With an overwhelming vote of 131-13, the Texas House passed HB 3165 to create the Texas Land and Water Conservation Fund. The vote follows a 139-2 vote for HJR 138, which would put the fund on the November ballot as a constitutional amendment, allowing Texas voters to declare their support for conserving land and water for future generations. The legislation will now proceed to the Senate for a vote.
“The Texas House acted boldly to preserve what we love about Texas,” said Rep. Justin Holland who authored the bill. “This fund supports land and water conservation efforts for both public recreation and natural resource conservation that will allow Texas to thrive for generations to come. Because 95% of Texas is privately owned, it is vital we encourage private conservation along with the expansion of public parks, and this legislation achieves that goal.”
More than 240,000 acres of Texas land is lost to de-velopment each year. Texas needs additional parks, open spaces, and natural habitats to preserve our quality of life, provide food and fiber, clean water, and to support the multi-billion- dollar agricultural and outdoor recreation economy. According to a recent study by the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, less than four percent of land in Texas is under some form of protection.
