The latest environment news from The Texas Tribune.
More than 100 Texas refinery, chemical and utility plants have told the Environmental Protection Agency they plan to apply for federal air permits, which Gov. Rick Perry has said will cut jobs. Erika Aguilar of KUT News looks at whether the EPA's new requirements have done that. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/coalplant.jpg)
Federal regulators have determined that safety and environmental claims need to be investigated more thoroughly before a site in Victoria County can be declared suitable for a potential nuclear power plant. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/nuclear_power.jpg)
The Texas drought is already a significant natural disaster. What can the government do to help those who are hit hardest? Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/DroughtPerry.jpg)
Aguilar on a change in law that affects applications for state-issued IDs, Galbraith on how the drought is taking its toll on wildlife, Hamilton on an outsider's attempt to lower the cost of higher ed, Murphy visualizes the partisanship of House members, Ramsey on who becomes Lite Guv if David Dewhurst takes another job, Ramshaw on life in the colonias and three stories about Rick Perry — Grissom on how his death penalty stance might play in a 2012 presidential race, Root on how he cemented his reputation as one of the state's most powerful governors and Tan on the growing demand for him to speak elsewhere: The best of our best content from July 4 to July 8, 2011. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Tribweek_07042011.jpg)
A trio of brothers and their business partner are hoping to change grocery shopping habits in Austin with in.gredients, billed as the first “zero-waste, package-free” market in the nation. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTrib-InGredients002A.JPG)
It may be a bad year for hunters: The number of wild turkeys, quail and even squirrels will be down due to one of the worst droughts in state history. One bright spot is that feral hogs, a statewide nuisance, will also decrease. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/FeralHogs_4.jpg)
As one of the worst droughts in Texas history intensifies, a notable if lesser worry is the condition of athletic fields. Some fields are getting patchy already, and a summer of 90 or 100 degree temperatures still lies ahead. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/LlanDrought.jpg)
So far this year, the Texas Forest Service has responded to roughly 1,500 wildfires across Texas, the damage of which spreads across 2.5 million acres, according to our interactive map. And burn bans are spreading just as fast. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Wildfires-app.jpg)
The small Central Texas town of Llano, entirely dependent on a river that's now only a trickle, is facing potentially draconian water restrictions. And it's not alone. If rain doesn't come soon, more cities could too. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Llano-Drought-Kids-On_Dam.jpg)
An Everybody-in-the-Pool effort on what's left to do in the special session, Ramshaw on a doozy of a congressional race shaping up, Aguilar on the debate over sanctuary cities and other immigration proposals, M. Smith on the state's used-up Rainy Day Fund, Grissom on efforts to kick the special interests out of an insurance fight, Dehn and Tan on whether the special session helps or hurts the governor's national ambitions, Galbraith and KUT Radio team up for a series on the long-term outlook for Central Texas water, Aaronson on government attempts to balance openness and privacy with data releases, yours truly on Amazon's run at a sales tax break, and Hamilton on an ethnic gap in higher education: The best of our best from June 20 to 24, 2011. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Tribweek-June20-1024x678.png)
House Speaker Joe Straus knocks down the TSA "anti-groping" bill. Are voters ready for another Texan in the White House? News of the "tepid" response to Perry's NALEO speech spreads inside the Beltway. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/53d37dbf53bb22389a86327391907d24/BD%20INC%20Perry%20Naleo%2001%202011)
Plans to build a coal plant called the White Stallion Energy Center near Bay City have stirred controversy, as residents near and far worry about air pollution and the huge amounts of water needed to operate the plant. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTrib-CoalPlant010.JPG)
Plans to build a coal plant called the White Stallion Energy Center near Bay City have stirred considerable controversy, as residents near and far worry about air pollution and the huge amounts of water needed to operate the plant. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTrib-CoalPlant004.JPG)
Rice farmers in Southeast Texas are braced to receive less water in the future, amid growing demand from cities. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTrib-Rice-MS033.JPG)
Despite the drought, rice fields in Southeast Texas are emerald green this time of year, thanks to water released from two reservoirs hundreds of miles up the Colorado River. But the rice growers fear for their future, as water restrictions tighten. Full Story
The Texas Tribune and KUT 90.5 FM are running a five-part series this week on water supplies in Central Texas, looking specifically at the long-term future of two key lakes that supply water to Austin and other growing cities, as well as to rice farmers a few hundred miles down the Colorado River. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Drought_Lake-Travis_05162011_0090.jpg)
As Austin prepares to tighten its watering restrictions to once a week later this summer, trees and lawns — not to mention the water utility's revenues — are suffering. Long-term, Austin and nearby cities want to ensure the continued health of the Highland Lakes. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/LargeTreeOnCampus.jpg)
Austin hopes to keep plenty of water in the nearby Highland Lakes over the long term, to reduce the risks posed by drought. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/OakTree_Tag.jpg)
With Lake Buchanan and Lake Travis getting lower by the day, local business owners fear for their livelihoods. Full Story
As Lake Buchanan and Lake Travis drop lower each day, worried locals are seeing their swimming coves dry up, and it's not just because of lack of rain. Rice farmers and Central Texas cities are taking a good share of the water. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Lake-Buchanan_Water_Level.jpg)