Abbott Signs Bill to Speed Permits, Limit Protests
Gov. Greg Abbott has signed legislation aiming to quicken regulators' pace of cranking out permits for major industrial projects by limiting public scrutiny. Full Story
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Jim Malewitz
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Jim Malewitz was a reporter at the Tribune from 2013 to 2017, covering energy and environment and then working on investigations. Previously, he covered those issues for Stateline, a nonprofit news service in Washington, D.C. The Michigan native majored in political science at Grinnell College in Iowa and holds a master’s from the University of Iowa. There, he helped launch the nonprofit Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism, where he currently serves on the board of directors. Jim also coaches the Texas Tribune Runoffs, which, sources say, is the scrappiest coed newsroom softball team west of the Mississippi.
Past Contributions
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![This flue gas scrubber, installed at a Valero refinery in Houston in 2006, reduces emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter.]()
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OSHA Chief: Fine for Deadly Leak in Texas "Petty Cash" for DuPont
Seven months after a toxic gas leak killed four workers at DuPont’s chemical plant in La Porte, a top U.S. labor official blasted the company’s commitment to workplace safety, saying he wished he could hand out a stiffer punishment. Full Story
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![DuPont's chemical plant in La Porte. In November 2014, a toxic gas leak killed four workers inside a unit that manufactures a popular insecticide called Lannate.]()
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With HB 40 Signed, Denton Fracking Resumes
The first Texas town to ban hydraulic fracturing is poised to be fracked again. Vantage Energy plans to resume fracking operations at eight gas wells in Denton on June 1, the Colorado-based operator has told city officials. Full Story
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![A gas well is shown in 2014 sitting less than 400 feet from a home in Denton.]()
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Harris County in Crosshairs of Pollution Lawsuit Limits
In a session that's been kind to business interests, local control might be about to take another hit as the Senate tentatively approves legislation that could make it harder for counties to sue polluters. Full Story
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![State Sen. Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, speaking at the Texas Public Policy Foundation legislative orientation session on Jan. 7, 2015.]()
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Curbing Local Control, Abbott Signs "Denton Fracking Bill"
Saying Texas needs to avoid a “patchwork of local regulations” that threaten oil and gas production, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday signed legislation that would pre-empt local efforts to regulate a wide variety of drilling-related activities. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott discusses HB40 with the press prior to its ceremonial signing in the Governor's Reception Room on May 18, 2015. The bill gives the state exclusive control over regulation of oil and gas operations, and preempting local laws against fracking.]()
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House Republicans Reaffirm Support of Gay Marriage Ban
House Republicans want Texans to know they still oppose same-sex marriage – even if foot-dragging Democrats thwarted a debate on the polarizing subject Thursday night. Full Story
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![During the Defense of Texas Marriage Amendment Rally on Mar. 23, 2015 at the Texas Capitol, a protester raises questions of marriage sanctity noting celebrities who've been married multiple times.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
End of the Road for Tesla, Ride-for-Hire Bills
With the clock winding down on the legislative session, Tesla Motors, Uber and Lyft have little to show for the money they spent on high-profile lobbying. As deadlines loom, the bills they were steering appear to have run out of gas. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Tesla Motors and Ben Hasson -
Amid Local Control Fight, a Proposal Cities Like
City officials are crossing their fingers that one Republican proposal – what consumer advocates call the session’s most important bill for natural gas utility customers – will pick up steam before time runs out. Full Story
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Slideshow: Prisoners Become Preachers
Brazoria County’s 33 newest Christian ministers aren’t your typical men of God. Some have been convicted of murder, and others are locked away for other serious crimes. But a prison program has given them a chance to seek redemption and influence others. Full Story
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![Graduates Vondre Demond Cash (from left) and Gary L. Everett smile at fellow graduate Troup Hubert Foster Jr., as he shows them his diploma. In 2010, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick – then a state senator – and Whitmire visited Angola, La., where officials credit their own program for changing the prison’s decades-long culture of violence. The Texas lawmakers said the site of smiling inmates leading others in prayer moved them and helped bring the program to Texas.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Slideshow: In Darrington, Prisoners Become Preachers, Seek Redemption
Brazoria County’s 33 newest Christian ministers aren’t your typical men of God. Some have been convicted of murder, and those who aren’t murderers are locked away for other serious crimes – most of them violent. Full Story
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![A chapel inside the Darrington Unit, where inmates can participate in the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary program to become Christian ministers. The program, funded by the nonprofit Heart of Texas Foundation, was modeled after a similar effort in Angola, La.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera
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