The former general manager of the Lower Colorado River Authority talks about rebuilding the organization after the "Trailergate" sex scandal, the environmental failures of public power and why electricity deregulation is a "huge mistake."

In a report released Thursday, the state's electric grid operator indicated that next summer could see a repeat of the rolling blackout threats that plagued Texas past summer. The reason: rising demand for electricity and some power plants going offline.

The drought that has plagued Texas is virtually certain to continue at least until early summer, climate experts said on Tuesday at a conference in Fort Worth. But what happens after that is anyone's guess.

The ever-expanding suburbs of San Antonio have created light, noise and endangered species challenges for Camp Bullis, where all military medics train. Other bases around Texas are also facing an array of encroachment issues.

Here's something to be thankful for: Our festival website is updated with an audio slideshow for each of the panel discussions. Peruse the panels listed in the program or watch video albums from all of the subject tracks on our Vimeo site.

On Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency, which took over greenhouse gas permitting in Texas in the face of the state's resistance, issued its first such permit in the state — to a yet-to-be-built natural gas power plant in Llano County.

Amid the most intense drought in state history, Texas voters split on a pair of water-related constitutional amendments that had the backing of many environmentalists and businesses. Analysts are scrambling to explain their differing fates.

Employees of the agency that regulates the Texas oil and gas industry will now be able to carry concealed firearms as they go about their work, following a unanimous vote on Tuesday by the three commissioners.

Over 12 months of the worst drought in recorded Texas history, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul was Austin's sixth-largest water user. It's a disappointing record, critics say, at a time when many Texas leaders are urgently calling for conservation.

Thousands of windmills still exist in remote Texas pastures, pumping water from aquifers for cattle to drink. But the dwinding group of men who sell and fix windmills face hard times due to the drought and competition from solar pumps.

A windmill company based in San Angelo has been making windmills since 1888 — and the family of Panhandle windmiller Mike Crowell has been in the business of fixing the machines nearly as long.

Despite the record dry stretch, most Texans are still far from running out of water. But the drought's economic impact is beginning to extend beyond agriculture and into tourism, real estate and other staples of urban economies.

Workers are stringing thousands of miles of wires across Texas to aid the wind-power boom, despite lingering controversy — and an estimated cost of $6.8 billion. West Texas businesses have found a niche providing for  workers.

While already-sodden northern regions of the United States can prepare for above-average rains this winter, the worst one-year drought in Texas history looks set to persist, according to a federal winter forecast released today.

State Senate committees will soon begin studying the impact of drought on power generation, agriculture and the economy, along with how to improve Texas' response to wildfires, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst announced today.