Commissioner Jerry Patterson spoke to Environment Texas staff yesterday about the General Land Office's work to encourage wind power off the coast of Texas. Unlike all other states, which have control of offshore lands up to three miles off their coasts, Texas has control of lands of about ten miles offshore, a distance at which conditions for wind power are best suited. Texas has control of these submerged lands because Gen. Sam Houston negotiated those terms when Texas was annexed by the U.S. and because Texas Governor Allan Shivers restored this control after Congress took it away in the 20s. According to Commissioner Patterson, as Lieutenant Governor, Shivers had long been a "one-note johnny" fighting to get control of the lands back. He got his chance to make it happen when Gov. Jester, in a moment of "strenuous physical activity" with his girlfriend on a train ride, died of a heart attack. Taking over as Governor, Shivers was able to convince President Eisenhower to cede control back to Texas. As a result, in 2005, Texas was able to lease the first offshore wind farm in the nation (other states like Massachusetts are considering offshore farms, but because those projects would be in federal rather than state waters, opponents like the oil industry have been able to stall progress in part by trying to get the federal government to block the project on ludicrous national security grounds).  

Offshore wind development is absolutely critical to end our addiction to oil and to combat the enormous problem of global warming. Wind power is clean, affordable energy and we need to expedite its development, while making sure to mitigate any potentially harmful impacts, such as harm to migratory birds.