Ray Perryman is one of the leading economists that probably has as good of a pulse on the Texas market as anyone. He weighed in on last week’s EPA ruling and providing some projections regarding the real impact that the ruling could have on Texas.
Apart from the technical and pragmatic issues involved, approximately 3,000 Texans are employed directly in the lignite mining sector. The overall impact of this activity includes over $1.3 billion in annual gross product and almost 14,000 permanent jobs. It also provides approximately $71 million per year ($142 million per biennium) in State revenues and is the lifeblood of several small communities.
I highly recommend you read his full article as he puts the whole rule making in context and explains why so many in Texas are Thoroughly upset by the heavy handed, last minute move to impose the unreasonable rules on Texas.
