82R8273 BPG-D
 
  By: Callegari H.C.R. No. 61
 
 
 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
         WHEREAS, The State of Texas has an effective and
  well-developed water planning process that relies on stakeholder
  input and promotes local control, but the executive and legislative
  branches of the federal government are embarking on a campaign to
  shift water resources planning from the state and local levels to
  the federal level; and
         WHEREAS, Currently being considered by the federal
  government are a sweeping array of legislation, executive orders,
  and agency rules that, taken together, cover nearly all aspects of
  water resources policy and law; these measures would erode state
  and local primacy over water resources planning and management and
  severely constrain the planning and implementation successes Texas
  has already achieved; and
         WHEREAS, More than half a century ago, following an
  extraordinary drought, state legislators created the Texas Water
  Development Board to ensure the continued availability of water
  supplies; since then, state leaders have developed water planning
  processes to identify and cultivate the resources required to meet
  growing domestic, agricultural, and environmental needs; these
  carefully crafted policies address the state's unique
  environmental conditions while respecting private property rights,
  and they are essential to keeping pace with the demands of a
  population that is expected to double by the year 2060; and
         WHEREAS, Increasing federal requirements and control over
  water planning and development would greatly complicate and
  unnecessarily extend the process of securing federal permits for
  many water-related projects sought by local interests, rendering
  some simply unviable; moreover, federal initiatives would be
  unlikely to incorporate sufficient input from the local, regional,
  and state stakeholders who are most impacted; regional and local
  water entities are the most knowledgeable about the needs of their
  communities and have a proven track record of expertly balancing
  the many environmental, economic, and human factors that constitute
  an effective planning discipline; and
         WHEREAS, A federally centralized approach would not only
  undermine the state's strong tradition of stewardship over its
  waters, transferring responsibility to far-removed officials, but
  would also infringe on the sovereignty of the State of Texas; the
  future of the state's economy, public health, and treasured natural
  resources is closely tied to its ability to manage and control its
  water supplies; it is therefore imperative that final decisions
  regarding the needs of local communities reside with the state,
  regional, and local entities that are so uniquely qualified to make
  them; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas
  hereby express its opposition to federal interference in state
  management of Texas' water resources; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
  copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
  the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of
  Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the
  members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that
  this resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a
  memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.