Texans for Economic Progres is in the news all over Texas. Our op-ed describing the dangers of copper theft has appeared from Austin to Fort Worth to Gilmer, Texas. Check it out:
Austin American-Statesman
Howden: Put the eyes of Texas on copper theft
Gilmer Mirror
TEP on Copper theft
Dallas Business Journal
Stopping copper theft, June 27, 2008
To the Editor:
In cities across the nation, copper thieves are pulling down utility lines, gutting air conditioning units, raiding homes under construction and ultimately threatening lives.
The spike in copper theft is a response to the rising price of copper worldwide. With copper selling for more than $3 a pound, thieves are taking the extraordinary risk of shimming utility poles and literally ripping down phone and electrical lines for the copper inside.
To tackle this mounting problem, the City of Dallas passed one of the most aggressive anti-copper theft ordinances in the nation. Metal recyclers are required to take photographs of metal sellers, their vehicles and the metal they’re selling. The buyers must scan the sellers’ government-issued ID and take their thumbprint.
People selling metal have to provide the make, model and license plate number of the vehicle used to deliver their metal. At least in Dallas, gone are the days when a seller could roll a grocery cart of copper into a recycling station without explaining how and where they got the metal.
Expanded law enforcement and strict city ordinances are a necessary and laudable step in the right direction; but they can only go so far. Police and city officials can’t be everywhere at once. Every resident of Texas can help law enforcement to crack down on copper theft. We are the eyes of Texas and it’s our duty to watch for and report copper thieves in action. As the price of copper continues to rise, it’s likely only a matter of time before this crisis comes to a neighborhood near you.
Robert Howden, Texans for Economic Progress
