There are 300 crew members between the two carnival cruise ships, the Carnival Vista and the Carnival Breeze currently docked at the Port of Galveston, all agreed to be vaccinated. Carnival officials say it’s an important part of the process to get sailing again.

“I tell ya, it’s time to cruise again so let’s get going,” said Galveston Mayor Craig Brown.

Brown was in good company Monday with Port of Galveston officials, business owners and the CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines, Christine Duffy who applauded the efforts to resume cruising.

With the help of the University of Texas Medical Branch, 100% of cruise ship staff members currently on board are being vaccinated, that included the captain of the Carnival Vista, Salvatore Mangraviti.

Duffy said they’ve been working on safety practices for months, and it seems to be helping to persuade the CDC to lift the ban on cruises that extends until the fall.

“The good news is CDC has begun to provide the industry with more specific guidance that does give us a path where we could resume sailing by July,” Duffy said.

Once cruising resumes, guests will also be required to be vaccinated and show proof. Both staff and guests will undergo COVID-19 testing as well.

“I miss our guests and I miss the smiles on all of their faces,” said one crew member from the Philippines named James.

Duffy said there are still a lot of details to be worked out before cruises can resume, but with continued support from the community as well as commissioners and members of Congress, they’re optimistic that we could see the ships behind me setting sail this summer.

Source: www.click2houston.com

The private recreational angler red snapper season in federal water opens Tuesday, June 1, 2021. Bag and size limits will remain unchanged. The regulations are 2 fish per person daily with a 16-inch minimum size limit in federal waters, and 4 fish per person daily with a 15-inch minimum in state waters. Red snapper caught in federal waters count as part of the state bag limit of 4 fish. No more than 4 red snapper may be in your possession while fishing in state waters and no more than 2 in federal waters.

Since 2018, the National Marine Fisheries Service has granted the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) the authority to establish the opening and closing of the red snapper fishery in federal waters off the Texas coast for private recreational anglers fishing from their own vessels. The federally permitted for-hire sector continues to be managed in its current structure set by the federal government.

While the season length is still being determined by Coastal Fisheries Division biologists, the public will be notified through the TPWD’s website, social media accounts and news releases.

Yesterday, the Texas Legislature passed two critically important bills that allow Texas to fight national efforts to eliminate fossil fuels.

House Bill 17 protects consumers by prohibiting political subdivisions from discriminating against specific fuel sources like natural gas and coal; this will ensure cities and counties cannot pass California-style ordinances that ban gas hook-ups in new buildings or homes.

“Winter Storm Uri exposed the importance of allowing individuals to have access to natural gas in their homes,” said RRC Commission Wayne Christian. “99.5 percent of customers connected to natural gas maintained service for the duration of Winter Storm Uri, ensuring they had fuel to cook food and heat their homes.”

Senate Bill 13 prevents our state from investing in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) financial products that boycott Texas energy companies.

“Extremists are coming after your retirement account vis-à-vis ESG investing,” said Christian. “Studies clearly show this investment strategy leads to poorer outcomes for investors, and for the State of Texas, divesting from fossil fuels would have a dramatic impact on our state’s economy and budget. As proponents of SB 13 have said, this sends a strong message to big business, that if you boycott Texas energy, Texas will boycott you.”

“I would like to thank bill authors Senator Brian Birdwell (HB 17/SB 13), Representative Joe Deshotel (HB 17), and Representative Phil King (SB 13) for their leadership on these issues,” continued Christian. “While the federal government picks winners and losers by propping up unreliable forms of energy with massive subsidies, Texas has demonstrated it prioritizes consumer choice and reliability more than virtue signaling to a small and loud group of woke political activists.”

Source: www.rrc.state.tx.us