The trend of U.S. manufacturing moving to right-to-work states in the southern half of the nation has been underway for many decades and with the Trump-policy-lead economic boom, Texas is seeing serious results.
Last week, Steel Dynamics of Indiana announced that it will build an electric arc-furnace flat roll steel mill in Sinton in the Coastal Bend of Texas. If built, the near-$2 billion facility will employee about 600 Texans.
Meanwhile we see a common theme over the last few years from local governments in Texas trying to emulate the liberalism of California and other states driving industry out. Well-known is when Denton tried to override the state in regulating oil and gas drilling and production. Less well-known are all the ordinances being adopted around the state which are equally hostile to industrial development and are an inappropriate expansion of municipal power.
Hays County, with San Marcos as its county seat, is now filling with spill-over liberals from Austin and you can see the results in city ordinances like that passed three weeks ago in Kyle.
Kyle, in a Denton-like display, passed an ordinance regulating the construction and operation of pipelines in the city which is not within its purview but something controlled by the state through the Texas Railroad Commission.
That overreaching move is now making industrial development more difficult by forcing pipeline giant Kinder Morgan to go to court to protect construction of the Permian Highway Pipeline.
The entire exercise is part of a California-style effort to stop almost any industrial activity in the Hill Country. They’ve fought electric transmission lines, pipelines, water use, and more.
I say if these things are bad for the Hill Country then building houses and living there is too so they should all move.
California-style anti-industry policy infiltrating Texas cities
Last week, Steel Dynamics of Indiana announced that it will build an electric arc-furnace flat roll steel mill in Sinton in the Coastal Bend of Texas. If built, the near-$2 billion facility will employee about 600 Texans.
Meanwhile we see a common theme over the last few years from local governments in Texas trying to emulate the liberalism of California and other states driving industry out. Well-known is when Denton tried to override the state in regulating oil and gas drilling and production. Less well-known are all the ordinances being adopted around the state which are equally hostile to industrial development and are an inappropriate expansion of municipal power.
Hays County, with San Marcos as its county seat, is now filling with spill-over liberals from Austin and you can see the results in city ordinances like that passed three weeks ago in Kyle.
Kyle, in a Denton-like display, passed an ordinance regulating the construction and operation of pipelines in the city which is not within its purview but something controlled by the state through the Texas Railroad Commission.
That overreaching move is now making industrial development more difficult by forcing pipeline giant Kinder Morgan to go to court to protect construction of the Permian Highway Pipeline.
The entire exercise is part of a California-style effort to stop almost any industrial activity in the Hill Country. They’ve fought electric transmission lines, pipelines, water use, and more.
I say if these things are bad for the Hill Country then building houses and living there is too so they should all move.
Update: Here’s an example: Harris County Sues Day After Exxon Mobil Plant Blast and Fire.