Legislative sessions have their way of creating their own realities.
“You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you are going, because you might not get there.” —Yogi Berra
When we began the Legislative session, re-authorizing the Railroad Commission, funding our water and transportation infrastructure needs and improving the state’s response to the landslide of Endangered Species listings were all top priorities.
Now that the 2013 Texas Legislative Session is coming to a close, several of the most critical oil and gas industry issues are still undecided and their fate is uncertain.
Oil production is up dramatically and is fueling our robust economy. The oil and gas industry paid approximately $12 billion in Texas taxes during 2012, up from $9.25 billion in 2011 and $7.4 billion in 2010. The Railroad Commission of Texas has overseen this dramatic increase in activity, primarily in the Permian Basin and the Eagle Ford.
In spite of those facts, several members of the legislature are intent on punishing the Railroad Commission, limiting industry’s access to water and not funding transportation infrastructure needs. Meaningful Endangered Species response reform has proven to be elusive.
Now for my own Yogi-ism.
Every session has a different theme with a different set of characters and issues and this one is the same. —Ben Shepperd
With respect to the priorities mentioned above, I am optimistic that the final versions of the bills will not hamper the industry. All of our West Texas House and Senate members have worked tirelessly, and I mean tirelessly, for all of our interests. Senator Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo) carried the Endangered Species reform bills which PBPA supported. Both he and senator Carlos Uresti (D-San Antonio) carried sensible water legislation. Senator Robert Duncan (R-Lubbock) was strong on our issues, as well.
Chairman Drew Darby (R-San Angelo) led the charge on transportation in the House and his efforts will go a long way towards helping West Texas get back more of the tax dollars we give to the state.
Tryon Lewis (R-Odessa) had a pipeline infrastructure bill that would have helped expedite the development of new pipeline infrastructure, which we sorely need.
And who can say enough about the Dean of the Texas House, Tom Craddick? Former Speaker Craddick continues to be the most effective industry defender in the Legislature. He led the charge against countless bad bills and we owe him a huge debt of gratitude.
This was PBPA’s first session with a full time Austin office. David Holt did a fantastic job day in and day out making sure PBPA’s voice was heard.
I will have a complete and final wrap up of the session next issue.