CBS7 Exclusive: Rep. Pfluger takes tour of West Odessa

ODESSA, Texas (KOSA) - This morning, Congressman August Pfluger discussed the federal impact of the quality of life in West Odessa.

That was one topic he discussed on a tour of West Odessa guided by Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett and Commissioner Mike Gardner.

This was the congressman’s first look at the infrastructure in West Odessa, but it didn’t take him long to make connections to his core initiatives, such as national security through a secure border and energy independence.

Judge Fawcett mentioned a domino effect as he drove Rep. Pfluger through West Odessa neighborhoods.

“It is so necessary for West Odessa to raise up the quality of life, in the grand scheme,” Fawcett said. “...That helps the Permian basin, which helps the oil and gas industry, which helps the economy, which helps the nation’s national security. It all starts here.”

The commissioners have grappled with their regulatory role in the Ector County Utility District as thousands of West Odessans remain without water.

The leaders also discussed the local impact of unlawful immigration, a main initiative for Pfluger.

“But what is that impact? Is it cartel activity? Is it Fentanyl? Is it a mixture of organized crime and cartels and fentanyl and trafficking of humans? These are the kinds of things I really want to dig into and understand,” Pfluger said.

Operation Lonestar is drawing on local DPS officers for stints at the border.

“So that obviously has a negative impact on the sheriff’s department that then has to pick up the slack in a community like West Odessa for just normal things like car crashes,” Pfluger said.

Despite little federal oversight over local infrastructure, Pfluger acknowledged West Odessa’s national significance.

“That’s why West Odessa is important, because the people that are working in the oil and gas industry from West Odessa are the ones keeping us safe and keeping the world safe,” Pfluger said.

Pfluger said today’s tour taught him a lot about the challenges West Odessa faces and how the federal government can help localities like it.

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