Senator Charles Perry is a man on a water mission as he prepares to file a package of five bills that address the future of Texas water, including asking his fellow lawmakers to make at least a $1 billion-a-year commitment. The veteran Republican legislator from West Texas has been part of a years-long push to dedicate significant funding for water infrastructure to prepare our fast-growing state for its thirsty future. Some of the ideas he’s proposing would have sounded outlandish just a few years ago but, as he told the Texas Observer, Senator Perry thinks there is the technology, and the votes, to get it all done now.
TO: We’ve been hearing about your plans for a series of ambitious water bills. There’s been talk about multiple new desalination plants and of a statewide water pipeline system running along every interstate. What’s your vision? What are your biggest goals for 20 years from now?
