The Brief: Sept. 15, 2014
At stake, according to a posted agenda for today's meeting of the UT System regents, is "the integrity and independence" of an external investigation of admissions procedures. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dan Flynn (right), R-Van, talks to state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, on Oct. 23, 2013. Van is co-chair of the House Select Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations, whose members include Fischer.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Aquifer is No Quick Fix for Central Texas Thirst
As drought continues to grip Central Texas, those looking to provide water to the region’s fast-growing cities and suburbs see a solution in the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer. But others fear the resource will be drained at their expense. Full Story
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![Darwyn Hanna grows pecans and runs cattle on some of the land he owns in Bastrop County. He is contesting a water marketer's bid to pump about 15 billion gallons a year from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer in Bastrop County, saying the plan would devalue his property.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond -
The Brief: Sept. 12, 2014
Greg Abbott continued on Thursday his attack against his rival in the race for governor, not going after the substance of Wendy Davis' new memoir but rather the publicity tour that has accompanied it. Full Story
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Credit: Majorie Kamys Cotera / Bob Daemmrich -
New in Trib+Water: Looking to Lakes For New Water
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: Austin looks at repurposing a lake to expand its water supply, the U.S. House acts to stop an EPA water rule and an interview with Sharlene Leurig of the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Program at Ceres. Full Story
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The Brief: Sept. 9, 2014
Rick Perry's attorneys were back on Monday with a new filing in which they pursue a different path to quash the felony indictments handed down against the governor last month while relying on many of the same arguments as before. Full Story
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![Governor Rick Perry's legal team includes, l to r, David Botsford, Tony Buzbee, Ben Ginsberg and Bobby Birchfield. Not pictured is former Chief Justice Tom Phillips.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Railroad Commissioner Raises Concerns About a Russian Threat
Texas Railroad Commissioner David Porter on Monday became the second of the state's three oil and gas regulators to raise concerns that Russia is waging a misinformation campaign against hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. Full Story
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![Railroad Commission Chairman David Porter.]()
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Natural Gas Fueling Stations Surge in Texas
Texas now has 104 natural gas fueling stations, according to a map released Monday by the Railroad Commission of Texas. That’s nearly 50 more than Texas had last year. Meanwhile, 67 more stations are set to open in 2015. Full Story
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Credit: B Jefferson Bolender -
Tainted Well Prompts Free Speech Dispute
A tainted water well in North Texas has already stirred national debate about the impacts of oil and gas production. Now it stars in a free speech dispute that has landed in the Texas Supreme Court. Full Story
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![Steve Lipsky shows the methane contamination of his well by igniting the gas with a lighter outside his family's home in Parker County near Weatherford, Texas on June 17, 2014.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill -
The Brief: Sept. 5, 2014
A U.S. district judge in New Orleans found BP to be "grossly negligent" in the 2010 Gulf oil spill, opening the door to potentially $18 billion in fines that could raise doubts about the oil company's future. Full Story
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![A photo of the Deepwater Horizon Fire in the Gulf of Mexico on April 22, 2010.]()
Credit: U.S. Coast Guard -
West Texas Solar Plant Comes Online
Less than eight months after breaking ground, the company constructing one of the state’s largest solar plants says it has begun harnessing West Texas’ intense rays. Full Story
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Credit: Mike Baker -
Report: Texas Loses Bid For Tesla "Gigafactory"
After a drawn-out competition, Texas has lost out on Tesla Motors' $5 billion lithium-ion battery plant, according to a news report. CNBC reports that the upscale electric carmaker had chosen the Silver State to be home to its “gigafactory.” Full Story
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![A Tesla Model S. The California-based electric automaker had considered Texas for its $5 billion lithium-ion battery factory. The company is also hoping to sell cars in Texas but does not have required franchise dealerships, as state law requires.]()
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2 Groundwater Districts Share an Aquifer, Differ in Methods of Operation
In Central Texas, two groundwater districts have vastly different strategies on how to allow prospective water marketers to pump from the Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer. Full Story
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![This map shows all nine major aquifers in Texas. The Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer is shown in red.]()
Credit: Texas Water Development Board / Todd Wiseman -
Series: Bypassed by the Miracle
Check out Bypassed by the Miracle, our seven-part series on the people and communities that have missed out on Texas' economic success or are finding that it comes at a price. Full Story
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![Keller ISD Superintendent Randy Reid spoke during an Aug. 11, 2014, town hall meeting, where attendees debated whether to put a $175 million bond up to Keller ISD voters in the general election.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill -
The Brief: Sept. 3, 2014
Attorney General and Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott on Tuesday reaffirmed the watchdog role of the Public Integrity Unit while also defending his agency's investigation of a Houston voter registration group in 2010. Full Story
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![GOP gubernatorial nominee Greg Abbott speaking at the RedState Gathering in Fort Worth, Texas on August 9, 2014.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill -
Electric Grid Expected to Meet Fall, Winter Demands
Texas should have more than enough electricity to keep its lights on this fall and winter, the operator of the grid covering most of the state says. Full Story
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The Brief: Sept. 2, 2014
Greg Abbott, the Republican nominee for governor, will spend his first day on the campaign trail after Labor Day unveiling a proposal to make it easier for students to get college credit for taking certain types of online courses. Full Story
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Credit: Majorie Kamys Cotera / Bob Daemmrich -
On Environment Issues, Younger Bush Takes a More Moderate Tone
In his first in-depth interview on environmental policy, land commissioner hopeful George P. Bush's views on global warming and renewable energy set him apart from the Tea Party conservatives he has aligned himself with. Full Story
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![George P. Bush, the Republican candidate for Texas Land Commissioner, in Austin on Aug. 27, 2014.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Interview with George P. Bush on Environmental Policy
Here's a transcript — edited for length and clarity — of The Texas Tribune's in-depth interview with land commissioner candidate George P. Bush, in which he lays out his positions on environmental policy. Full Story
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![Candidate George P. Bush speaks at the Republican State Convention on June 5, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Abbott Opinion Murky on Plastic Bag Bans
Plastic bag bans in Texas cities such as Austin and Laredo may be legally sound, according to an opinion issued by Attorney General Greg Abbott's office handed down on Friday afternoon — that is, as long as they didn't ban bags for the purposes of "solid waste management." Full Story
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New in Trib+Water: Piping In Water to San Antonio
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: lots of talk about proposed water pipeline deal in San Antonio, extra monitoring of Comal Springs and an interview with Amy Hardberger, a water law professor at St. Mary's School of Law. Full Story
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