The latest energy news from The Texas Tribune.
Determined to cut down on smog that chokes the nation’s skies, the Obama administration finalized new limits on ozone. But the limits are weaker than some had hoped, suggesting that fierce critics like Texas had some effect on the outcome. Full Story
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A group of investors led by a Dallas oilman and real estate mogul has launched a bid to take control of Oncor, the state’s largest electric transmission company, putting forth an unprecedented plan. Full Story
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On 9/28, we talked about the future of environmental policy in Texas with the TCEQ's Toby Baker ; John Hall of the Environmental Defense Fund; state Rep. Geanie Morrison, R-Victoria; and Mike Wetz of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Full Story
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During an event The Texas Tribune hosted Tuesday as part of our "Road From Rita" series, audience members at Lamar University shared stories about the difficulties of evacuating ahead of Rita in 2005. Hear them describe what they went through. Full Story
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When you read a letter from Texas Railroad Commission Chairman David Porter, there is a chance he wrote it. And there is a chance it was written by someone in the oil and gas industry he's supposed to be regulating. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: A proposed statewide water grid is opposed by the Sierra Club, a report finds fracking activity in wetlands preserves and an interview with Navid Saleh of the University of Texas at Austin. Full Story
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Weighing in on a case before the FCC, Texas Railroad Commission Chairman David Porter signed a letter authored by a pipeline company. Critics say the move illustrates a coziness with the industries he regulates. Full Story
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Halliburton, the Houston-based oilfield service giant, has agreed to pay nearly $18.3 million in back overtime wages to more than 1,000 U.S. employees, following a federal investigation. Full Story
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The Texas General Land Office has dropped its lawsuit against the city’s obliterated ban on hydraulic fracturing and moratorium on new gas drilling, officially resolving all litigation over the North Texas city's vote, which made international headlines. Full Story
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Many Texans trying to flee Hurricane Rita ran out of gas. The next time a hurricane forces Gulf Coast residents to flee, state officials say such a nightmarish scenario is less likely to occur. This is part of our "Road From Rita" series, a collaboration with the Beaumont Enterprise. Full Story
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With the eyes of Nordheim cast upon them, state regulators have granted new life — if just a breath — to the tiny South Texas town’s effort to thwart an oil and gas waste site that locals argue threatens their way of life. Full Story
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Now that Denton has repealed its ban on hydraulic fracturing and its ban on gas drilling has expired, lawyers for the oil and gas industry have agreed to drop their lawsuit against the city. Full Story
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The Texas Railroad Commission looks poised to clear a second oilfield company of responsibility for a series of earthquakes that rattled two North Texas towns — despite research suggesting otherwise. Full Story
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Disagreeing with Dallas-Fort Worth-area water officials, the Texas Water Development Board decided on Wednesday that a years-long conflict over a yet-to-be-built reservoir in the region’s 50-year water plan is serious enough that it should be resolved. Full Story
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A bill that passed late in the legislative session gave some residents and officials hope that they can kill a controversial water-pumping project in western Hays County. But there's no guarantee that Houston-based Electro Purification won't ultimately be able to proceed with its plan. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: Homeowners on the San Marcos River seek relief from tubers, a Houston teen wins recognition for e-waste filtering device and an interview with Rabi Mohtar of Texas A&M University. Full Story
Federal regulators have slapped a roughly $50,000 fine on a West Texas oil company six months after a fiery explosion killed three of its workers at a well. Full Story
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The state’s biggest electricity generator is adding solar power to its mix. In the latest sign that solar energy is fast gaining a foothold in Texas, Dallas-based Luminant has announced plans to tap 116 megawatts of West Texas solar power. Full Story
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The Obama administration’s controversial new clean water regulations apply in Texas after all. Clarifying an injunction issued last week, a federal judge says he blocked the federal Waters of the U.S. rule in only 13 states. Texas is not one of them. Full Story
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A Texas Democrat says he believes the U.S. House will pass legislation lifting the country’s 40-year-old ban on most crude oil exports — even amid a frenzy of activity in the upcoming session. Full Story
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