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TEXAS PRESS ASSOCIATION
STATE CAPITAL HIGHLIGHTS
Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statewide disaster declaration late last week after the New World screwworm was found in two newborn calves in South Texas, according to The Dallas Morning News.
The cases have been identified in Zavala County, about 5.6 miles apart. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said a strike team was on site and restrictions were in place to prevent the movement of cattle.
“We have, in the past, prevented as well as eradicated this pest, and we can do it again,” Abbott said.
The New World screwworm is a parasitic fly that lays eggs in open wounds, nearly always in cattle. In the past, sterile male flies have proven effective in eradicating infestations. The federal government is building a $750 million facility to produce sterilized flies, but it won’t be complete until November 2027.
In the meantime, the government is purchasing sterile flies from a facility in Panama and using federal funds to revamp another facility in Mexico. However, total fly production from those two plants accounts for only 40% of what is needed, The News reported.
State officials have stressed the New World screwworm does not pose a food or disease risk to humans. A widespread infestation could further drive up beef prices, already elevated by a ban on importing Mexican cattle and a drop in domestic production.
Record power demand likely this summer
A hot summer and exponential growth in power-hungry data centers could mean Texas uses more power than ever before, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.
ERCOT, which operates most of the state’s power grid, is forecasting demand will reach 92 gigawatts this summer, breaking the previous record of 85.5 gigawatts set during the 2023 summer heat wave, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Despite the anticipated demand, Pablo Vegas, ERCOT’s chief executive officer, said there is a low risk of blackouts this summer.
“As we continue to see (power demand) growth coming on, that profile and picture obviously can evolve, and we expect it to evolve,” Vegas said. “But what we have published at this point is still showing fairly adequate capacity and low likelihood of emergency conditions going into the June and July months.”
ERCOT has the legal authority to order large power users, such as data centers and cryptocurrency miners, to reduce their power draw from the grid if necessary. According to ERCOT, the risk of rolling blackouts has dropped because nearly 11 gigawatts of new power capacity has been added since last summer.
That’s enough to supply more than 2.7 million households on the hottest summer days, Vegas said.
Secretary of State Nelson stepping down Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson announced last week she will resign effective July 17 from the position she has held since 2023, the Texas Standard reported.
“It has been my goal to ensure that voting in Texas is secure, accessible and fair,” Nelson said in a press release. “We have worked extensively to ensure accurate voter rolls and to educate voters about what they need to know to vote with confidence.”
Abbott is responsible for appointing her successor.
“Secretary Jane Nelson has been a true champion for the people of Texas and an extraordinary secretary of state,” he said.
Nelson served in the Texas Senate for 30 years before being appointed to her current role. That office oversees the state’s elections.
Backers of Texas Dream Act head to court Thousands of non-citizen college students last year lost access to in-state tuition when a federal judge blocked the Texas Dream Act, passed 25 years earlier. Now, a coalition of immigration nonprofits, a student group and Austin Community College are fighting that ruling, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
They have asked the 5th U.S. Circuit of Appeals to overturn that order, issued last June.
The appellate court heard arguments last week that the Dream Act should be restored. The Legislature passed it in 2001, guaranteeing in-state tuition for students who had lived in Texas for at least three years and graduated from a Texas high school. The measure was signed by then-Gov. Rick Perry.
Students without legal status are not eligible for federal financial aid or government loans. The end of the Dream Act means those students must pay much higher tuition rates. For example, at ACC, students who lost access to in-state tuition saw their credit-hour tuition rates nearly quadruple.
Tax break approved for SpaceX’s chipmaking project Grimes County officials approved a tax break for a $55 billion chipmaking facility that SpaceX proposes to build outside College Station. The Houston Chronicle reported the project could create 1,800 jobs, but it has prompted concerns from residents that it could change their rural lifestyle and adversely affect property values.
Four of the five county commissioners voted to waive SpaceX’s property taxes in exchange for SpaceX paying the county $10 million up front and $20 million a year for 35 years. The facility is still in its early stages.
“Texas is where the integrated circuit was born and where the future of the semiconductor industry is being built,” Andrew Mahaleris, press secretary for Gov. Greg Abbott, said in a statement.
Elon Musk’s company is building Terafab to create chips for its Starlink broadband internet satellites and other future projects. Its hub is expected to be located near the Gibbons Creek Reservoir, previously used to cool a coal-fired power plant.
One commissioner expressed concern about a lack of information ahead of last week’s meeting.
“I don’t think that we’ve had honest negotiation with SpaceX, to this point, to allow the core of our constituency to be informed of what’s at stake,” Commissioner David Tullos said.
Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@ texaspress.com.
