By Lauren Fairbanks and J Pete Laney
TAD Governmental Relations
The Texas Capitol has been active in recent weeks, with a few issues drawing sustained attention: the New World screwworm (NWS) and the growing debate over transmission lines and data centers.
New World screwworm
As of this writing, cases are nearing 40 – thankfully, we have not yet seen any in or near our state’s main dairy areas. The Texas House Agriculture and Livestock Committee held a hearing on the NWS in mid-June that served as an update for legislators from state and federal officials, agriculture and livestock groups, ranchers and veterinarians. The hearing also included a discussion on possible containment strategies.
Texas Association of Dairymen staff have been participating in daily NWS situation updates to closely monitor activity on the state and federal government levels. At this time, agencies recommend dairy producers and others stay vigilant and report suspected cases to their veterinarian and the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) promptly so action, including sterile fly dispersal, can be taken if NWS is confirmed. Find information from the TAHC on reporting here.
Delayed reporting will only make the problem worse and extend the impacts. Producers should also remember that a positive animal, or an operation located within an Infected Zone, does not automatically stop movement of all animals. Those animals must be inspected, and treated if necessary, before the producer can receive authorization to move them out of the zone. More information on animal movement can be found here.
Producers should also be mindful of who conducts an inspection. Completing the online TAHC and Texas A&M AgriLife NWS Certified Inspector Program does not, by itself, authorize someone to issue movement authorizations. Only individuals approved by TAHC can do so. Therefore, be careful with solicitations, and remember that TAHC will inspect and certify animals for free. Find more information on certified inspectors here.
Be assured that TAD is very closely monitoring the NWS situation in Texas in order to protect our thriving dairy industry.
Find more NWS resources in this newsletter or on TAD’s website here.
Transmission lines and data centers
The debate over new 765kV transmission lines in the state has become one of the bigger interim issues. Although these lines have been in development for more than a year, community concern has intensified as landowners, local officials and residents connect the projects to broader questions about data center growth, grid reliability and who bears the impact of new infrastructure.
While lawmakers have already held several hearings on data centers, the Senate Business and Commerce Committee on July 29 will hold a hearing focused on the transmission lines. Landowners and communities directly affected by the proposed routes are expected to raise concerns about the process, local impacts, land use, reliability needs and how the state balances growth with negative impacts to communities.
