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DRIVER-INFRASTRUCTURE-FUNDING-POLITICS 5-year update to 50-year Texas Water Plan QUICK FACTS: **Texas' state water plans are based on future conditions in the event of a recurrence of the worst recorded drought in Texas' history-known as the "drought of record"-a time when, generally, water supplies are lowest and water demands are highest. **Texas' population is anticipated to increase 73 percent between 2020 and 2070, from 29.7 million to 51.5 million, with approximately half of this growth occurring in Regions C and H. Water demands are projected to increase less significantly, by approximately 9 percent between 2020 and 2070, from 17.7 million to 19.2 million acre-feet per year. **Texas' existing water supplies-those that can already be relied on in the event of drought-are projected to decline by approximately 18 percent between 2020 and 2070, from 16.8 million to 13.8 million acre-feet per year primarily due to reservoir sedimentation and depletion of aquifers. **Water user groups face a potential water shortage of 3.1 million acre-feet per year in 2020 and 6.9 million acrefeet per year in 2070 in drought of record conditions. **Approximately 5,800 water management strategies recommended in this plan would provide 1.7 million acrefeet per year in additional water supplies to water user groups in 2020 and 7.7 million acre-feet per year in 2070. **Conservation strategies represent approximately 29 percent, or 2.2 million acre-feet per year, of all recommended water management strategy volumes in 2070 and were recommended for more than half of the water user groups in the plan. **The estimated capital cost to design, construct, and implement the more than 2,400 recommended water management strategy projects by 2070 is $80 billion. If strategies are not implemented, approximately one-quarter of Texas' population in 2070 would have less than half the municipal water supplies they will require during a drought of record. **If Texas does not implement the sta

Article about the administration mobilizing some national guard troops to help with the supply chain issues. The idea is that truck drivers and others could be used to help free up some of the bottlenecks. The idea probably won't go far, but reflects the how important the current supply problems are to the current administratioin.

Article on the supply chain issues affecting the global economy. The increased demand along with shortages in available labor has added to the problem. Also mention of inflation and how the supply chain bottlenecks is likely to result in continued inflation in coming months. The reliance on ports is critical and with the anticipated growth in coming years, it will be even more critical.

DRIVER-INFRASTRUCTURE-SCARCITY-POLITICS By 2071, nearly half of the 204 freshwater basins in the United States may not be able to meet the monthly water demand. These model projections, recently published in the journal Earth's Future, are just one preliminary component of the upcoming Resources Planning Act (RPA) Assessment expected to be published next year. In 1974, congress required that this assessment of US renewable resources be published every 10 years. Conducted by the U.S. Forest Service, the research describes two causes for the projected shortages. The first is that the U.S. will simply have more people. Despite that the average American is using less water, population growth is still expected to increase water demand across most of the country. Second, the water supply itself is expected to decrease. Projected climate change affects both rain patterns and temperatures. While rainfall is expected to increase in some parts of the US, the southern Great Plains and parts of the South won't be so lucky. The water basins rely on rainfall to feed the rivers and tributaries that flow into them. Separately, more water will evaporate from reservoirs and streams as the climate gets warmer, further chipping away at the water supply. Around 50 years from now, many U.S. regions may see water supplies reduced by a third of their current size, while demand continues to increase.

Article reviews how supply chain problems are more than bottlenecks at that ports. Lack of truck drivers and availalbility of rail contribute to delays. The article mentions a lot of things that need to be addressed before commerce flows like it once was. A key takeawy is the interconnectivity of ports with other elements of the entire transportation and supply distribution system.

The supply chain issue has been escalated to where the government is getting involved. Biden is talking with big retailers and looking for solutions as the problem seems to be getting worse and more likel to affect the economy

Schools across the country are offering less healthy lunch options as they struggle with dwindling supplies, delayed shipments and fewer cafeteria workers.

Good article on the entire shipping industry. The current backlogs have driven many to take a closer look at the day-to-day operations. This article gives a good overview of operations and problems. It identifies problems such as container shortages, to inefficient shipping, to integration with rail, and the effects of the pandemic. Lots of issues to be addressed as reliance on supply chains increase globally.

The article addresses some of the problems the supply chain infrastructure is facing today. It brings up some interesting points: US ports lag far behind ports around the world in their efficiency of loading and unloading cargo. The labor unions that control the ports are extremely reluctant to automation that might improve efficiencies and speed up processes.

