The Railroad Commission of Texas issued a total of 687 original drilling permits in August 2021 compared to 451 in August 2020. The August 2021 total includes 613 permits to drill new oil or gas wells, 10 to re-enter plugged wellbores, and 58 for re-completions of existing wellbores.

The breakdown of well types for original drilling permits in August 2021 in 149 oil, 53 gas, 452 oil or gas, 21 injections, and 12 other permits.

In August 2021, Commission staff processed 649 oil, 109 gas, and 291 injection completions for new drills, re-entries, and re-completions, compared to 1,007 oil, 211 gas, and 197 injection completions in August 2020.

Total well completions processed for 2021 year-to-date for new drills, re-entries, and re-completions are 6,108 compared to 10,804 recorded during the same period in 2020.

Detailed data on drilling permits and well completions for the month can be found at this link:

TABLE 1 – AUGUST 2021 TEXAS OIL AND GAS NEW DRILLING PERMITS AND COMPLETIONS BY RAILROAD COMMISSION OF TEXAS DISTRICT*

Source: www.rrc.texas.gov

The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Board of Directors has unanimously approved the DARTzoom Final Bus Network Plan, which includes a complete redesign of the DART bus network. With the goal of providing greater frequency, longer service hours and improved access to destinations, the redesigned network goes into effect on January 24, 2022.

As the North Texas region continues to experience unparalleled growth, becoming a national and international destination for both residents and corporations, DART has undertaken a complete blank-slate redesign of the existing bus system. Working with all 13 Service Area cities, employers, community leaders, and transit riders, DART has developed a new bus system that is designed to ensure passengers have safe and easy access to employment, education and entertainment areas across the DART service area.

Greater Frequency
Core Frequent Network service will provide bus frequency matching or better than light rail service – 15-minute peak and 20-minute midday. Light rail service will also return to pre-pandemic levels, providing 15-minute peak service and more frequent evening service.

Expanded Coverage
With the implementation of the DARTzoom Bus Network Redesign service changes, 74% of DART service area residents will have access to transit services within walking distance. This is an increase of 6% above the current bus network design. New DART GoLink on-demand service zones help achieve the added coverage.

More Direct Routes
By making the new bus routes more direct, focusing on major transit corridors and reducing the number of bus stops, DART bus service will be faster, ensuring passengers get to their destinations quicker and improving connections.

Longer Hours of Service
With a focus on transit riders working non-traditional hours, all local DART bus routes will provide service 7 days a week between the hours of 5:00 a.m. and midnight at a minimum. The 22 core frequent bus routes will operate between 4:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m.

Improved Access to Jobs
The DARTzoom Bus Network Redesign will increase the number of jobs that an average resident of the DART service area can reach in one hour by 34% compared to the existing bus network.

New GoLink Zones
An essential part of the new DART bus network is the expansion of GoLink, DART’s on-demand, curb-to-curb microtransit service solution that operates in zones across the DART service area. GoLink offers direct-request demand-responsive service with connections to other DART routes as well as curb-to-curb service anywhere within a specified zone.

With the start of the new bus service schedule in 2022, 13 new GoLink zones will be added, bringing the total to 30. To ensure riders have the opportunity to experience GoLink for themselves before the bus service changes go into effect, all 30 zones will be active beginning December 6, 2021.

Source: dart.org

The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that it’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has published a final interpretive rule that changes a rule interpreting the anti-retaliation provision of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.

In 1973, OSHA established Part 1977 – Discrimination against Employees under OSH Act of 1970 that contains interpretive regulations and procedures governing the agency’s administration of cases under section 11(c), which prohibits employers from retaliating against employees because they have engaged in protected activity, including complaining about unsafe or unhealthful working conditions.

The revised final interpretive rule clarifies the causal connection between the protected activity and the adverse action (29 CFR 1977.6). This change brings the provision in line with the Supreme Court’s holdings in Gross v. FBL Financial Services, Inc., Univ. of Tex. Sw. Med. Ctr. v. Nassar, and Bostock v. Clay County, Georgia. The agency also revised the regulation by adding terms to reflect the full scope of section 11(c)’s prohibition against retaliation.

