Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham announced a new General Land Office initiative on Monday called The Texas Engine: Fueled, Fed, and Fortified, a plan the agency says will put the state’s land and natural resources to work for Texas and the country.
The initiative is organized around five interconnected pillars, according to an Aug. 31 news release from the GLO: delivering dependable energy, unlocking new revenue streams, strengthening domestic manufacturing, securing food production and protecting the state’s land, water and critical resources. The agency said it will announce individual projects under the banner over the next several months.
“American strength requires energy, land, natural resources, workers, farmers and leaders with the determination and grit to protect them — Texas can provide that strength,” said Commissioner Buckingham. “As a ninth-generation Texan and your Land Commissioner, it is my duty to ensure the GLO keeps these essential resources working for Texas.”
On energy, the agency said Texas is the energy capital of America and that it will continue supporting dependable and dispatchable power from oil, natural gas, geothermal and nuclear sources. On production, the GLO pointed to critical minerals and produced water as resources it says can strengthen the economy and reduce dependence on foreign countries.
The manufacturing pillar rests on the agency’s position that Texas has the energy, resources, workforce and infrastructure to lead the next generation of American manufacturing and create jobs. The agriculture pillar centers on protecting working lands and conserving water so the state’s farmers and ranchers can pass that legacy to the next generation, while the final pillar commits the office to developing land, water and coastline responsibly while preserving them for future Texans.
Buckingham, who in 2022 became the first woman elected Texas land commissioner, said the responsibility to keep those resources working is what The Texas Engine is about. The GLO released a video from the commissioner introducing the initiative and said further project announcements would follow.