Читать книгу Texas Got It Right! - Sam Wyly - Страница 24

Texas is strong and self-sufficient by design. It is the

only U.S. state to have joined the union by treaty—in

1845, when the sovereign Republic of Texas voted to

join the union. Texas bargained hard with the federal

government to win favorable terms and became

unique among states by keeping full control of her

public land. Texas also retained control of the repub-

lic’s historic coastal waters, which extend three

leagues (10.4 miles) from the coast instead of other

states’ one (3.5 miles). The rewards are tangible

TEXAS GOT IT RIGHT!

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today. Oil, gas, and mineral leases on the state’s

public onshore and offshore territory have helped

finance an enormous permanent public education

endowment at both the K–12 and university levels,

and Texas’s extrawide coastal waters hold colossal

renewable-energy potential. Independent energy pro-

ducers operating in Texas currently hold leases for

4,000 megawatts of offshore wind capacity, enough

to power 3.2 million homes. Once again, Texas

proves that independence pays.