Coming to a water source near you. The GOP water theft ring -

[Dover]

This wreaks of the kind of backroom secrecy demonstrated by Cheney's Energy Taskforce. The secrecy continues and a model for theft of public resources is hatched. Pay attention, it's coming to a water resource near you.

It seems that Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick, along with Patterson (Gen. Land Office) secretly hatched a deal to allow private companies (some of them oil industry) to pump billions of gallons of public aquifer water from state lands for profit. They had done the same with oil leases before.
They completely bypassed any public input or discussion with local officials as well as the various county and state water regulatory agencies.


West Texas water talks go on despite a swell of opposition

West Texas officials demand voice in state debate

State Sen. Frank Madla's letter to Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson opposing a state land lease for water sales. (PDF)
10/19/03: State bid for water deals gets first test

By Robert Elder Jr.

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Wednesday, October 22, 2003

Despite opposition from some state and local officials, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson said the state will continue to explore the possibility of leasing state land to private companies that want to pump and sell underground water.

Patterson spoke Tuesday after the School Land Board, an affiliate of the General Land Office, held a closed-door session to discuss an application from a Midland group, Rio Nuevo Ltd., that wants to lease 646,508 acres of state land in six far West Texas counties.

Rio Nuevo, whose partners include a group of Midland oilmen and Austin investor Steve Smith, has told the land office that it wants to pump at least 16 billion gallons of water a year from aquifers beneath state land. The group said it doesn't yet have customers.

Under Patterson, the land office is considering water deals as a way to produce more revenue from state-owned land for education, beyond traditional sources such as oil and gas royalties and ranching leases.

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/auto/epaper/editions/wednesday/news_f369b21ba4e4214a0009.html

[donsu]

1. the bushgang is securing water rights the world over

they control our electricity, food, and water

[pansypoo53219]

2. evian

was prevented to pump in WI from grassroots protests. Unfortunately, they are bleeding MI.

[Sperk]

3. When the hell are the Texans going to charge the State House

and throw Perry out on his ass?!?!?! Why do people keep supporting politician that swrew them over and over again?