Source: www.osha.gov

Texas’s new anti-choice law took effect yesterday, barring most abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy. Instead of authorizing governmental officials to enforce the law, as is typical with anti-choice laws, the law allows private individuals to sue abortion providers and anyone who “aids or abets” an abortion.

Christian D. Menefee, the County Attorney for the largest county in Texas, stated:

“This law is a dangerous attack on women’s reproductive health. It bans abortions before most women even know they’re pregnant, effectively ending all abortions in Texas. It gives a green light to anti-choice activists to drag women and their healthcare providers into courts and publicly shame them for their medical decisions. No doctor should be made to pay for providing necessary healthcare. No woman should have to drive to another state for an abortion. And no one should be dragged into expensive and burdensome lawsuits because of a medical decision the United States Supreme Court has time and time again said is legal.

The Texas Legislature drafted the law to let any person enforce it because it believed it could evade review by the Supreme Court. But I’m hopeful the courts will see this law for exactly what it is: a dangerous and blatant attempt to undermine Roe v. Wade.”

About the Harris County Attorney’s Office
Christian D. Menefee was elected as County Attorney for Harris County in November 2020. His office represents the largest county in Texas in all civil legal matters, including lawsuits.

Governor Greg Abbott has issued a proclamation recognizing September 2021 as Preparedness Month in Texas. Coinciding with National Preparedness Month, this month is a time to encourage Texans to develop and practice emergency plans to protect their household and property in the event of an emergency or natural disaster by creating a communication strategy, deciding on an emergency meeting location, building a three-day disaster preparedness kit, and signing up for emergency alerts.

“Each September, the State of Texas participates in National Preparedness Month and renews our commitment to promoting emergency preparedness in homes, businesses, and communities across the Lone Star State,” reads the Governor’s proclamation. “At this time, I encourage all Texans to remain mindful of both natural and manmade disasters. As the conditions of potential threats can change rapidly, it is essential to understand and heed warnings from local officials and emergency management personnel. In order to ensure a better and brighter future for the state of Texas, we must prepare today for a safer tomorrow.”

View the Governor’s proclamation.

The Texas Division of Emergency Management, which marks its second anniversary as a standalone state agency under the Texas A&M University System today, is also highlighting key preparedness topics from Ready.gov every week during the month of September 2021 across social media:

Week 1 September 1-4: Make A Plan
Talk to your friends and family about how you will communicate before, during, and after a disaster. Make sure to update your plan based on the Centers for Disease Control recommendations due to the coronavirus.

Week 2 September 5-11: Build A Kit
Gather supplies that will last for several days after a disaster for everyone living in your home.  Don’t forget to consider the unique needs each person or pet may have in case you have to evacuate quickly. Update your kits and supplies based on recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control.

Week 3 September 12-18: Low-Cost, No-Cost Preparedness
Limit the impacts that disasters have on you and your family.  Know the risk of disasters in your area and check your insurance coverage. Learn how to make your home stronger in the face of storms and other common hazards, and act fast if you receive a local warning or alert.

Week 4 September 19-25: Teach Youth About Preparedness
Talk to your kids about preparing for emergencies and what to do in case you are separated. Reassure them by providing information about how they can get involved.

La Comisión de Salud y Servicios Humanos (HHSC) de Texas y la Comisión de la Fuerza Laboral de Texas (TWC) lanzaron una campaña de concientización pública que se enfoca en la necesidad en todo el estado de auxiliares de atención personal que ayuden a las personas con discapacidades a vivir de manera independiente en sus propios hogares y comunidades.

“Estos trabajos cambian las vidas de las personas que reciben cuidados y a la gente que los proporciona”, dijo Claire Benitez, directora de la Oficina de Coordinación de Servicios para Personas con discapacidades en HHS. “Los auxiliares de atención personal tienen verdaderamente un impacto positivo en las vidas de las personas a quienes cuidan, al ayudarlos a vivir de manera más independiente”.

