Texans need the grand old pipeline

Everyone knows Texas is the greatest state in the country. It’s filled to the brim with hard-working citizens, superior schools (eat ‘em up, Cats!), hundreds of miles of coastline, and a booming energy industry that fuels our state’s economy and powers our homes, towns and businesses.

As the top energy producer in the United States, Texas oilfields – like the prolific Permian Basin in West Texas – have transformed our nation into the second-largest natural gas producer and the top oil producer in the world, beating out the likes of Russia and Saudi Arabia.

The Permian has seen massive production growth in recent years and has accounted for around 15 percent of the total natural gas production in the United States. This increased production has had enormous economic benefits on the Lone Star State, including job growth and increased tax revenue that plays a critical role in the health of our state’s Rainy Day Fund and the Permanent School Fund- the largest educational endowment in America valued at over $44 million.

However, radical environmental activists are trying to halt the important progress of our great nation by attempting to stop construction of critical energy infrastructure projects. Unfortunately, these anti-business efforts have come to the central Texas in an attempt to halt the flow of freedom gas and    prevent the construction of the Permian Highway Pipeline.

These activists say they want to protect wildlife through unnecessary lawsuits around the Endangered Species Act. What they fail to mention is that these lawsuits – funded by trial lawyers looking to line their pockets – waste our tax dollars and do nothing for the species they claim to want to defend. That’s why in August the Trump administration proposed revisions to the Endangered Species Act, which has historically been abused by environmentalists.

In fact, since the law was introduced in 1973, less than 3% of species that have been listed as threatened or endangered have been delisted because their populations rebounded…Big government at its finest.

Infrastructure projects like the Permian Highway Pipeline are good for Texas and good for America.  We should be spending more time talking about how we can continue to use science and technology to advance America’s energy independence in the cleanest and safest way possible.  For those uninterested in having that conversation, we have a saying here in Texas: Come and Take It.

Brett Bailey

Bailey is the current president of the Texas State Republicans.