'Un-statesman-like' behavior on Capitol floor over proposed Burnet rock crusher

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Of the many bills heard before a key deadline in the Texas House of Representatives, one bill aimed at stopping a proposed rock crusher plant in Burnet County drummed up drama on Thursday, May 16.

House Bill 5151, co-authored by Rep. Terry Wilson (R-Georgetown) and Rep. Ellen Troxclair (R-Burnet), would have placed added restrictions on the development of rock crushers in Texas.

The bill aimed to prevent plants from being built within four miles of a lake owned or operated by a river authority (like the Lower Colorado River Authority), four miles from the entrance to some state parks and within two miles of a youth camp founded in 1975.

These prerequisites were aimed directly at a proposed rock crusher plant currently going through the permitting process in Burnet County. That plant shares a fence line with Camp Longhorn and is near Inks Lake and Longhorn Caverns.

On Thursday, the initial vote was delayed after a point of order was called. An amendment was then added to the bill. Hours later, when the bill was brought back up, Rep. Troxclair announced the amendment without giving any details about what the amendment would do. She quickly left the podium and motioned for a vote.

The room erupted in confusion. Rep. Terry Canales (D-McAllen), who called the initial point of order, then called another one. He requested Rep. Troxclair answer questions related to the bill.

"Can you tell us what the amendment did? You ran off really quickly and tried to divert my attention. Un-statesman-like, so I wouldn't call the point of order. At least have the courtesy of the body to tell us what the amendment did," Rep. Canales said.

Rep. Troxclair said the amendment clarified the area protected under the bill. "It ensures that the boundaries originally put in the bill are solidified and clear," Rep. Troxclair said. She ignored Canales' additional questions before moving to adopt the amendment. The amendment's addition passed.

Canales then brought another point of order questioning the bill.

Language in the bill changed following a committee hearing. Previous language in the bill focused on "New mines, quarries, and rock crushing operations."

The revised language changed this section to a focus on "certain facilities that produce or crush aggregates."

Canales argued this change altered the intent of the original bill. The House Parliamentarian agreed with the point of order. The bill was removed from the vote and returned to committee.

Water quality and public comment

Pushback against the rock crusher has been consistent since it was first announced. Following air quality permit approval earlier this year, the next step in its final approval is permits with the LCRA.

The Lower Colorado River Authority has provided an extended public comment period due to increased interest. On Tuesday, May 13, representatives of the LCRA held one-on-one sessions with the public in Burnet County.

"We know that there's a lot of passion and a lot of interest and a lot of concern," said John Hofmann, Executive Vice President for Water with the LCRA.

Nan Manning, director of Camp Longhorn, attended the session alongside 65 other concerned citizens. "We've even had people that came out of there and said they got teary-eyed and emotional talking about trying to protect this one little four-square-mile area," she said.

Each person was allotted three minutes to speak with an LCRA representative. A stenographer recorded their concerns. "LCRA is water quality entity, and we're very focused on the water quality aspects of this," Hoffman said.

"We're talking about people. We're talking about ranchers. We're talking about the youth, the youth camp center there, and the natural resources," said Randy Printz with SaveBurnet.com.

Printz lives across the street from the planned lot. He's led the charge since late 2024. "This proposed site is only a couple miles from two state parks. You couldn't pick a worse place in all of Texas," he said.

Following the public comment period, the LCRA will decide whether or not to approve the water quality permit filed by the company behind the plant, Asphalt Inc..

The proposed plant wouldn't be unique to the area. Multiple other quarries currently operate in Burnet County. The quarries are all south of Burnet.