Summary of the year for the Port of Virginia. They did not see the severe backlogs noted by some of the west coast ports. It also mentions their investment into automation.

"Banks said CalPERS' massive investments in China were estimated in 2018 to be $3.1 billion in at least 172 Chinese firms. He also noted that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently told a meeting of the nation's governors that included Newsom that CalPERS "is invested in companies that supply the People's Liberation Army (PLA) that put our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines at risk.""

A variety of factors affecting us economically that seemed to be related to the pandemic or the slow recovery from the pandemic to include shippin bottlenects, slower growth, longer recoveries, etc.

"For a snapshot of what all this points to regarding the total materials footprint of the green energy path, consider the supply chain for an electric car battery. A single battery providing a useful driving range weighs about 1,000 pounds.[15] Providing the refined minerals needed to fabricate a single EV battery requires the mining, moving, and processing of more than 500,000 pounds of materials somewhere on the planet (see sidebar below).[16] That's 20 times more than the 25,000 pounds of petroleum that an internal combustion engine uses over the life of a car."

"The dirt beneath our feet is getting poorer and on many farms worldwide, there is less and less of it." "This article is part of a new multimedia series Follow the Food by BBC Future and BBC World News. Follow the Food investigates how agriculture is responding to the profound challenges of climate change, environmental degradation and a rapidly growing global population. Our food supply chains are increasingly globalised, with crops grown on one continent to be consumed on another. The challenges to farming also span the world."

"More than 2,400 families have started their own gardens, and seven new permanent market spaces have been created. Shorter, localised food supply chains help the city reduce carbon emissions by producing 2,500 tons of fruits and vegetables each year. Compared to imports, local food production has been shown to reduce emissions by 95 per cent."

"The present study found that approximately 63% of the hotels which were inspected following a Legionnaires' disease case notification were found to be colonized with Legionella spp. The study also evaluated the significant factors that contribute to the maintenance, management and disinfection of water distribution systems, including the successful implementation of WSPs to improve hotel water supply and sanitation systems. Chemical treatment and the monitoring of drinking water quality, including chlorine disinfection, pH adjustment, and water temperature control of hot water systems are recommended as control measures in water safety plans, in conjunction with other procedures. It has also been found that antiquated hotel buildings are at increased risk in terms of the safety and quality of the water in their distribution systems. To conclude, risk assessment, environmental monitoring and disinfection of water systems, as well as the implementation of preventive control measures (WSPs) are the key elements for preventing contamination by pathogenic microorganisms in large public and private water distribution systems."

Here are 12 critical facts about TTHM as the city's fight to reduce it continues: 1. Trihalomethanes are actually a group of four chemicals that are formed along with other disinfection byproducts when chlorine reacts with organic materials such as leaves or dirt in water, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2. TTHMs are odorless and colorless, according to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. That means the high levels of TTHM in Flint water last year are not related to problems such as discoloration and odor in tap water. 3. The four trihalomethane chemicals are chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane and bromoform. 4. U.S. EPA regulates TTHM at a maximum allowable, annual, average level of 80 parts per billion. The standard has been in place since December 2001 for large public surface water systems and since December 2003 for small surface water and all groundwater systems. 5. Four of eight testing sites in Flint averaged more than the acceptable limit of 80 parts per billion of TTHM last year. 6. Testing for TTHM is done on a quarterly basis, which means that people who use the system are exposed to water for several months before public notice is required. That's because TTHM is a chronic -- not immediate --health threat, according to the DEQ. 7. U.S. EPA estimates the 80 parts per billion standard prevents an estimated 280 cases of bladder cancer each year out of a total of more than 330 million people who use public water supplies nationwide. 8. Since it started using the Flint River as its water source, three quarterly tests have produced these TTHM results in the city: 15 samples have been above the TTHM threshold. Nine samples have tested at less than 80 parts per billion. 9. The most recent quarterly test showed just one site of eight that was above the 80 parts per billion threshold. And a voluntary test of the same sites in late January by the city were all within were all within the limits. 10. The testin

"The administration's multitrillion-dollar social spending package, widely considered the most comprehensive climate legislation ever put forward in the US, must survive razor-thin Democratic majorities in Congress...The bill includes a program of payments and penalties to ensure utilities phase out fossil fuels from America's electricity supply, a huge expansion in tax credits for clean energy and new restrictions on methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is emitted from oil and gas drilling."