State Sen. Robert Nichols (R–Jacksonville) admitted he “really hated” voting to remove a two-year moratorium on commercial groundwater pumping — but he did it anyway.
The move gutted House Bill 27, a measure rural Texans supported to protect their aquifers, and left many residents calling it a betrayal, according to the Messenger.
The Moratorium Meant Protection
HB 27, authored in the House by Rep. Cody Harris (R–Palestine), originally included a two-year pause on new commercial well permits while the state studied the long-term effects of high-volume water exports. The House passed it with bipartisan support, giving East Texas communities hope their water would be shielded from outside interests.
Nichols has had a leading role in advocating for the moratorium in recent months, publicly stoking residents’ fears of businessman and East Texas rancher Kyle Bass’ plan to drill test wells on his own property.
Nichols’ Flip-Flop: Guts Own Bill’s Protections
When the bill reached the Senate, Nichols led the effort to remove the moratorium. He later told the Messenger that lobbyists for water companies had “days to work senators” and that he feared the entire bill would fail without stripping the pause.
“I really hated to vote for that amendment,” Nichols admitted. “But it was a commitment I made to get it out of committee. If I hadn’t, there would have been nothing. No bill. No study. Nothing.”
That admission — disliking the amendment yet voting for it anyway — has fueled accusations that Nichols flip-flopped on his own principles and caved to lobbyist pressure.
Republican Outrage
Rural Republicans quickly denounced the move. Harris blasted the Senate version for undercutting the bill’s purpose. HD9 Representative Trent Ashby said he was “deeply disappointed,” while Senate District 3 candidate Rhonda Ward said Nichols should have acted sooner and called removing the moratorium a dangerous mistake.
For Houston County residents, the “studies” Nichols touted are meaningless if new wells can be drilled in the meantime.
Nichols RINO Record
Critics note this isn’t the first time Nichols has broken with conservatives:
- He was one of just two Senate Republicans to vote against Education Savings Accounts, a top GOP priority.
- Voted to convict Attorney General Ken Paxton during his Senate impeachment trial, siding with Democrats while most Republicans voted to acquit.
- He opposed efforts to end taxpayer-funded lobbying, siding with bureaucrats and lobbyists over grassroots conservatives.
The bottom line: Nichols promoted the moratorium publicly, even attending town hall meetings to stoke resident fears of water drilling, then voted to kill the very provision he advocated.