SENATOR KOLKHORST SENDS LETTER AGAINST LAND AUCTION FOR DRILLING
Senator Lois W. Kolkhorst has expressed opposition for plans by the federal government to auction property at Lake Somerville for petroleum exploration.
Kolkhorst released a statement yesterday (Tuesday) saying, that she is “alarmed this issue has been raised again, because this proposal had already been resolved and the timing of this resurgence is suspect.” Furthermore, Kolkhorst says that local residents and their representatives should “ensure that our voices are heard in Washington D.C. by our federal representatives."
The Bureau of Land Management is planning to offer federally-owned property at three Texas Lakes for oil and gas leasing, which includes approximately 1.4 acres at Lake Somerville. Earlier this year, the agency planned to include that land in a lease auction but stopped the process after protests.
Last week, Kolkhorst sent a letter to the Bureau of Land Management urging the agency to postpone any decision until the citizens and local officials in the area are given the opportunity to review and comment on the proposal at a public hearing held in the local area.
Kolkhorst says that given that Lake Somerville supplies her hometown of Brenham with its drinking water, she feels that enhanced environmental assessments should be conducted before any land is considered for development.
In the letter, Kolkhorst says that Lake Somerville was originally impounded in 1967 to provide flood control and water for irrigation for the communities downstream. The federal government took “valuable and productive private property from landowners in the area on the justification that the lake was in the interest of the public good. Yet today, the same government seeks to make use of the same land, private land that was supposedly taken in the interest of the public, for its own benefit.”
While the period of public comment for the lease sale has closed, protests of the sale can be filed between January 18th and February 16th of 2017.
This sums it all up: “valuable and productive private property from landowners in the area on the justification that the lake was in the interest of the public good. Yet today, the same government seeks to make use of the same land, private land that was supposedly taken in the interest of the public, for its own benefit.”
Now …..If the government does something different than what they originally promised……like, leasing the property …..this makes our government a LIAR to the taxpayers. Furthermore, those even bringing up this idea, are GOVERNMENT HYPOCRITES. And …..I’m sick and tired of Government Hypocrites..
The government made a commitment. And ….. I’m sick and tired with Government Hypocrites competing with Free Enterprise. Just to line their own Personal Pockets.
I would not be surprised if these Government Hypocrites have already cut deals with the proposed Bidders …. Just to pocket money under the table. If they brought up the idea, then nothing should surprise us.
Senator Kolkhorst thank you for bringing this to our attention. I know this is harsh words, but, there is no way of candy-coating something when it is Wrong. Please remind us when the period of public commenting is open. And please inform us as to where, and how, we submit our public comments. Again …Thank-you. It is time to Drain the Swamp …… Not the Lake.
Thank you Senator, keep on fighting on the behalf of Washington County.