Greetings fellow readers!
For my first post of this semester, I am going to be covering a topic very near and dear to my heart...Environmental Protection. You may be asking yourself, "What does this have ANYTHING to do with Texas government?". The truth of the matter is that politics and our environment are deeply intertwined, as policies decided by not only national, but also state government have lasting deep impacts of the only place we have to call home...Earth.
The article I am specifically referencing to this evening, found HERE, is about an environmental issue that is effecting each and every Texan - the historic drought that has plagued our state for years. This drought is hitting an apex with our nearby lakes and rivers being lower than they ever have in history. Even though we have been getting some rain in the past week, it is no where NEAR enough to make up for what we have lost.
Anyway, the article specifically is talking about a push by the LCRA to ask permission from the Texas Commission on Environmental Equality to completely cut off freshwater flows that run down the Colorado River and into Matagorda Bay, in an attempt to keep citizens around the Highland Lakes area (like Austin) from having to go to the next stage of water restrictions. Doing so would be catastrophic for the Colorado River and Bay Areas, as they depend on that fresh water to keep the salinity of the water regulated and vital life in the water alive.
As stewards to the only inhabitable planet we have, is it okay to take away what nature needs to keep providing for us for generations to come, just so we don't have to be inconvenienced that we can't water our lawns and fill our pools?
