The renewable-energy epiphany that launched Texas wind power came through an unexpected channel: public opinion polls in the mid-1990s. An excerpt from The Great Texas Wind Rush.

In 1996, then-Gov. George W. Bush shocked his Public Utility Commission chairman by endorsing wind power. A decade later, Texas would become the nation's top wind-energy producer. An excerpt from The Great Texas Wind Rush.

The storied Canadian River has been so badly pummeled by drought that the reservoirs along it are essentially dry. That's bad news for the thirsty cities of the Panhandle, not to mention a fish fighting for survival.

Deep in the Panhandle, a groundwater district is running a closely watched demonstration project aimed at showing farmers how to use less irrigation water on their crops. As the Ogallala Aquifer drops, saving water is an increasingly urgent task.

State Rep. Charlie Geren and leaders in the North Texas town of Blue Mound are upset that Gov. Rick Perry vetoed a bill that would have made it easier for the town to gain control of its water system.

Barry Smitherman, the chairman of the Railroad Commission and former chairman of the Public Utility Commission, has earned praise as a smart and competent regulator. But he is also ambitious, and speculation is rife that he will make a bid for attorney general.

As the drought continues to blanket most of the state, demands for water are increasing from a growing population and industrial base. These pressures are squeezing Texas waterways, whose average streamflow remains well below normal.

The United States Supreme Court has unanimously ruled in favor of Oklahoma in a major case over delivery of water from the Red River.

Hotter days are back, and cities across Texas are again at risk of running out of water. Barnhart, a small community in West Texas, already ran out of water just this month. Use our redesigned interactive to track water systems at risk.

Texas has allocated $5 million toward its battle to get more Rio Grande river water from New Mexico. Already, Texas has hired a California lawyer to represent it against New Mexico in the U.S. Supreme Court.

Abandoned oilfield equipment is a common problem in Texas, but some fear that the recent surge in hydraulic fracturing will set off worrisome new encounters with old wells.

Barnhart, a small community about 50 miles southwest of San Angelo in West Texas, has run out of water after the town's only municipal water well failed. Officials say that the water demands of oil drilling are a factor.

In Houston, air pollution worries usually are about ozone, but scientists are paying increasingly close attention to fine dust. It’s more dangerous than ozone, some say, and the EPA will soon decide whether Houston has too much.

Just as Gov. Rick Perry and lawmakers finalize plans to spend $2 billion on water-supply projects around the state, a court decision could force Texas to rethink its water-planning process.

There is plenty of action still to come on water after the legislative session, starting with a shake-up of the Water Development Board. In addition, all eyes will be on a November referendum asking voters to approve new water funds.

The Texas Railroad Commission passed a long-awaited rule on Friday to strengthen the construction of oil and gas wells. The commissioners hope to set an example for other drilling states.

UPDATED: If lawmakers don't do something quickly, the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates oil and gas in the state, could disappear.

A bill allowing hotter radioactive waste from other states to be deposited in a dump in Andrews County passed the House on Wednesday, after a brief debate between state Reps. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, and Tryon Lewis, R-Odessa.

State Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, faces a growing and likely insurmountable challenge in his efforts to pass a bill allowing the concealed carry of firearms in buildings on university and college campuses.

The Ogallala Aquifer suffered its second-worst drop since at least 2000 in a 16-county swath of the Texas Panhandle, new measurements show. With the drought showing little sign of abating, farmers face another tough year.