NEWS BRIEFS
Legislators tell cities to use infrastructure dollars
County fire marshal enacts burn ban due to drought conditions “WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE RESIDENTS TO ADHERE TO WILDFIRE RISK EDUCATION AND PREPAREDNESS AT ALL TIMES, YET ESPECIALLY IN THESE VERY DRY CONDITIONS.” LAURIE L. CHRISTENSEN, HARRIS COUNTY FIRE MARSHAL
BY JAKE MAGEE
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS
Billions of dollars are coming from the federal government to Texas to fund infrastructure projects, and elected officials encouraged munic- ipalities to apply now to secure those dollars for local projects. During the Southeast Texas Transportation Summit on Oct. 25, U.S. Reps. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston; Brian Babin, R-Woodville; and Randy Weber, R-Friendswood, discussed President Joe Biden’s federal infrastructure law and what it could mean for the Houston region. The bill, which Garcia said was largely approved by Democrats, includes $1.3 trillion earmarked for infrastructure projects, such as road work. Texas is poised to receive $35.44 billion of the total over the next five years—the second-largest allocation of any state, following California. In Texas, the measure will fund roads and high- ways, infrastructure for electric vehicles, bridges, water infrastructure and the replacement of lead
Under President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Texas and the Houston region are slated to receive funding to go toward needed infrastructure projects.
Texas will receive the SECOND-LARGEST allocation in the country, following California.
$1.3 TRILLION
Money earmarked for infrastructure projects nationwide
$35.44 BILLION
Money Texas is poised to receive in total over next five years
SOURCE: WHITE HOUSE/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
pipes in schools, Garcia said. “No one knows any more than I do the importance of infrastructure,” said Babin, whose district includes nine counties with three ports and more petrochemi- cal companies than any other district nationwide.
BY RACHEL CARLTON
Harris County commissioners voted 3-0 to approve a countywide burn ban in unincor- porated areas of Harris County during their Oct. 25 meeting. The ban still remains in effect until the Texas A&M Forest Service determines drought conditions no longer exist in the county or after 90 days have passed from the adoption of the ban. An earlier burn ban during the summer lasted from June 28-Aug. 23. Per Sec. 352.081 of the Harris County Fire Code, the county can implement a burn ban when the Keetch-Byram Drought Index average is 575 or greater. The index ranges from 0-800 with 800 representing absolutely dry conditions. According to Brandi Dumas, the communications manager for the Harris County Fire Marshal’s office, the average KBDI in Harris County was 620 on Oct. 24. “The burn ban is meant to ensure the safety of our residents and their properties,” Fire Marshal Laurie L. Christensen said in a statement. “We want to encourage residents to adhere to wildfire risk education and preparedness at all times, yet especially in these very dry conditions.”
Texas regulators release grid design update
GRID CHANGES
Senate Bill 3, which Gov. Greg Abbott signed in June 2021, outlined key areas where Texas’ electric grid will see improvements, including:
BY HANNAH NORTON
ability to withstand severe weather conditions, including unusually high temperatures over the summer. The power demand reached record levels 11 times this summer, Lake said, but the grid did not enter emergency conditions. ERCOT issued two voluntary conservation appeals in July. Texans were encouraged to limit their energy consumption for set time periods by turning up the temperature in their homes, turning off lights and not using large appliances.
According to state leaders, Texas’ power grid is “more reli- able than ever” with additional improvements to come. Less than two weeks after stepping into his new role, Pablo Vegas, CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, provided updates on the grid conditions and his priorities as head of the agency at an Oct. 13 news conference. Vegas was joined by Peter Lake, chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Lake touted the power grid’s
A power outage alert system to notify Texans if the power supply becomes too low to meet demand Winterizing power plants and generators across the state New maintenance schedules for generators across the state
SOURCE: OFFICE OF THE TEXAS GOVERNOR/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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