Commentary: Texas Comptroller’s Good for Texas Tour: Water Planning and Innovations texaswaterjournal.org An online, peer-reviewed journal published in cooperation with the Texas Water Resources Institute Volume 13 Number 1 | 2022 http://texaswaterjournal.org Volume 13, Number 1 2022 ISSN 2160-5319 texaswaterjournal.org THE TEXAS WATER JOURNAL is an online, peer-reviewed journal devoted to the timely consideration of Texas water resources management, research, and policy issues. The journal provides in-depth analysis of Texas water resources management and policies from a multidisciplinary perspective that integrates science, engineering, law, planning, and other disciplines. It also provides updates on key state legislation and policy changes by Texas administrative agencies. For more information on on the Texas Water Journal as well as our policies and submission guidelines, please visit texaswaterjournal.org. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Texas Water Journal needs your support to provide Texas with an open-accessed, peer-reviewed publication that focuses on Texas water. Please consider donating. The Texas Water Journal is published in cooperation with the Texas Water Resources Institute, part of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University. Jude A. Benavides, Ph.D. The University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley Gabriel B. Collins, J.D. Center for Energy Studies Baker Institute for Public Policy Ken A. Rainwater, Ph.D. Texas Tech University Rosario F. Sanchez, Ph.D. Texas Water Resources Institute Michael H. Young, Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin Editor-in-Chief Todd H. Votteler, Ph.D. Collaborative Water Resolution LLC Managing Editor Chantal Cough-Schulze Texas Water Resources Institute Layout Editor Sarah L. 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Alexander, Ph.D. Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Cover photo: A view of the Milky Way over Phoinix Ranch in Jim Wells and Live Oak counties. ©2022 Rey Garza and Jim Quisenberry The Texas Water Journal is indexed by Scopus, Google Scholar, and the Directory of Open Access Journals. http://texaswaterjournal.org https://twri.tamu.edu/ http://texaswaterjournal.org https://twj-ojs-tdl.tdl.org/twj/support http://texaswaterjournal.org http://texaswaterjournal.org https://www.scopus.com/home.uri https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C44&q=source:%22Texas+Water+Journal%22&btnG= https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C44&q=source:%22Texas+Water+Journal%22&btnG= https://doaj.org/toc/2160-5319 https://doaj.org/apply/seal/ Texas Water Journal, Volume 12, Number 1 Texas Water Resources Institute Texas Water Journal Volume 13, Number 1, August 26, 2022 Pages 45-46 Commentary: Texas Comptroller’s Good for Texas Tour: Water Planning and Innovations Editor-in-Chief 's Note: The opinion expressed in this commentary is the opinion of the individual author and not the opinion of the Texas Water Journal or the Texas Water Resources Institute. Keywords: Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Texas water policy 1 Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts * Corresponding author: Texas.CPA@cpa.texas.gov Received 4 August 2022, Accepted 11 August 2022, Published online 26 August 2022. Citation: Hegar, G. 2022. Commentary: Texas Comptroller’s Good for Texas Tour: Water Planning and Innovations. Texas Water Journal. 13(1):45-46. Available from: https://doi.org/10.21423/twj.v13i1.7150. © 2022 Glenn Hegar. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ or visit the TWJ website. Glenn Hegar*1 mailto:Texas.CPA%40cpa.texas.gov?subject= https://doi.org/10.21423/twj.v13i1.7150 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://journals.tdl.org/twj/index.php/twj/about#licensing Texas Water Journal, Volume 13, Number 1 Texas Comptroller’s Good for Texas Tour: Water Planning and Innovations46 My job as the Texas comptroller of public accounts (comp- troller) is to monitor and support the state’s financial and eco- nomic well-being. I find that the best way, arguably the only way, to be successful in my position is to keep the interests of taxpayers top of mind. In my years as comptroller, I have prioritized face-to-face meetings with Texans and showcasing the work they do to make this state a great place to live and do business. I believe it’s important to highlight not only how Texans shine during the good times but also how we deal with challenges. My Good for Texas Tour series does just that: It gives me and my constituents a firsthand look at economic development opportunities and challenges that have statewide implications. Past tours have focused on topics like supply chains, cyberse- curity, manufacturing, and more (Statewide Economic Data n.d.). This fall, I will be embarking on another Good for Texas Tour focused on water infrastructure, flood mitigation, inno- vative water solutions, and industries with a big stake in water, such as agriculture. I am proud to say that I have a long history of advocating for and supporting our state’s water planning initiatives, including the building of new infrastructure designed to conserve water and increase water supplies. I