The Environment track at The 2015 Texas Tribune Festival featured panel discussions on the water supply, the climate debate, related legislative issues and lessons from the May floods. There was also a one-on-one conversation with Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. Scroll down to listen to audio from those sessions. 

 

The “Water Reality Check” panel, moderated by Meadows Center executive director Andrew Sansom, featured Laura Huffman, Texas state director of the Nature Conservancy; Texas A&M University geography professor Wendy Jepson; state Reps. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, and Eddie Lucio III, D-Harlingen; and state Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock.

 

The “Fight Over Climate” panel, moderated by Texas Tribune reporter Neena Satija, featured Texas A&M University atmospheric sciences professor Andrew Dessler, Environmental Defense Fund vice president James Marston, Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Chairman Bryan Shaw and U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio. 

 

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller was interviewed by Texas Tribune Editor Emily Ramshaw.

 

The “Environment and the Legislature” panel, moderated by Texas Tribune reporter Neena Satija, featured state Reps. Jason Isaac, R-Dripping Springs, Tracy King, D-Uvalde, Geanie Morrison, R-Victoria, and Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin.

 

The “What We Learned from the May Floods” panel, moderated by Texas Tribune reporter Kiah Collier, featured Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt, Federal Emergency Management Agency federal coordinating officer Kevin Hannes, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, Texas emergency management chief Nim Kidd and Wimberley Mayor Steve Thurber.

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Ayan Mittra was the senior managing editor at The Texas Tribune. Ayan joined the Tribune after working more than 10 years at The Dallas Morning News and has built expertise in Texas politics. He spent...

Emily Albracht is a multidisciplinary designer who worked at The Texas Tribune from 2014 to 2023. She developed and maintained the publication’s visual design systems and brand guidelines. She joined...