ODESSA, Texas — Here in West Texas we provide a majority of the oil and gas for the state and the country, but sometimes that comes with some caveats.
"Being in the oil patch it takes a toll on our roads, it sometimes leads to teacher shortages, law enforcement shortages and this is a good way to address that so the Permian Basin and other energy producing areas can continue to do what we do best into the future, with a well skilled workforce that is also a good place to live," said Representative Brook Landgraf.
Landgraf, representative for Ector, Loving, Wink and Ward Counties, wants some of the $10.8 billion dollars of tax revenue from oil and gas production to go straight to the counties producing it.
"When oil and gas severance tax is generated it goes to three places: it goes to the state highway fund, it goes to the foundation school program and it goes to the rainy day fund," said Landgraf. "The money that would be collected under this Texas STRONG proposal would otherwise be going to the state's rainy day fund, that is on track to overflow as we speak."
If passed, the money would go to things like roads, healthcare, education and more.
"This proposal also dedicates an amount of funding for plugging abandoned wells in the oil patch which can cause contamination," said Landgraf.
From here, the Texas STRONG Defense fund will have to pass in the house and the senate with 2/3 majority and then after that will need to be voted on by Texas citizens.