also am honored to have a seat on the board of advisors for the State Water Implementation Fund for Texas, a critical financial assistance tool for high-cost projects in Texas’ state water plan (State Water Implementation Fund for Texas 2022). Speaking of long history, Texas and its residents have faced enormous weather-related challenges such as severe droughts over the years. The drought from 1950 to 1957, for instance, was one of the driest periods in Texas’ mod- ern history, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that it resulted in almost $40 billion (in 2021 dollars) in direct losses for the state’s agriculture sector alone (TWDB 2022). The intense drought that occurred more recently, from 2011 to 2014, caused between $11.1 billion and $15.5 billion (also in 2021 dollars) in direct agricultural losses. Unfortunately, we’re experiencing drought conditions across the state right now, with nearly 60% of the state in extreme drought conditions and 20% in an exceptional drought, as measured by the federal government (Current U.S. Drought Monitor Conditions for Texas 2022). But our strong record of perseverance is why I firmly believe we’ll meet this challenge head-on and position our state as the nation’s leader in water planning and innovation. On my upcoming water tour, I will have the pleasure of meeting and learning from Texans who turn water planning into action. This tour is timely for a slew of reasons. For one, the Texas Water Development Board released the latest state water plan earlier this year, and with our state rapidly growing in population and businesses continuing to move to Texas, we must be more diligent than ever to ensure we have the water resources necessary for future generations (TWDB 2021). Additionally, the information we gather can help inform the 88th Legislature, which convenes just a few months from now. Legislative sessions are whirlwinds of activity, so up-to-date information about critical Texas water issues will help legisla- tors as they craft policy during a hectic time. In the June/July edition of Fiscal Notes, my office’s flagship publication on the trends and events affecting our state’s econ- omy, we spotlighted the 2022 State Water Plan – Water for Texas and interviewed those intimately involved with the plan’s development (Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts 2022). There’s no getting around it: We have a long road ahead of us as we implement the strategies recommended in the state water plan. The adverse socioeconomic impacts of not meeting the state’s water needs over the next 50 years are immense and overwhelming. Even with formidable challenges in mind, I’m optimistic about the future of water management in our state. On my upcoming tour, I’m looking forward to learning from those who oversee successful projects, talking with experts, and hear- ing from regular Texans about the challenges they face. When all these stakeholders come together, meeting our state’s water needs will be in excellent hands. REFERENCES Current U.S. Drought Monitor Conditions for Texas. 2022. Boulder (Colorado): National Integrated Drought Infor- mation System. Available from: https://www.drought.gov/ states/texas. Statewide Economic Data.Texas.gov. n.d. Austin (Texas): Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Available from: https:// comptroller.texas.gov/economy/economic-data/. State Water Implementation Fund for Texas. 2022. Austin (Texas): Texas Water Development Board. Available from: https://www.twdb.texas.gov/financial/programs/SWIFT/ index.asp. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. 2022. June/July 2022 Fiscal Notes. Austin (Texas): Texas Comptroller of Pub- lic Accounts. 12 p. Publication #96-369. Available from: https://comptroller.texas.gov/economy/fiscal-notes/2022/ jul/water-plan.php. [TWDB] Texas Water Development Board. 2021. 2022 State Water Plan – Water for Texas. Austin (Texas): Texas Water Development Board. 202 p. Available from: https://www. twdb.texas.gov/waterplanning/swp/2022/index.asp. [TWDB] Texas Water Development Board. 2022. Drought in Texas: A Comparison of the 1950‒1957 and 2010‒2015 Droughts. Austin (Texas): Texas Water Development Board. 101 p. Available from: https://www.twdb.texas. gov/publications/reports/other_reports/doc/Drought-in- Texas-Comparison-1950s-2010s.pdf. https://www.drought.gov/states/texas https://www.drought.gov/states/texas https://comptroller.texas.gov/economy/economic-data/ https://comptroller.texas.gov/economy/economic-data/ https://www.twdb.texas.gov/financial/programs/SWIFT/index.asp https://www.twdb.texas.gov/financial/programs/SWIFT/index.asp https://comptroller.texas.gov/economy/fiscal-notes/2022/jul/water-plan.php https://comptroller.texas.gov/economy/fiscal-notes/2022/jul/water-plan.php https://www.twdb.texas.gov/waterplanning/swp/2022/index.asp https://www.twdb.texas.gov/waterplanning/swp/2022/index.asp https://www.twdb.texas.gov/publications/reports/other_reports/doc/Drought-in-Texas-Comparison-1950s-2010s.pdf https://www.twdb.texas.gov/publications/reports/other_reports/doc/Drought-in-Texas-Comparison-1950s-2010s.pdf https://www.twdb.texas.gov/publications/reports/other_reports/doc/Drought-in-Texas-Comparison-1950s-2010s.pdf