Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is trying to intervene in an effort to thwart an investigation into whether Exxon Mobil misled investors about the risks of climate change. Here’s a guide to Paxton’s effort and how it fits into the much broader climate change battle in the United States.
Jim Malewitz
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.
Posted in
Economy
Court OKs Limits on Hazlewood Tuition Program
Texas universities can deny free tuition to veterans who gained state residency only after enlisting in the military, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday, a decision that could ease concerns about a prominent benefit program’s spiraling costs.
Posted in
Economy
Texas Budget Spared in Court Ruling on Drilling Tax Case
A Texas Supreme Court ruling has spared the state from having to issue billions of dollars in tax refunds to oil and gas drillers — a prospect that had threatened to shake up the next legislative session.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Texas’ Voter ID Defense Has Cost $3.5 Million
Texas taxpayers are still picking up the tab for defending the nation’s strictest voter identification law more than five years after Republicans fast-tracked it through the Legislature.
Posted inState Government
A New Development in a Tax Tussle Between Texas and Big Oil
Oil and gas industry officials argue are attempting to persuade the Texas Supreme Court that a mammoth tax exemption for producers is good for the state in the long-term.
Posted in
Economy
Texas Lawmaker’s Startup Sells Help Shaping Local Policy
Rep. Jason Villalba, a Dallas Republican, is helping launch LightSwitch Solutions, an Austin-based public relations and consulting firm with plans to shape opinion about local policy.
Posted inState Government
State Senate Leaders Urge Federal Action on Zika Virus
Also, the widow of Harris County Commissioner El Franco Lee publicly endorses Rodney Ellis for the seat and a railroad commissioner breaks down recent recommendations from the Sunset Commission.
Posted inState Government
Dan Patrick Welcomes GOP Lieutenant Governors to Texas
Also, Ted Cruz weighs in on Trump’s attacks on the Trump U judge, the GOP places a big bet on Will Hurd in the CD-23 race and the RPT rolls out the welcome mat for disaffected Bernie backers.
Posted in
Economy
Former Mayor’s “Clean Coal” Effort Struggles
Since leaving office in 2007, former Dallas Mayor Laura Miller has been championing “clean coal” technology, but these days plans for a West Texas gasification plant appear to be on life support.
Posted in
Energy
Report: Texans Finding Better Deals on the Electricity Market
Texans who shopped for electricity in 2014 paid more on average than folks who only had one power option — but the difference was smaller than in years past.
