{"id":4383,"date":"2012-01-11T09:26:31","date_gmt":"2012-01-11T15:26:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/?p=4383"},"modified":"2012-02-09T16:34:41","modified_gmt":"2012-02-09T22:34:41","slug":"at-hearing-on-drought-signs-of-optimism-and-concern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/texas\/2012\/01\/11\/at-hearing-on-drought-signs-of-optimism-and-concern\/","title":{"rendered":"At Hearing on Drought, Signs of Optimism and Concern"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by Scott Olson\/Getty Images<\/p>

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The Texas Senate Business and Commerce committee heard testimony<\/a> from state agencies, scientists, environmental groups and others Tuesday about how an extended drought might affect the state\u2019s power grid.\u00a0There was talk of cloud seeding<\/a>, demand response, and even input from the ambassador to Australia on how to best generate power during a drought<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The meeting went for hours, and while it didn’t yield any direct results, there were plenty of ideas for dealing with the drought.\u00a0 It will be interesting to see which of them the committee picks to present before the next session of the state legislature in 2013.<\/p>\n\n

Rays of Hope<\/strong><\/p>\n

State meteorologist George Bomar testified on where things may be headed<\/a>, saying that \u201cwe have just come through the worst one-year drought in Texas history and it\u2019s not over.\u201d He said the current drought is a\u00a0“once in a lifetime experience” and that lakes and reservoirs have reached alarmingly low levels. His testimony hit notes of both pessimism and hope:<\/p>\n

“There is a ray of hope for Texas. The second phase of La\u00a0Ni\u00f1a\u00a0is now near its peak, and all of the computer models that predict its future point to a return to near-normal water temperatures in the central Pacific midway through 2012. It is true that La\u00a0Ni\u00f1a\u00a0can resurge a second time (for a third phase)\u2014but that is rather unlikely. Instead, La\u00a0Ni\u00f1a\u00a0should be quite weak\u2014if not vanished altogether\u2014before spring is over. But that is not good enough for Texas\u2019 needs.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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