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Texas Agriculture Archive

March 15, 2002

Landowners face setback in CPL case

South Texas landowners attempting to stop Central Power and Light Company from erecting a 52-mile-long power transmission grid that would dissect their properties suffered another setback March 5.

Following the recent hearing, District Judge Darlene Byrnes denied all the Plaintiffs' points of error in the suit.

Landowners in Karnes and Goliad counties had urged legislation, which stalled in the last legislative session, when it was learned that Central Power & Light (CPL) planned to build the mammoth transmission line from their generation plant at Coleto Creek, in Goliad County, cutting across their farms to a substation at Pawnee, in Karnes County. Subsequently, they formed a landowner coalition to challenge CPL during the permitting process to show the need for taking new land for the proposed line. An administrative judge that first heard the case agreed with landowners that the power line was not needed, but PUC (Public Utilities Commission) commissioners decided to issue the permit anyway.

Instead of cutting a totally new path, landowners wanted CPL to use a nearby, existing right-of-way or follow fencelines where possible and to use monopole construction rather than lattice towers.

Landowners maintain that CPL is a private, for-profit company, unlike the rural electric cooperatives that first brought power to the region early in the 20th century, and therefore, should not be able to take property without adequate compensation.

Following Judge Byrne's ruling, attorneys for the landowners immediately drafted an Emergency Injunction to present to the Third Court of Appeals, which, if granted, will prevent CPL from entering land until the Third Court is heard.

Drought could be worst in years

Climatologists and others in the know say this year's drought, already hitting as much as 30 percent of the country, could be the worst the nation has seen in years.

Drought conditions, which typically mean an area has seen only 70 percent of its normal precipitation for three months in a row, currently are seen in two vast eastern and western strips of the country, each hundreds of miles across and running the length from Maine to Georgia and Montana to Texas.

"This is a sleeping giant," said climatologist Mark Svoboda of the National Drought Mitigation Center. "The impact is still to come."

Already this year, New York and Baltimore have had to take water from emergency reserves, wells in New Hampshire and Georgia have run dry, and ranchers in Kansas, Oklahoma and parts of Texas have begun hauling in water or selling off their livestock. Forecasters say once summer gets into full swing, with farmers irrigating crops and eastern suburbanites watering their sponge-like lawns, the absence of any significant spring rains may force mandatory water restrictions throughout much of the country.

Beef exports have rocky year

It was a tough year for U.S. beef exports with strong U.S. prices, a strong U.S. dollar overseas and the discovery of BSE in Japan combining to affect the market.

Nevertheless, the U.S. beef industry had its third best export year in history in 2001, outpaced only by the record years 1999 and 2000, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation.

For the year, U.S. beef exports totaled 1,148,428 metric tons, down 6 percent. Exports were down 10 percent in value at $3.1 billion. However, U.S. beef exports to Mexico broke the record for the fifth consecutive year. The U.S. exported 242,802 metric tons of beef and variety meats to Mexico, up 10 percent from 2000, with a value of $637 million, up 11 percent.

The top three markets for U.S. beef in 2001 were: Japan at 468,751 metric tons, down 11 percent; Mexico; and South Korea at 145,946 metric tons, down 6 percent.

Veneman: Control subsidies

Speaking recently at USDA's Outlook conference, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said the Bush administration will push lawmakers to keep federal crop subsidies low enough so that farmers are not encouraged to produce too much.

A new farm bill "should not just be about how much money is spent in the most productive way," Veneman said.

Subsidy rates for some crops would rise by 10 to 20 percent under the Senate-passed farm bill. A House-passed farm bill would give farmers more money through fixed annual payments and has lower subsidy rates than the Senate bill.

Veneman reiterated the admini-stration's concern that the Senate bill is too costly because it would authorize $45 billion in new spending over the next five years. The Bush administration supports $73.5 billion in new spending spread evenly over the next 10 years.

"We want a stable farm policy, one that farmers and ranchers and their bankers can count on year in and year out," said Veneman.

Notable Quotables

"This group is eager to confront and conquer the future. They are highly literate, skilled information gatherers. They read trade magazines, listen to the radio for news or get it off the computer, but realize that there is more. They see Farm Bureau activity and participation as a necessary management tool in their operations and a valuable opportunity to expand their personal and professional talents. Whether hailing from North, South, East or West, farmer or rancher, raising traditional or organic commodities, landowner, renter or tenant, male farmer or female farmers—our YF&Rs share many common hopes, goals and attitudes."

—American Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman,writing about agricultural producers involved in that organization's Young Farmer & Rancher Program.