{"id":39754,"date":"2015-02-12T10:19:27","date_gmt":"2015-02-12T16:19:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/?p=39754"},"modified":"2015-02-12T10:23:01","modified_gmt":"2015-02-12T16:23:01","slug":"how-texas-challenges-the-power-of-cities-and-their-citizens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/2015\/02\/12\/how-texas-challenges-the-power-of-cities-and-their-citizens\/","title":{"rendered":"How Texas Challenges The Power Of Cities And Their Citizens"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\u201cTexas<\/a>

Screengrab from the video.<\/p>

\u201cTexas is being California-ized,\u201d Abbott said at a keynote speech he delivered January 8th to the Texas Public Policy Foundation.<\/p><\/div>\n

In a speech last month, Governor Greg Abbott said his state was becoming more like California because cities are banning things like fracking or the cutting down of trees. The Texas Legislature may soon debate passing laws to stop those local initiatives. But is that so new?<\/p>\n

When Governor Abbott\u00a0expressed dismay at what city governments and their citizens were doing<\/a>\u00a0in his state, it might have struck some observers of Texas politics as nothing new. Because for years now, the state of Texas has been challenging the power of the cities of Texas and of individual Texans.<\/p>\n

But who exactly would want to do that and why?<\/p>\n

We looked for answers at the statehouse. It\u2019s where last spring the issue came up in a public hearing held by the House Committee on Environmental Regulation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to tell you our story,\u201d said Lesley Carey shortly after she took the podium in front of the committee.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n