Más de 300,000 personas reciben servicios de ayuda comunitaria en Texas a través de programas de servicios y apoyos a largo plazo. Para cubrir la creciente necesidad de auxiliares de atención personal, la HHSC predice que el gremio necesita incrementar de 301,000 trabajadores en 2019 a 484,000 en 2031.

Los auxiliares de atención personal, también conocidos como asistentes de ayuda personal, ayudantes comunitarios y trabajadores de servicio y cuidado directo, trabajan para una persona con discapacidades, un representante legalmente autorizado, o una agencia de servicios de salud en casa. Los auxiliares de atención personal pueden ayudar a los clientes a vestirse, bañarse, cocinar, comer, hacer las compras y a realizar quehaceres ligeros, así como acompañarlos a clases, a hacer mandados y a reuniones sociales. Este tipo de trabajo ofrece un horario flexible para personas que buscan una profesión gratificante.

“Los auxiliares de atención personal proporcionan apoyo esencial a personas con discapacidades y los ayudan a participar en el ámbito laboral”, dijo Ed Serna, director ejecutivo de la Comisión de la Fuerza Laboral de Texas. “Alentamos a más personas a considerar esta área de trabajo, la cual es una vocación de compasión y servicio”.

Las oficinas de la fuerza laboral de Texas ofrecen oportunidades para que las familias publiquen vacantes de empleo a través de MyTXCareer.com(link is external) para estos trabajos. El programa de Rehabilitación Vocacional de la TWC apoya la capacitación de las personas que estén interesadas en unirse a la profesión de auxiliar de atención personal.

“Los auxiliares de atención personal permiten que las personas con discapacidades vivan en su comunidad con el apoyo y servicios que necesitan. Sin ellos, estas personas están en riesgo de ser desalojadas de su comunidad y colocadas bajo cuidado institucional”, afirmó la Rep. Stephanie Klick. “Los auxiliares de atención personal encuentran remuneración gratificante al ayudar a personas con discapacidades a mantener su independencia en sus comunidades”.

El plan estratégico de desarrollo de la fuerza laboral de auxiliares comunitarios (en inglés) de la HHSC para contratar, retener, y asegurar acceso adecuado a los servicios de los auxiliares de atención personal, incluye información sobre la fuerza de trabajo en Texas, retroalimentación de los interesados a través de una encuesta en línea, y las recomendaciones y metas a largo plazo de la dependencia para abordar los retos que enfrentan las personas que reciben los servicios.

La HHSC lanzó el Grupo de trabajo para el desarrollo de la fuerza laboral de servicio directo (Grupo de trabajo DSW) en marzo de 2021 para cumplir una de seis metas a largo plazo del Plan estratégico de desarrollo de la fuerza laboral de auxiliares comunitarios. El Grupo de trabajo DSW es un grupo de trabajo colaborativo cuyo propósito es explorar estrategias basadas en contratación y retención a largo plazo dentro de esa área profesional.

“El equipo de Workforce Solutions Middle Rio Grande está entusiasmado de formar parte del Grupo de trabajo para el desarrollo de la fuerza laboral de servicio directo y su compromiso de incrementar las contrataciones y la retención en el área profesional de atención personal”, dijo Elizabeth Sifuentes, directora ejecutiva de Workforce Solutions Middle Rio Grande. “La región media de Rio Grande podrá incorporar nuestra perspectiva rural para fortalecer esta iniciativa”.

La HHSC, en colaboración con la Comisión de la Fuerza Laboral de Texas y el Grupo de Trabajo DSW, continuará sus esfuerzos para mejorar el desarrollo de la fuerza laboral y de la recolección de datos del área profesional de auxiliares de atención personal, e incrementar la concientización de la necesidad y el valor de los auxiliares de atención personal.

“Este es solo el primer paso en la contratación de posibles trabajadores que estén interesados en crear una conexión con una persona con discapacidades y apoyarla para que prospere en su comunidad”, dijo Roxann Medina, supervisora de proyectos en la Oficina de Coordinación de Servicios para Personas con Discapacidades de HHS.

Source: www.hhs.texas.gov