Don’t miss the final session of this season to be held at Trinity
University in San Antonio. Our distinguished panel will discuss the
recent ruling by the Texas Supreme Court on the highly publicized Day v.
EAA case regarding ownership of groundwater. The program will explore
the effects on a variety of stakeholders and a look at our complex water
policy framework in Texas. A mix of viewpoints will be presented and
discussed.
This presentation is part of the 2011-2012 Texas Water
Symposium Series, a format known for creating balanced conversations
about complex water issues — who owns the groundwater, how will it be
managed, and at what price? The Symposium is your invitation to listen
and learn as part of the live audience or from the radio broadcast.
This event is free and open to the public.
Thursday, May 17, 2012; 7 p.m.
Stieren Theater at Trinity University, 1 Trinity Place, San Antonio, TX. Directions
Evan Smith of the Texas Tribune moderates this Texas Water Symposium
between a panel of participants who represent a who’s who in current
Texas water policy and analysis:
- • Andy Sansom, Executive Director of the River Systems Institute at TSU
- • Greg Ellis, attorney specializing in groundwater law
- • Tom Mason of Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody and former General Manager at LCRA
- • Russell Johnson, McGinnis, Lochridge and Kilgore and lead counsel for the Texas Wildlife Association.
Evan Smith
The annual
Texas Water Symposium
series is co-sponsored in a unique partnership between Schreiner
University in Kerrville, Texas Tech University, Texas Public Radio and
the Hill Country Alliance. This final session of the season, we are
excited to add our host for this special program, Trinity University to
our partnership.
All of the water forums are taped and aired on Texas
Public Radio one week following the taping. Thursday’s forum will air
on KTXI 90.1 FM Kerrville/Fredericksburg on Friday, June 1 at 7pm and on
KSTX 89.1 FM San Antonio Sunday, June 3 at 8pm. Previous programs on
timely water issues that have been recorded over the past five years are
archived in the
Newsmaker Hour section of the Texas Public Radio website.
“One of our core objectives is to create an informed
and engaged citizenry so that regional decisions reflect the desires of
the Hill Country community to protect water supply, water quality,
heritage ranch lands and the unique quality of life found in Central
Texas.” said Sky Lewey, President of the Hill Country Alliance. “The
Texas Water Symposium is one of our best ways educate Texans about our
most precious natural resource – water.”
Download our Texas Water Symposium 2011-2012 flyer
here.
More about our panelists:
Russell S. Johnson focuses his
practice on environmental and water law, including representation of
public utilities, municipalities, and businesses in all forms of
litigation and regulatory matters. He has a strong background in
advocating and negotiating for clients before legislative bodies,
administrative agencies, and both state and federal courts in the water
law area. He is a Board Member, Texas Tech University School of Law
Center for Water Law and Policy. Mr. Johnson is recognized throughout
the State of Texas as a leading expert, presenter and spokesman on water
law and related issues. Russ was extensively involved in legislative
efforts to create the Edwards Aquifer Authority, modernize Texas water
with Senate Bill 1 (1997) and Senate Bill 2 (2001) and subsequent
legislation related to groundwater management. He continues these
efforts at each legislative session. He represents clients in all manner
of water rights issues, including conveyance and regulatory compliance.
He strives to keep property rights and ownership preserved and
protected.
He is currently partner with McGinnis, Lochridge and Kilgore, LLP,
Austin, Texas.
Evan Smith is the Editor in Chief and CEO of The Texas Tribune, a non-profit, non-partisan digital news
organization based in Austin. The Tribune's deep coverage of Texas politics and public policy can found at its website,
texastribune.org;
in the pages of the New York Times; and in newspapers and on TV and
radio stations across the state. In not quite two years in operation,
the Tribune has won two Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio
Television Digital News Association, a general excellence award from the
Online News Association and a Knight-Batten award for innovations in
journalism. Before co-founding
the Tribune, Evan spent nearly 18 years at Texas Monthly, including
eight years as Editor and a year as President and Editor in Chief. On
his watch, Texas Monthly twice won the National Magazine Award for
General Excellence.
Andrew Sansom is one of Texas’
leading conservationists. He is a former executive director of the
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, executive director of the Texas
Nature Conservancy, and founder of The Parks and Wildlife Foundation of
Texas. Mr. Sansom also is a past recipient of the Chevron Conservation
Award, The Chuck Yeager Award from the National Fish and Wildlife
oundation, The Pugsley Medal from the National Park Foundation, and the
Seton Award from the International Association of Fish and Wildlife
Agencies. He is a Distinguished Alumnus of Texas Tech University and
Austin College. Mr. Sansom, a native of Brazoria County, has dedicated
his life to environmental conservation. His published works have
appeared in Texas Monthly, The Texas Observer, Houston City
Magazine, Politics Today, Texas Highways, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and
Texas Town & City. His first book, Texas Lost, was photographed by
Wyman Meinzer and published in November 1995. His most recent book is
Texas Past, photographed by Wyman Meinzer and published in November
1997. Andrew Sansom now serves as Executive Director of the River
Systems Institute and Research Professor of Geography at Texas State
University-San Marcos.
Tom Mason is currently of counsel to
the Austin-based law firm Graves Dougherty Hearon & Moody. Mr.
Mason has over 30 years experience with water and environmental issues
through his work in private legal practice and service at state and
regional agencies. From 2007 to 2011 he served as general manager of
the Lower Colorado River Authority, a regional agency with
responsibility for managing the Highland Lakes and providing water,
energy, and community services to a large part of Central Texas.
Mr. Mason served as general counsel to LCRA for nine years before being
named general manager. Before joining LCRA, Mr. Mason held positions as
director of water quality at the Texas Water Commission and assistant
general counsel for the Texas Department of Water Resources (predecessor
agencies of the current Texas Commission on Environmental Quality). He
also was a partner in a law firm with a statewide practice in
environmental and administrative law. Mr. Mason graduated with honors
from the University of Texas School of Law in 1980, and holds a B.A.
from the
University of Texas at Austin where he graduated magna cum laude in
1975. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Water Laws Committee
of the Texas Water Conservation Association, the Lady Bird Johnson
Wildflower Center Advisory Council, the Texas Advisory Board of the
Environmental Defense Fund, the Austin Area Research Organization, and
was recently invited to join the board of the Texas Water Foundation.
Gregory M. Ellis is currently in a
solo law practice and has a long history in water law and water issues.
While still in law school in the mid-eighties, he helped clerk the House
Natural Resources Committee and worked on a variety of water
legislation. After graduating from the University of Texas School of Law
he worked as legislative liaison for the Texas Water Commission. In
1992 Ellis moved to Houston to serve as General Counsel to the
Harris-Galveston Subsidence District. From 1997 to 2004 Ellis was the
General Manager of the Edwards Aquifer Authority, after which he opened
his law practice concentrating on representing groundwater conservation
district clients across the State. Ellis also serves as General Counsel
to the Texas Water Foundation, a non-profit corporation that provides
water conservation education. Ellis is well versed in groundwater law,
groundwater conservation districts, general government and
administrative procedures.
