Abundant With Natural Gas, State Eyes More Oversight
Texas' renewed commitment to natural gas comes at a time of sharply increased scrutiny for the gas industry. Full Story
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![An oil & gas drilling rig is drilling a well for Pioneer Natural Resources in the Eagle Ford Shale formation near Yorktown.]()
Credit: Eddie Seal -
Texas in Top 10 Solar States, Report Says
A new report says that Texas ranked 10th in installations of solar power in 2010, a jump from the previous year. But this is unlikely to deter solar proponents pushing for more legislative incentives. Full Story
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Budget Cuts Could Close State Parks, Limit Hunter Education
State parks, hunting lands and even the parks agency's magazine could suffer if the Legislature enacts a hefty budget cut for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Full Story
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![The bird’s eye-view from Scenic Mountain draws many visitors to Big Spring State Park in West Texas.]()
Credit: Earl Nottingham / Texas Parks and Wildlife -
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Ramshaw and Stiles on the tepid growth of Big D during the last decade, Hamilton talks immigration with state Rep. Leo Berman, M. Smith on Texas education's Race to the Top efforts and more: The best of our best content from Feb. 28 to March 4, 2011. Full Story
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When Is a Tax Not a Tax?
Many Texas lawmakers have forsworn taxes, but they also promised to educate kids, to build roads, to care for the needy and to do what government is expected to do. It’s the adult version of those mathematical story problems that made sixth grade so much fun. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Who Owns the State's Water? Depends Whom You Ask
It sounds simple: Who owns the groundwater in Texas? But this issue, like others in the hot-button area of aquifer planning, is embroiled in an ongoing policy battle. Full Story
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Credit: Callie Richmond -
Bill Would Allow Advertising at State Parks
With the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department facing budget cuts and park closures, Erika Aguilar of KUT News reports that lawmakers are looking at an unconventional solution — advertising in parks — to help pay for maintenance and promote tourism. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Months After Spill, Another Look Into the Gulf
With the one-year anniversary of the BP oil-rig explosion approaching, Ian Crawford of KUT News spoke with Carter Smith, executive director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, about the state of the Gulf and why researchers may be studying its effects for decades. 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.]()
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Pushing Renewable Energy on a Tight Budget
It’s renewable energy lobby week at the Capitol, and as Erika Aguilar of KUT News reports, the budget shortfall — though sure to dampen hopes for some legislation — isn't keeping advocates from pushing for a number of energy programs. Full Story
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![Cows graze near wind turbines at an Iberdrola Renewables wind farm along the Texas coast.]()
Credit: Eddie Seal -
Blackouts Revive Debate Over Electric Deregulation
The power failures earlier this month have called into question one of Texas' most basic tenets: that we do everything, including deregulation, better than anyone else. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Energy or Railroad: Are the Politics Different?
What’s in a name? The Texas Railroad Commission — and the elected officials who run it — may soon find out. Full Story
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Are TX Senators Influenced By Power PAC Money?
This week, lawmakers from two senate committees called the power players in the electricity industry to Austin to grill them about the rolling blackouts on Feb. 2. As it turns out, many of those executives and their companies' PACs have contributed thousands to the senators who were questioning them. Full Story
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ERCOT Releases Updated List of Failed Generators
The state grid operator on Wednesday released an updated — albeit still partial — list of power plants that went down during the statewide rolling blackouts on Feb. 2. Full Story
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At Blackout Hearing, Big Political Donors Grilled
The big power companies in Texas on the hot seat during a Senate hearing about this month's rolling blackouts have donated more than $400,000 since 2000 to members of the two committees asking questions. The donations are part of nearly $4 million in campaign money the companies and their employees have spent on political candidates during that time. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Power Generators on the Hot Seat
As hearings continued this afternoon at the Capitol, power plant owners tried to explain why so many of their operations failed during the Feb. 2 rolling blackouts. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Senators Express Incredulity at Rolling Blackouts Hearing
At a state Senate hearing this morning on Texas's rolling blackouts earlier this month, ERCOT released the first list — albeit a very partial one — of power plants that failed during the Feb. 2 crisis. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
For Power Grid Operator, the Reckoning Begins
The Texas electric grid operator is facing questions on a range of fronts, including its policy of not disclosing information about the power grid's day-to-day operations and its inability to ensure adequate weatherization of power plants. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
Texas "On the Brink," Legislative Group Says
Texas' superlatives are nothing to brag about, according to the fifth edition of "Texas on the Brink," an annual review that ranks the state on dozens of factors ranging from health insurance to voter turnout. Full Story
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High Above the Dunes, Wind Turbines Sprout Along the Gulf Coast
The vast majority of the state's wind turbines have gone up in West Texas. But several big wind farms have recently begun operating in the general vicinity of Corpus Christi, and more coastal projects are likely on the way — to the distress of bird-lovers and the military. Full Story
![Cows graze near wind turbines at an Iberdrola Renewables wind farm along the Texas coast.]()
Credit: Eddie Seal -
Texplainer: Will My Electricity Bill Go Up Because of the Blackouts?
Lots of Texans are asking that question in the wake of last week's electricity mess, and nobody's going to be happy with the answer, which is: "It depends" (if you ask the electricity industry); or "Yes" (if you ask consumer advocates). Full Story
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