By State Rep. Brooks Landgraf
As chairman of the House Committee on Environmental Regulation, I scheduled a committee hearing to investigate the proposed EPA regulations and the impact they may have on Texas and the Permian Basin. It was a privilege to convene the House Environmental Regulation Committee in my hometown of Odessa and hold the committee hearing this week.
I want to send a special thanks to the amazing team at The Ector Theatre for letting us meet in their beautiful and historic venue.
The committee hearing was quite productive, and I appreciate everyone who provided testimony – from Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar, to local officials and leaders from across West Texas.
Unfortunately, EPA Administrator Michael Reagan was a no-show, despite my sending an invitation to him several weeks ago amid threats to take action that could scale back energy production here in the Permian Basin. In that invitation, I explained that this committee hearing would be a perfect opportunity for him to actually visit the Permian Basin, be transparent with his plans, and look West Texans in the eye to have an honest conversation. It really is disappointing that he didn’t make the time to be here.
Despite the EPA chief’s absence, the committee heard excellent testimony about the lack of a scientific basis for the EPA’s actions to date, and how important the Permian Basin is to the Texas economy, public schools, universities, highways and healthcare.
I appreciate Kermit City Councilwoman Hope Williams and Monahans Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Teresa Burnett for testifying in front of the committee and sharing their compelling life stories of living in the oil patch and the important role the energy industry plays in their communities. Through their testimony, and the testimony provided by others, the committee members were able to gain an appreciation for the hard work that makes it possible for them to pump gas and turn on the lights.
In addition to all of this, we had a good discussion about the expansion of the state’s well-plugging program and the success of emissions-reduction programs we have in place at the state level that’s keeping Texas air clean.
This committee hearing was an opportunity to showcase Odessa and the Permian Basin to state representatives from other parts of the state (many of whom were making their first visit). My colleagues visited from areas stretching from the state’s capital city, to Houston and Longview in East Texas. It’s safe to say that visiting and being out here in West Texas gave them a better perspective of work and life in the oil patch.
We all learned a great deal during the committee’s last interim hearing, and we’re one step closer to being ready to begin the next session of the Texas Legislature when we convene in January at the Texas Capitol.
God bless Texas!
