/https://static.texastribune.org/media/profiles/TxTrib-Staff_0013_GalbraithKate.jpg)
Kate Galbraith covered energy and environment for the Tribune from 2010 to 2013. Previously she reported on clean energy for The New York Times from 2008 to 2009, serving as the lead writer for the Times' Green blog. She began her career at The Economist in 2000 and spent 2005 to 2007 in Austin as the magazine's Southwest correspondent. A Nieman fellow in journalism at Harvard University from 2007 to 2008, she has an undergraduate degree in English from Harvard and a master's degree from the London School of Economics. She is co-author of “The Great Texas Wind Rush,” a book about how the oil and gas state won the race to wind power.
Bryan Shaw, the TCEQ chairman, told an Austin conference he has already had two "productive" calls with Ron Curry, the new regional head of the Environmental Protection Agency. The two plan to meet within about a month, Shaw said. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/EPA-Curry.jpg)
As Bevo arrives in Dallas ahead of Saturday's Red River Rivalry game, it's worth remembering that longhorn cattle might have gone extinct nearly a century ago but for the quick actions of some federal employees, who assembled a herd on an Oklahoma wildlife refuge. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Bevo-UT.jpg)
Things are starting to move on the water policy front, with Texas House Speaker Joe Straus and others saying water will be a focus of the upcoming session. Meanwhile, West Texas keeps getting drier. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/DroughtWalkers.jpg)
A Texas Senate committee heard sometimes emotional testimony Tuesday about smart-meter installations, as opponents of the installation argued that their rights had been violated and the meters carried health risks. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/841c514e31f7c7a70a6e4027d79df470/DO%20NOT%20USE%20Smart%20Meter%20Tea%202012)
Despite the recent deluge, the drought in West Texas is not over, and experts say the perennially dry region must plan carefully for the future. Pressure is also growing on the Legislature to address the problem next year. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTrib-Pipeline-037.jpg)
Ron Curry, a former New Mexico environmental regulator, will become the new Dallas-based regional head of the Environmental Protection Agency. He replaces Al Armendariz, who resigned after a firestorm this spring. Full Story
The drought that began in October 2010 has continued into 2012, and it has taken a toll on Texas' water supplies. As the summer of 2012 draws to a close, these communities are at risk of running out of water within 180 days. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/DroughtAppArt.jpg)
Texans are already used to the lights going out because of everyday issues like storms, equipment problems or people driving into utility poles. So why is there so much fuss about preventing the occasional grid-wide power outage? Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Powerlines-Storm.jpg)
Texas is the top wind power state, but the expiration of a key tax credit at the end of this year could significantly impact the state, which contains about a fifth of the nation’s turbines. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Wind-Power-3.jpg)
Milton Rister, a former Republican political operative who is currently a member of the governor’s senior staff, will become the new executive director of the Texas Railroad Commission. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Rister-Milton.jpg)