The latest environment news from The Texas Tribune.
The Texas House and Senate both approved negotiated versions of Senate Bill 2 and Senate Bill 3, the two sweeping bills to change the state’s power grid and the people who oversee it. Full Story
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Several billions of dollars in state-approved financing will be necessary to stabilize the state’s distressed energy market after the winter storm. Texas approves more in finance bailouts for its utilities than any other state. Full Story
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Sen. Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, spent years negotiating with industry groups to get new regulations placed on the chemical industry after the ITC fire in 2019. The bill has passed both chambers, but small changes need to be ironed out before it is sent to Gov. Greg Abbott. Full Story
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Houston and Harris County were denied funding over other Texas communities despite requesting $1.3 billion for ongoing relief efforts. Local officials are asking the federal government to intervene. Full Story
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House Bill 17 is a response to a trend in California, where cities have passed energy efficiency plans that prohibit new subdivisions from offering natural gas heating in order to reduce emissions. Full Story
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Time is running out on a slate of other bills lawmakers are considering that stem from February's deadly winter storm. Full Story
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Opponents said the legislation wasn’t strong enough to stop highly radioactive materials from coming to Texas and instead amounted to a financial giveaway to a West Texas nuclear waste company. Full Story
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Lawmakers argue that spreading costs through the whole market — which will get passed through to consumers’ bills — is necessary to stabilize the state’s electricity market and prevent even higher costs. Full Story
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With the clock on the Legislative session ticking down, the Texas House moved to help fund power plant upgrades for extreme weather. Full Story
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“Oil and gas is the lifeblood of the Texas economy,” state Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, said on the House floor Monday. Full Story
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The lower chamber gave initial approval Monday to a series of bills responding to this year’s catastrophic power outages during a deadly winter storm. Full Story
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As lawmakers advance bills targeting renewable energy sources, experts call the efforts “discriminatory” and “politically motivated.” Full Story
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Revenue for 10 emergency power plants would come from a monthly charge on Texans’ power bills. The proposal is just one of several bills lawmakers are considering after February's massive power outages. Full Story
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The state's grid operator included extreme weather scenarios in its early summer assessment and found that a combination of a severe drought, heat wave and low winds could lead to more power outages. Experts warn this summer could be hot and dry, enhanced by climate change. Full Story
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A higher than expected amount of plant outages for maintenance created tight conditions for Texas' power grid. It returned to normal late Tuesday evening. Full Story
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A bill advancing in the House seeks to ban spent nuclear fuel, one of the most dangerous types of radioactive waste, from coming to Texas. Full Story
Some say lawmakers should go further to ensure power plants can withstand increased weather due to climate change. And they worry that much of the legislation advancing will be up to the Public Utility Commission to enforce. Full Story
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Senate Bill 3 would require all power generators, transmission lines, natural gas facilities and pipelines to make upgrades for extreme weather. Its prospects are uncertain in the House, which is scheduled to take up a series of related, standalone bills on Tuesday. Full Story
The newly revised number is nearly twice the 57 that state health officials estimated last week and will likely continue to grow. Full Story
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A bill to stop cities from banning natural gas as a fuel source for heating homes and other buildings is being advanced as priority storm-response legislation following the February power outages. Full Story
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