This Week At The Capitol With Rep. Zwiener

Rep. Zwiener Honors Grammy-Nominated Wood & Wire with Resolution on House Floor

Austin, TX — The 2019 Texas Legislature got a visit from Grammy-nominated Texas band Wood & Wire Thursday, April 4, morning.

The band, whose latest album North of Despair was recorded in Dripping Springs, was nominated this past year for a Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album.

Two of the band members are originally from House District 45.

Rep. Zwiener honored the group with House Resolution No. 486, which recognizes Wood & Wire and congratulates the band on its nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album of 2018. 

“We are deeply proud of Wood & Wire and so glad they chose Dripping Springs to record their Grammy-nominated album North of Despair,” said Rep. Zwiener from the House floor. “This crew has quickly become an impressive force in bluegrass, setting themselves apart with strong, original song craft.”

Formed in 2011, Wood & Wire has recorded three full length studio LPs, plus two EPs, and a live album. The four-member band includes guitarist-vocalist Tony Kamel, mandolinist Billy Bright, banjo player Trevor Smith, and upright bass player Dominic Fisher, all of whom were in attendance at the Capitol. 

You can read more about Wood & Wire at their website: http://www.woodandwireband.com/bio

San Marcos’ Own Dr. Mario Garza Gives Invocation on State House Floor

Austin, TX — Dr. Mario Garza of San Marcos led the invocation April 2 on the Texas House Floor. Dr. Garza delivered the invocation in the Coahuilatecan language.

He serves as the board of elder’s chair for the Indigenous Cultures Institute and Cultural Preservation Officer of the Miakan/Garza Band of Coahuilatecan people, a group of indigenous to south central Texas.

Each morning, a member from the Texas House of Representatives selects a district resident as Chaplain of the Day who leads the House in an invocation following the call to order.

“I was so honored to host Dr. Mario Garza [Tuesday] to lead our members in the invocation,” Rep. Zwiener said. “It’s vital for our indigenous communities to be visible in our Texas Capitol, and I am grateful for his time, his presence, and his blessing on our chamber.”

Dr. Mario Garza served two tours in Vietnam, earned his PhD from Michigan State University in Social Science, and has spent nearly three decades protecting the land and grave sites of indigenous peoples.

Rep. Zwiener’s Pollutant Discharge Permit Bill Gets First Hearing

Austin, TX — State Representative Erin Zwiener April 2 laid out House Bill 4116, which establishes a voluntary financial assurance program for permit holders under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.

Inspired by a contentious, multi-year conflict regarding Dripping Springs’ wastewater facility expansion and discharge permit, HB 4116 seeks to allow affected parties and permit applicants an avenue for compromise, flexibility, and public buy-in during discharge permit conflicts.  

“HB 4116 would bring stakeholders in the community together by providing an avenue for upfront negotiations and consensus building while reducing the administrative headache that comes with a contested case,” said Rep. Zwiener. “I am hopeful that its success will help provide a model for future collaborative efforts in environmental permitting”

Rep. Zwiener stressed that the program is voluntary and not intended to override the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality recommendations regarding the discharge of treated effluent.

“The goals here are flexibility and lowering cost,” Rep. Zwiener said. “We are not here to override the TCEQ’s recommendations on treated effluent nor to pass judgement on the practice. I simply hope communities can use this tool to expedite and improve the permit process.”

Rep. Zwiener’s Pipeline Bill Heard Tuesday

Austin, TX — State Representative Erin Zwiener Tuesday, April 2, laid out House Bill 3324, addressing potential pipeline spills. The bill details the need and lays out the protocol for contingency plans in case of leaks and spills from pipelines such as the Kinder Morgan pipeline which, once completed, will run through much of Hays County. HB 3324 ensures that the impact of groundwater is considered during the construction of a pipeline.

“House District 45 has asked the Texas legislature to take action to protect our vulnerable aquifers from contamination from oil and gas pipelines,” Rep. Zwiener said. “This bill goes a long way toward protecting our communities around Texas from potential threats of pollution. In our district, aquifers such as Trinity and Edwards, must be preserved, and without contingency plans for spills, leaks, and other accidents, these aquifers are at risk.”

Kinder Morgan is planning a 430-mile pipeline that would run from West Texas near to the Houston suburb of Katy. The pipeline would cut through the Hill Country and Hays County landscape — the heart of Rep. Zwiener’s House District 45.

Local jurisdictions in and near House District 45 that have each passed resolutions against the Kinder Morgan Pipeline include: Hays County, Gillespie County, City of Kyle, City of Buda, City of San Marcos, City of Wimberley, City of Woodcreek, Hays Trinity Groundwater Conservation District, Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District, Hill Country Underground Water District, Fredericksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Hays CISD.

“The goal of this bill is not to harm the oil and gas industry in Texas,” Rep. Zwiener emphasized. “The goal is to ensure that this industry, just like other industries in Texas, is held to the highest standard of protecting human health.”