It's official: we're living in Bizarro world where just about everything is topsy-turvy and almost nothing makes sense. Take for example, this article explaining how the state of Texas (taxpayers) is moving fast on paving many of the busiest roads in the Eagle Ford Shale. Too bad paving is never as important when it's mostly for the benefit of regular Texans.
No wonder the Oil and Gas companies love Texas politicians especially during this dynasty of Republican control.
From The Corpus Christi Caller Times
CORPUS CHRISTI —The Texas Transportation Commission on Thursday approved $40 million for road repairs and improvements in some of the state's most active oil and gas drilling regions, including $10.3 million in the Eagle Ford Shale. The work is expected to begin this summer.
Cities and counties in the region face staggering costs — many times the amount approved Thursday — and serious safety problems as energy production ramps up.
A drilling method called hydraulic fracturing uses millions of gallons of fluid per well, which usually has to be trucked to the site. Over time, roads crumble and narrow.
"This funding is a down payment to try and address part of the issue now," Phil Wilson, director of the Texas Department of Transportation, said in a news release. "Even as we begin this first phase of work, we will continue partnering with industry and government leaders to build a longer term sustainable strategy."
The department recently formed a task force to study the issue, including the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Railroad Commission, the Commission on Environmental Quality, counties, and the energy and trucking sectors.
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