The Brief: Aug. 27, 2014
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis released her full 2013 tax return on Tuesday, changing course after previously not allowing the document to be shared or published in full. Full Story
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![Gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis addresses supporters before they canvass for her in East Austin.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond -
Lawmakers Take Closer Look at Earthquakes in North Texas
A major uptick in earthquakes in Texas over the last several years has been linked to the state’s oil and gas boom. A Texas House subcommittee on seismic activity met on Monday to hear what state regulators are doing about it. Full Story
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![A road in the Eagle Ford Shale area in South Texas. The natural gas drilling boom is straining the region's rural roads. More than 1,000 loaded trucks are needed to bring a single well into production.]()
Credit: TxDOT -
Environmental Justice Advocates Question Houston's Recycling Plan
As Houston considers a radical new plan for boosting its dismally low recycling rate, some critics worry that it will continue the legacy of putting waste facilities in predominantly minority neighborhoods. Full Story
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![The McCarty Road Landfill in northeast Houston. As Houston considers a new plan for boosting its low recycling rate, some critics worry that it will continue the legacy of putting waste facilities in predominantly minority neighborhoods.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato -
In West Texas, Energy Bills Show Unexpected Costs of Drilling Boom
In West Texas, oil and gas development is surging, but it's also fueling a huge demand for electricity that the current infrastructure struggles to meet. The result? A congested grid and higher electricity bills for consumers. Full Story
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![Oil production in West Texas has grown faster than the infrastructure needed to meet the region's new electricity demands. As a result, congestion costs are being passed onto customers' electric bills.]()
Credit: Del Duncan -
The Brief: Aug. 25, 2014
Mindy Montford, a former candidate for Travis County DA and daughter of former state Sen. John Montford, confirmed on Sunday that Gov. Rick Perry called to see if she was interested in replacing District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE-TV reported. Full Story
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![Travis County Courthouse in Austin, Texas.]()
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Who’s Getting the Best Deals on Electricity in Texas?
Texas' top energy officials say the state has a competitive edge because of its low electricity prices. But lower prices don't always mean lower bills for customers, and what Texans pay for electricity largely depends on where they live. Full Story
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Texas Buys Conservation Land With Oil Spill Money
Amid frustration that Texas has lagged behind in taking advantage of money that became available in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010, state officials announced the largest conservation land purchase in Texas history. Full Story
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![An aerial view of fringe marshes around Powderhorn Lake.]()
Credit: Earl Nottingham / Texas Parks and Wildlife -
Texas' Nuclear Waste Dump Gets Wiggle Room
UPDATED: Texas’ only radioactive waste site has permission to dramatically expand its capacity, take in new types of waste and reduce its financial liability should its owner suddenly close up shop. Full Story
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![John Ward, operations project task manager at Waste Control Specialists' facility near Andrews, Texas, walks over to inspect concrete canisters that will house drums of nuclear waste.]()
Credit: David Bowser -
The Brief: Aug. 20, 2014
Call it the frozen custard heard round the world. Gov. Rick Perry and his booking on two felony counts late Tuesday afternoon captured national attention — on social media, most of all. Full Story
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![Mugshot of Governor Rick Perry, booked on two felony counts at the Blackwell-Thurman Criminal Justice Center in Austin, Texas on Tuesday, August 19, 2014.]()
Credit: Austin Police Department -
Eagle Ford Sees Another Kind of Boom: Publishing
Drillers’ mad dash to the Eagle Ford has spurred a printing boom, as publishers court new advertisers and audiences — including industry executives, natives of transformed communities and oil workers with little to do in isolated towns. Full Story
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![The Boom at Rudkin Productions. The newspaper caters to bored oil workers in South Texas.]()
Credit: Spencer Selvidge -
The Brief: Aug. 18, 2014
One consequence of announcing the felony indictments against Rick Perry late Friday was to give the governor the following day to begin his full-throated counterattack. That meant the front pages of the state's Sunday papers were dominated by pictures of a defiant Perry. Full Story
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![Gov. Rick Perry speaks to press a day after a grand jury indicted Gov. Rick Perry on Friday on charges of abuse of power August 16th, 2014]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
On Climate Rules, Texas Regulators Look Beyond Litigation
Texas should not bank on legal action to free itself from the Obama administration’s proposal to tackle climate change, two state regulators said Friday at a Public Utility Commission workshop. Full Story
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![Gov. Rick Perry has said that a new federal proposal to cut carbon emissions is "the most direct assault yet on the energy providers that employ thousands of Americans."]()
Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Christi Craddick: The TT Interview
The Railroad Commission's new chairman on the agency's dual role as an industry watchdog and champion, the push to ban fracking in Denton and the commission’s efforts on earthquakes and disposal wells. Full Story
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![Railroad Commissioners Barry Smitherman (center), David Porter (left) and Christi Craddick (right) are shown at a Jan. 15, 2013, meeting in Austin.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa -
The Brief: Aug. 15, 2014
One of the most intractable questions in Texas politics in recent years is why the state hasn't moved blue despite drastic demographic changes. A new analysis from The New York Times sheds new light on why this is so. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Disposal Well Plan Seen as First Step in Addressing Earthquakes
Two candidates for the Railroad Commission welcomed the agency's newly proposed requirements for disposal well applications, saying they were a good first step in addressing the spate of earthquakes that have shaken up parts of North Texas. Full Story
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![Lynda Stokes, the mayor of Reno, Texas, testified before the Railroad Commission of Texas on Jan. 21, 2014. She voiced her concern about an increased number of earthquakes around Eagle Mountain Lake.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Proposed Water Supply Project Draws Praise, Concerns
San Antonio's water utility is negotiating to pipe in 16 billion gallons of water a year from Burleson County. Officials say the plan is key to securing future water needs, but others still have questions. Full Story
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![A cascade aerator on the site of the Twin Oaks Valley Water Treatment Plant outside of San Antonio, where the San Antonio Water System maintains an underground storage reservoir.]()
Credit: Gabriel Cristóver Pérez for The Texas Tribune -
The Disappearing Rio Grande Expedition is Underway Once Again
Reporter Colin McDonald and photographer Erich Schlegel have resumed their journey to tell the story of the vanishing Rio Grande. To mark the renewal of their trip, we've added a new feature to our archive page – a map that tracks every check-in and post made during their trip. Full Story
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Credit: Erich Schlegel -
Pegasus Pipeline's Partial Restart Concerns Some
The reactivation of a stretch of the 66-year-old Pegasus pipeline has stirred concerns among some Texans who live along its path. Some worry that the 2013 Mayflower spill is an example of what could go wrong in their backyards. Full Story
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![Workers mop up tar sands oil from a creek in the wake of Exxon Mobil's Pegasus pipeline spill, Mayflower, Arkansas.]()
Credit: National Wildlife Federation -
Some Texas Cities Turn to Higher Water Impact Fees
As cities across Texas continue to spread out, water suppliers and local governments are faced with the question of who should pay for building the infrastructure needed to handle the growth. Full Story
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![Real estate developers building new homes are facing higher water impact fees in Austin, San Antonio and other Texas jurisdictions.]()
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In Panhandle, a Growing Need for a Lake's Water
Water systems in the Panhandle and South Plains last week started drawing water from a once-empty lake that is now just over 4 percent full. It's a sign of just how strapped the region is for water supplies. Full Story
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Credit: Michael Norris