AUSTIN, Texas, Feb. 4,
2016 — The Texas House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing yesterday on
the issue of water marketing, which frequently involves transferring water from
rural communities to urban centers. "Not a single person from the
agricultural industry was invited to testify, even though water is vital to the
future of farms and local foods in Texas," observed Judith McGeary,
Executive Director of the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance (FARFA).
"Is having green golf
courses worth being dependent on food from China and South America?" Ms.
McGeary asked in written testimony submitted to the Committee.
One of the witnesses at
the hearing referred to rural landowners' water rights as a "gold
mine," and several of the legislators repeatedly expressed the view that
money could properly compensate landowners for the loss of their water.
Colleen Waring, a
landowner in Milam County, countered: "As I testified, maybe I'm sitting
on a gold mine, but I don't want to mine it. I want to be a good steward
of the groundwater under my land – I'm willing to share what can be shared
without detriment, but not plunder this precious resource that people, animals,
and plants rely on for survival."
Many of the legislators
and witnesses at the hearing promoted a market-based approach to valuing water
without recognizing the problems with economic valuation of this essential
resource.
As stated in FARFA's
written testimony: "Based on market principles, it's reasonable for someone
to pay $1.34 now to use, and often waste, water that will be worth $1 million
to our great grandchildren. This makes economic sense because $1.34
invested at a compound interest rate of 7% would be worth $1 million in 200
years from now. This is simply the way the economy values things: What is
something in the future worth 'today' – not what it will be worth in the
future. Is this really a moral or ethical way to value our
children and their children's children?"
"The legislators who
are pushing expanded water marketing are taking a shortsighted and selfish
approach. They prefer to draw down our aquifers – mining water that has
taken hundreds or thousands of years to collect – rather than taking the
necessary conservation measures. This is an egregious violation of our
moral obligation to ensure that future generations have reasonable access to
this basic necessity for life," contended Ms. McGeary.
Before the hearing, the
League of Independent Voters and Representative John Cyrier (R-Lockhart) held a
press conference to discuss a new report showing that current marketing
projects threaten to lower the level of the Simsboro aquifer below the desired
future conditions, drying up residents' wells.
"I look forward to
working with my constituents and concerned citizens from all over the state to
develop legislation that would promote the long-term welfare and prosperity of
our communities, including exploring opportunities for conservation
technologies to reduce demand and lessen our reliance on groundwater,"
concluded Representative Cyrier.
About Farm and Ranch
Freedom Alliance
Farm and Ranch Freedom
Alliance (FARFA) is a national organization that supports independent family
farmers and protects a healthy and productive food supply for American
consumers. FARFA promotes common sense policies for local, diversified
agricultural systems.
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