Thursday, October 4, 2007
Water company of top political donor T. Boone Pickens to benefit from new legislation
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A newly issued report by Texans For Public Justice examines the relationship between the millions of dollars' worth of political donations made by T. Boone Pickens and the fact that his private utility companies, Mesa Water and Mesa Power, are about to benefit from newly relaxed legislation on the issue of eminent domain.
According to the report, Pickens wants to install 320 miles of utility lines from the Texas Panhandle to suburban Dallas, but in order to do so, needs to be able to excavate private land. Previously, eminent domain was restricted to "limited circumstances for necessary, traditional, public uses," TPJ says.
The new legislation allows the formation of a "fresh water supply district" that can condemn private land for infrastructure. Take it away, TPJ:
"The water district that Pickens is seeking in the Panhandle would not have been viable without the recent legislative changes. Until last month, petitions to create a water district required the support of a majority of the registered voters within the proposed district’s borders. Changes enacted this year dropped this electoral requirement for a more feudal one. Now a district can be formed with the backing of whoever owns the majority of the appraised land value within its proposed borders. ... The 2007 legislature revoked a requirement that only local registered voters could serve on the boards of these water districts. Now any Texas resident who owns property in the district can sit on the board.
Six weeks after Governor Rick Perry signed the new water-district rules into law, Pickens sold a total of eight acres of his sprawling Mesa Vista Ranch in the Panhandle to five people who depend on him for their livelihoods. Three of these buyers are Pickens company executives who live hundreds of miles from the Panhandle parcels that they bought from Pickens. The only local buyers were Alton and Lu Boone (no relation to T. Boone Pickens), who manage Pickens’ ranch near the town of Miami in Roberts County.
Fresh water supply districts previously had to be governed by boards that consisted of five locally registered voters. Pickens’ pending petition boasts only two people who meet these qualifications: Alton and Lu Boone. Thanks to the legislature, however, these qualifications for board members changed on September 1. Now any state resident who owns property within the district can serve on the board. This opened the door to the three Pickens executives who recently bought land within the proposed district but live hundreds of miles away."
A Pickens spokesperson told TPJ there is no connection between Pickens' donations and the recent changes to water-district law.
Posted by T.G.
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Comments
neerdowell Anonymous
This is so blatantly wrong, I can't believe no one objected, and the fact that Pickens would suck the Ogallala Aquifer dry. Can't wait to tell Gov. Perry adios Mofo.
11 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
tonybarker Anonymous
If you'll pardon the blatant self-promotion, I'd like to quote from my own song, Texas Needs Water: "...then tell a Texan that his thirsty son must be denied. If your hand's not on your gun, then I'll tell them how you fell. And the dust cloud that will rise up from the war is gonna taste like hell..."
11 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
tonybarker Anonymous
If you'll pardon the blatant self-promotion, I'd like to quote from my own song, Texas Needs Water: "...then tell a Texan that his thirsty son must be denied. If your hand's not on your gun, then I'll tell them how you fell. And the dust cloud that will rise up from the war is gonna taste like hell..."
11 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )
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