Fire Department Bolstered as Boom Presents Hazards
As oil booms in La Salle County, so have 911 calls. In response, officials have unleashed a plan to professionalize the county's firefighting forces. Full Story
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![Part time senior fire fighter Richard Prado responds to a radio call about a dumpster fire at Pat's RV Park on Main St in Cotulla, a man camp that houses oil field workers, during his 24 hour shift at the La Salle County Fire Department, Thursday, January 23, 2014. Park owner Pat Niaves assists him with the hose since he is working the shift alone.]()
Credit: Jennifer Whitney -
Video: Oil Boom Spurs Full-Time Firefighters
In La Salle County, about an hour southwest of San Antonio, production in the Eagle Ford Shale is estimated to drive 90 percent of all 911 calls. Before November, there were just a handful of volunteer firefighters to respond. Full Story
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Credit: Jennifer Whitney -
Debate Flares Over How to Spend BP Oil Spill Money
Nearly four years after the BP oil spill, a fight over how to spend the recovery money paid to Texas has erupted between environmentalists and the state's parks and wildlife department. Full Story
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![Response boats work to clean up oil where the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig sank on April 22, 2010.]()
Credit: United States Coast Guard -
Rio Grande Water Users Fear Groundwater Pumping Project
A controversial groundwater pumping plan that opponents argue could threaten the lower Rio Grande's already depleted supply is highlighting a conundrum in Texas water law. Full Story
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Credit: Cal West / Todd Wiseman -
Oklahoma Won't Press Texas on Water Pump
Oklahoma says it will allow a North Texas water district to resume pumping water from Lake Texoma, even though some of the district’s pumps sit — just barely — inside Oklahoma territory. Full Story
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![An orange circle on the floor of a raw water pump station on Lake Texoma indicates the state line between Texas and Oklahoma.]()
Credit: Laura Buckman -
Focus of Grid Debate Has Been on Producers, but What About Consumers?
As the utilities and big energy users spar in Austin over how to best encourage the building of power plants, another important issue that is getting less public attention is about how Texas can curb its energy use. Full Story
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![Homeowner Adam Leija demonstrating how CPS energy's "home manager program" works.]()
Credit: Spencer Selvidge -
Mussels, Lizard, Snake on Comptroller's Research List
The Texas comptroller's office will use $5 million appropriated by state legislators to fund university-centered research on three species at risk of being classified as endangered or threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Texas Regulators Air Concerns About EPA's New Greenhouse Gas Plan
Texas appears to be headed for another clash with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over greenhouse gas limits — this time, for existing power plants. Full Story
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Credit: Andrea Parker / Cory Maluski -
Solar Plant Planned for West Texas
An Arizona-based company plans to build a 22-megawatt solar plant in West Texas. When it's up and running — officials say the plant could be online as soon as June — it will rank among the state's largest. Full Story
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![The Webberville Solar Project near Austin.]()
Credit: Mose Buchele -
San Antonio Wants Full Ownership of Wastewater
A bid by San Antonio's water utility to declare ownership of the sewage it treats and releases has sparked a regional tug-of-war — one that could become more common as Texas' thirsty water users struggle to protect their supplies. Full Story
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![San Antonio Bay is home to the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, where endangered whooping cranes live. The water that flows into the bay from the San Antonio River is vital to the species' survival.]()
Credit: Angi English -
Looking Toward Space to Unravel an Ozone Mystery
Scientists say satellites in space may someday help explain why one air pollution monitoring station in a tiny Texas town south of Houston keeps recording the highest levels of ozone pollution in the region. Full Story
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Talk of Tighter Flounder, Trout Rules Questioned
The suggestion of new restrictions on saltwater fishing has generated heated discussion along the coast — with some claiming that small-time fishermen will be pushed out to make way for richer anglers. Full Story
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![Fishing off the Texas City Dike in Texas City on Jan. 11, 2014. People often catch spotted trout, among other fish.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato -
Edwards Aquifer Plan Receives High Honor at Turbulent Time
A plan meant to balance the needs of the Edwards Aquifer's 2 million water users with those of threatened species will receive a national award Thursday, but the state's severe drought could hinder the proposal's success. Full Story
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Credit: Lary Miller -
Effort to Avert Pipeline Accidents Under Scrutiny
In the past decade, pipeline accidents caused by construction crews have killed and injured workers and inflicted significant property damage in Texas. One measure that’s supposed to prevent such accidents has stirred concerns. Full Story
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Amid Criticism, Keystone XL's Texas Leg Nears Start
Despite critics' calls for more scrutiny, federal pipeline regulators say they see no reason to delay activating the Oklahoma-to-Texas leg of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, which is set to be turned on next week. Full Story
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Credit: Public Citizen -
Texas Water Development Board Member Resigns
Mary Ann Williamson, one of three members of the Texas Water Development Board appointed by Gov. Rick Perry last summer, has resigned. Her departure comes at a transitional time for the agency. Full Story
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In Ag Commissioner Race, GOP Hopefuls Expand Field of Talking Points
Republican candidates in the crowded field for agriculture commissioner could benefit from talking about a lot more than agricultural issues, and some are relying on that strategy more than others. Full Story
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![Republican candidates for Agriculture Commission (l-r): Tommy Merritt, J Allen Carnes, Eric Opiela and Sid Miller.]()
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Seeking a New Generation of Nuclear Power Workers
In the next few years, about 40 percent of the employees at the state’s largest nuclear power plant will be eligible for retirement, so the company is racing to recruit new specialists. Full Story
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![Radio Action Command Center at STP Nuclear Operating Company which provides power to CPS San Antonio, Austin Energy, and NRG, in Palacios, Texas, December 6, 2013.]()
Credit: Jennifer Whitney -
Border Towns Struggle With Water Infrastructure
A dispute in a South Texas border town that could keep hundreds of children out of school on Monday illustrates the struggles that small border communities face in upgrading long-neglected water and sewer systems. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Oil and Gas Industry Opposes Energy Market Overhaul
The Texas Oil and Gas Association, the state’s largest and oldest petroleum organization, has told regulators it opposes an overhaul of the wholesale energy market. Full Story
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Credit: Matthew Rutledge
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