I recently watched an awesome Vice episode that did a story on the major drought in Texas. This drought has become extremely detrimental in the past 5 years and it is starting to have an extremely negative effect of local industry. Texas, specifically the western region, used to produce most of its revenue through agricultural means. Cattle farms and grain farm have been the heart and soul of Texas farms for centuries. Recently, farmers have been forced to sell their cattle and land due to this extreme lack of water. Yes, Texas has always deep a dry state, but there used to be means of transporting water to their farms from states in the north. There has been an extreme standby in the purchasing of water due to the Oil companies demand. Oil companies have been purchasing major amounts of transported water so they can execute there "fracking Process".
"Hydraulic fracturing (also hydrofracturing, hydrofracking, fracking or fraccing), is a well-stimulation technique in which rock is fractured by a hydraulically pressurized liquid made of water, sand, and chemicals. Some hydraulic fractures form naturally—certain veins or dikes are examples.[1] A high-pressure fluid (usually chemicals and sand suspended in water) is injected into a wellbore to create cracks in the deep-rock formations through which natural gas, petroleum, and brine will flow more freely. When the hydraulic pressure is removed from the well, small grains of hydraulic fracturing proppants (either sand or aluminium oxide) hold the fractures open."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_fracturing
Oil companies have essentially bought up all of the available water, leaving the farmers to die out. The question is raised; "Why doesn't the government put a limit to the amount of water oil companies purchase, to allow the farmers to continue growing?". The answer lies deep within the political system of Texas. Unfortunately, the oil lobby in Texas is too strong. They have been supporting the Republican party for years, and they have been given a pass in return. This truly bothers me, knowing that farming is the heart and soul of many of our countries industries. People have been loosing their farms which have been owned by their families for centuries because they are just unable to purchase water.
Maybe there is some kind of limit to the water they can buy? I know the government really tends to focus on dropping gas prices as of late.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, low gas prices have become synonymous with a good economy.
I think that the reason behind this is that gas prices are so easily monitored and viewed everyday since it's a single item and the price is generally the same in your immediate area. On the other hand there's so many kinds of foods that it's harder to keep track of market price increases. Knowing this, the government might be doing some kind of behind the scenes regulation and giving the oil companies more access to water supplies.