Seven months after a rag-tag group of local activists scored a surprising victory over the state’s powerful oil and gas industry when Denton voted to ban hydraulic fracturing, a natural gas company Monday resumed operations under a state law passed to overturn Denton’s ban.
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
Energy
Chambers Settle Railroad Commission Squabble
The Railroad Commission of Texas is set to go under intense legislative scrutiny next session after all, under an agreement by state House and Senate lawmakers.
Posted in
Politics
Major Ethics Overhaul is Declared Dead
With no collective will to expose “dark money” contributions in Texas, a major ethics overhaul died in the waning hours of the 2015 legislatives session. A few piecemeal changes are still possible before the final gavel comes down on the 84th Legislature Monday.
Posted in
Energy
Proposal Would Delay Railroad Commission Scrutiny
The Railroad Commission of Texas would avoid intense legislative scrutiny until 2023 under a deal reached late Friday, a surprise six-year reprieve that rankled the oil and gas regulator’s critics.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
Revised Campus Carry Bill Would Give Universities More Say
House and Senate negotiators are sending a version of “campus carry” back to their chambers that gives universities more say over where and how concealed handguns are permitted on campus.
Posted in
Economy
Abbott Signs Call to Lift Crude Oil Export Ban
Texas has officially asked Congress to lift its 40-year-old ban on crude oil exports. Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday signed a resolution that calls the federal ban a “relic from an era of scarcity and flawed price control policies.”
Posted in
Energy
Climate Change, a Factor in Texas Floods, Largely Ignored
Climate change is taking a toll on Texas, and the devastating floods across the state are some of the best evidence yet of that phenomenon, state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said. But efforts to consider climate change policy in Texas have fallen flat.
Posted in
Energy
House Votes to Keep Grid Decisions in Texas
The state House on Monday voted to make sure Texans have the final say over who gets to connect to the Texas’ near-island of an electric grid.
Posted in
Economy
Texas House Approves TWIA Overhaul
The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, the often-tapped insurer of last resort for Gulf Coast property owners, looks poised to get a major overhaul.
Posted in
Politics
House Signs Off on Body Camera Bill
The Texas House has tentatively approved legislation that could increase the use of cameras worn by police officers, an effort to smooth relations between law enforcement and the public by making their interactions more transparent.
