February 24, 2020      6:09 PM

Construction materials spark conflict

No matter how Texas lawmakers address concrete and aggregate production, nothing will likely slow the need for new facilities and local opposition will still spring up to each and every one of them

Anytime an issue results in an 1,100 percent increase in bills filed over a 4-year period, it is worth noting. When that happens, it’s possible it will have ripple effects for the legislative program of many in the Texas Capitol community, whether intended or not.

Aggregate and concrete production issues, especially the location of these facilities, have come to the forefront and it does not appear they will go away any time soon. For those not familiar with the term, “aggregate” includes crushed rock, sand and gravel—materials essential for construction.

Besides the sheer volume of bills, the number of bills viewed by industry as adverse increased by 3,200 percent over that same 4-year period. The number of legislators introducing bills viewed by the industry as adverse increased from one to thirteen.

By Jon Fisher

Copyright February 24, 2020, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved