The latest environment news from The Texas Tribune.
Facing sky-high electricity rates, several West Texas churches hope lawmakers will answer their calls for relief in the final days of the Legislative session, but the odds look slim. Full Story
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A tort-reform bill that would discourage property owners from suing insurers over weather-related claims tentatively passed the Texas Senate on Tuesday. Full Story
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In a March 3 meeting with a constituent, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller suggested that his agency could change the label on a hog poison to eliminate important warnings and a requirement to bury the carcasses of poisoned animals, which he said simply wasn't "doable." Full Story
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Attorney General Ken Paxton has dropped a lawsuit against the city of Brownsville over a 2010 ordinance that imposed a $1 per-transaction fee on plastic bags offered at grocery stores and other retailers. Full Story
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A Democratic senator on Tuesday made a last-ditch effort to beef up a bill aimed at reforming and reauthorizing the state’s oil and gas regulatory agency — legislation environmental groups and watchdogs have decried as toothless. Full Story
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The Texas Senate on Thursday gave its blessing to a bill that would eliminate the state’s vehicle safety inspection requirement for most vehicles. It would still apply for commercial vehicles. Full Story
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A measure that would've guaranteed a set amount of funding to state parks was upturned in 2015. Lawmakers and advocates are hoping similar legislation will stick this session. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: More folks could be "gone to Texas" to escape rising sea levels, a report urges recycling of oil and gas field wastewater and an interview with Tom Arsuffi of the Llano River Field Station. Full Story
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City officials on Monday testified against a bill that would limit the ability of Texas cities to ban residents from cutting down trees on their properties. Republican lawmakers have filed several such bills this year. Full Story
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Environment Texas described the fine against the world's largest oil company as the “largest penalty resulting from a citizen suit in U.S. history.” Full Story
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The company behind the only EPA-approved pesticide for feral hogs has withdrawn its request for registration in Texas. But that doesn’t mean the battle over the warfarin-based poison’s safety is finished. Full Story
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Dallas-based Waste Control Specialists has asked the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to temporarily suspend a review of its application to store tens of thousands of metric tons of spent nuclear fuel at its West Texas dump. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: A new study looks at contamination of Dickinson Bayou, America's lakes are getting saltier and an interview with Carrie Thompson of the Freshwater U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution. Full Story
In his first public appearance in Texas since being sworn in as U.S. energy secretary, former Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday heaped praise on a new and first-of-its-kind energy project that captures climate-altering emissions from the state’s largest coal plant. Full Story
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Chairman Donna Nelson announced Thursday that she will retire from the Public Utility Commission of Texas, ending a nine-year tenure. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: New water bills are renewing a battle at the Capitol over pumping in Hays County, bipartisan congressional effort launched against Trump water program cuts and an interview with Julie Nahrgang of the Water Environment Association of Texas. Full Story
Advocates for mandatory water testing say schools are particularly vulnerable because so many of them are aging and have older pipes and water fountains. Full Story
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Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller has opened trade relations with group of Israeli settlements in the West Bank that neither the United States nor the United Nations legally recognizes. Full Story
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Texas Republicans and fossil fuel champions are celebrating an executive order signed by President Trump on Tuesday aimed at curtailing Obama-era climate regulations, calling it a win for utility customers and the state economy. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: Water Day is celebrated at the Texas Capitol and across the world, budget cuts offered by Trump would affect Texas environmental programs and an interview with Carlos Rubinstein of the Texas Water Foundation. Full Story