issues impact all Texans: farmers, ranchers, urban and rural dwellers, landowners, business owners, taxpayer organizations, conservation groups and faith-based organizations,” said Sean Haynes, a spokesman for the group.
The proposed amendment is a response to the severe strain that drought and rapid population growth have put on the state’s water supply. While the population of Texas is expected to nearly double by 2060, existing water supplies are projected to decrease by 10 percent during that time, creating a need for an additional 2.7 trillion gallons of water.
“The water crisis affects every corner of our state in a very real way, and the size and diversity of our Leadership Team reflect that,” said House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, the Honorary Chairman of Water Texas. “A drought doesn’t care if you’re a Democrat, a Republican or an independent, which is why it’s important for Members of both parties to work together to engage Texans on this issue.”
According to the House Research Organization, which is the nonpartisan research arm of the House of Representatives:
The state water plan is designed to meet water needs during times of drought. Its purpose is to ensure that cities, rural communities, farms, ranches, businesses, and industries have enough water to avoid a repeat of devastating 1950s drought conditions.
In Texas, each of the 16 regional water-planning groups is responsible for creating a 50-year regional plan and refining it every five years so conditions can be monitored and assumptions reassessed. The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) uses information from regional plans to develop the state plan, which includes policy recommendations to the Legislature.
According to the TWDB, critical water shortages will increase during the next 50 years, requiring long-term reliable funding sources to finance water and wastewater projects identified to help avoid catastrophic conditions during a drought. However, rising costs for local water providers, the capital-intensive investment required to implement large-scale projects, and the financial constraints on some communities necessitate a dedicated source of funding to help develop those projects.
If approved by voters, Proposition 6 would involve a one-time transfer of $2 billion from the state’s Rainy Day Fund to create the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas (SWIFT) and the State Water Implementation Revenue Fund for Texas (SWIRFT) as special funds in the state treasury outside the general revenue fund.
Money in the funds would be administered, without further appropriation, by the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) for the purpose of implementing the state water plan, with oversight by the Legislative Budget Board.
Use of the Rainy Day Fund would not jeopardize the state’s credit rating or ability to handle an emergency. The Rainy Day Fund is expected to reach $11.8 billion by the end of fiscal 2015, according to the comptroller’s January 2013 Biennial Revenue Estimate.
A transfer of $2 billion from the fund would leave a comfortable the state’s superior credit rating. Given that the boom in the oil and gas sector shows no sign of slowing, any funds appropriated from the Rainy Day Fund would be replenished quickly. In addition, spending down a portion of the fund to support urgently needed water projects would help prevent the eventual spillover of Rainy Day funds into general revenue for spending on less pressing priorities.
