For more than 100 years, Texas has been one of the nation’s key producers of oil and natural gas. After the discovery of the Spindletop oil field in 1901, oil production in the state increased at a rapid rate, reaching a peak in 1972. According to the Energy Information Administration, Texas was producing 3.4 million barrels a day ...
As part of our day-long symposium on energy and the environment at the University of Houston on April 13, UH Law Center Assistant Professor Tracy Hester led a discussion of the economic and environmental impact of the Eagle Ford Shale.
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Today marks the second anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon accident, which spilled millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Terrence Henry of KUT News reports for StateImpact Texas on the continuing recovery efforts in the Gulf and the work that remains.
Full StoryThe former chairman of the Public Utility Commission, a Port Arthur native, discusses the reasons behind the long-term power crunch in Texas, his role in the wind boom and the future of solar power.
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The Keystone XL Pipeline, and whether it will be built to bring oil from Canada to the Texas coast, has been a hot topic. This week on KUT News and the Trib, we'll have a series on the pipeline and unresolved issues surrounding it.
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In the month ahead, the cross-state air pollution rule will get its day in court, and as summer approaches, debate will continue over the capacity of the Texas electric grid and how to incentivize construction of more power plants.
Full StoryThe Environmental Protection Agency has withdrawn an administrative order that charged Range Resources, a Fort Worth-based natural gas driller, with contaminating water wells.
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In Texas, some oil companies lease private land from landowners, who then receive royalties from the sale of the oil. But as Dave Fehling of KUHF News reports for StateImpact Texas, some Texas landowners say they've been cheated out of payments.
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UPDATED: CNN has reported that when President Obama speaks Thursday in Cushing, Okla., he will "fast-track" the southern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline. What this means remains unclear, but the pipeline needs federal permits.
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Drilling for oil and gas has surged in Texas, benefiting the state's economy. But as Dave Fehling of KUHF News reports for StateImpact Texas, it’s also costing local governments and the state as trucks transporting drilling materials take a toll on roads and highways.
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In Texas, the natural gas boom has created jobs and reinvigorated the state's energy industry. But as Mose Buchele of KUT News reports for StateImpact Texas, some experts say the industry could slow dramatically in the coming years.
Full StoryThe director of SpOILed, which has been described as a "love song to Big Oil," on who funded his film and why he gives short shrift to climate change.
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John Tintera, executive director of the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the oil and gas industry, is leaving less than one week after the election of a new chairman, Barry Smitherman, to lead the agency.
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Texas' drilling boom has increased demand for skilled workers and blue-collar training. But as Dave Fehling of KUHF News reports for StateImpact Texas, the rising demand comes as community colleges face funding cuts, forcing companies to cope with fewer workers.
Full StoryThe amount of Texas electrical power produced by coal plunged in January compared with a year earlier, and cheap natural gas appears to be the cause. Wind power production, meanwhile, has soared.
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Aaronson interactively charts the legal wrangling between Texas and the feds, Aguilar on what Obama's budget means for the border, Galbraith on congressional ambivalence about a wind tax credit, Grissom on cuts to crime victims services, Hamilton on UT-Austin's plan to boost graduation rates, Ramsey on our woefully low voter turnout, Ramshaw on a new Super PAC targeting incumbents of both parties, Root on conservative opposition to the Keystone pipeline and M. Smith on cash-starved school districts in the advertising game: The best of our best content from February 13-17, 2012.
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The Canadian company that wants to build the Keystone XL pipeline is using its land seizure powers to get property easements for the project. And it’s causing frustration in a conservative patch of Texas.
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As the drought drags on, many Texans are getting their own water wells drilled. But the growing demand has some worried that the groundwater could start drying up, too.
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Legislation cracking down on insider trading by members of Congress hasn’t landed on the floor of the U.S. House yet, but it’s already become a hot topic in Congressional District 10, which Michael McCaul of Austin represents.
Full StoryMorgan Smith explains how some parents are choosing not to let their children take the new and rigorous STAAR tests. And Kate Galbraith tells us how state officials may use money from BP for coastal restoration.
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The state of Texas generates a fortune from taxes on mining for oil, gas and minerals. But as Ryland Barton of KUT News and ReportingTexas.com reports, the natural gas industry enjoys a special incentive that some legislators want to scrap.
Full StoryAnother oil rig — owned by a Houston-based company — has exploded in the Gulf of Mexico.
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U.S. Rep. Joe Barton apologizes to BP chief executive Tony Hayward, saying that the $20 billion escrow account for spill victims set up by the White House and BP on Wednesday amounts to a "shakedown." Later Thursday, he retracted his apology to BP, and apologized himself.
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