After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

★ Discuss how oil and natural gas shape Texas politics and identity.
★ Explore the costs and benefits of a boom-and-bust economy.
★ Assess who wins and who loses in the way Texas manages its natural resources.
★ Identify ways in which Texas’s transportation infrastructure is stressed by the state’s population and economic growth.
★ Assess who wins and who loses in the state’s approach to managing its infrastructure to meet the demands of a growing populace.
★ Assess who wins and who loses from Texas’s trade policy.