Respect Big Bend Coalition last month released two reports on its two years of community engagement and analysis on energy development in the region. The coalition seeks to balance future energy development – oil and gas and renewables – with conservation planning and community input and leadership. The 14-member group includes landowners and community leaders from Brewster, Jeff Davis and Presidio counties. Melinda Taylor, professor at UT law school and a coalition leader, said, “We’re confident that local stakeholder engagement, informed by rigorous scientific analysis, can minimize negative impacts and encourage responsible development.”
The group’s four key recommendations are (1) obtain stakeholder input to avoid negative impacts of energy development, (2) establish a center for landowner and community resources, (3) keep large tracts of land intact to preserve the values that they provide and (4) restore land disturbed by energy development.