In the News: Odessa American: A smarter way for Texas to cut costs, solve shortages

By Mike Garver

Texans are doing everything they can to stretch their dollars these days. With inflation still hitting hard and prices climbing, governments at every level are now exploring “DOGE” methods of cutting waste, boosting efficiency, and paying down debt. It’s a smart approach — especially when we’re dealing with rising costs across the board.

At the same time, the news is full of wars, natural disasters, and global disruptions that threaten the raw materials we rely on every day. The unfortunate reality that is often left unsaid is that we get a lot of those materials from unstable or even hostile countries — some of which use child or slave labor to mine and process them. That is a serious problem.

Take aluminum — a cornerstone for construction, cars, and high-voltage power lines. Once a domestic powerhouse, America’s aluminum production has collapsed. Today, we’re dependent on adversaries like China and Russia. It’s a dangerous reliance, especially when these same materials are sitting — wasted — along Texas highways, at the bottom of our lakes, and clogging our rivers.

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