A report released Monday by the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation renewed its criticism of the Environmental Protection Agency. Environmentalists say the group’s concerns are misplaced.
Kate Galbraith
Kate Galbraith covered energy and environment for the Tribune from 2010 to 2013. Previously she reported on clean energy for The New York Times from 2008 to 2009, serving as the lead writer for the Times' Green blog. She began her career at The Economist in 2000 and spent 2005 to 2007 in Austin as the magazine's Southwest correspondent. A Nieman fellow in journalism at Harvard University from 2007 to 2008, she has an undergraduate degree in English from Harvard and a master's degree from the London School of Economics. She is co-author of “The Great Texas Wind Rush,” a book about how the oil and gas state won the race to wind power.
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Energy
BP Spill Money for Texas: $100M — and Counting
Unlike other Gulf states, Texas beaches did not get soaked with oil after the BP spill two years ago. Nonetheless, $100 million — and possibly far more, depending on the courts and Congress — is about to start flowing to Texas from BP for coastal restoration.
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Energy
Cattle ID Proposal Has Texas Ranchers’ Attention
In Texas, the largest cattle state, branding cows with a symbol like the “Rocking R” is practically a cultural necessity. But state and federal regulators are keener on another form of identification — ear tags — that’s easier to standardize.
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Energy
With Surface Water, It’s First Come, First Served
The long-lasting Texas drought has sparked an unprecedented tug of war for surface water, between those whose rights date back centuries and those who only secured water rights in the 20th century. The system may sound weird, but it is slowly changing.
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Energy
Fracking Disclosures to Include Water Totals
Starting Feb. 1, drillers will have to report many of the chemicals they use in hydraulic fracturing. But a less-publicized part of the regulation is what some water experts are most interested in: the mandatory disclosure of the amount of water needed to “frack” each well.
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Energy
Greenhouse Gas Wars to Resume in Texas
Texas’ greenhouse gas battles are about to heat up again. Next month, a federal court hears oral arguments in lawsuits that Texas has filed against the EPA, which began regulating heat-trapping emissions a year ago. But the agency is hardly backing down.
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Energy
At Senate Hearing, Warnings of Drought and Power
At a committee hearing Tuesday about the impact of drought on power generation, state senators voiced concerns that a lack of adequate water could harm Texas’ long-term growth.
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Energy
Endangered Species Conflicts Loom in 2012
The recent kerfuffle over the sand dunes lizard in the West Texas oilfields may be nothing compared to what’s coming. Across Texas, dozens of species are under consideration for a possible endangered species listing.
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Energy
Court Stays Cross-State Rule for Texas
A federal court ordered Friday that the Environmental Protection Agency’s controversial cross-state air pollution rule be stayed — to the delight of Texas officials and the chagrin of environmentalists.
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Energy
Texas Electric Grid Faces More Uncertainty in 2012
Will the lights stay on in 2012? Even Texas grid operators, who are coming off a tumultuous year, cannot say for certain. A lot will depend on the weather — namely, whether the state suffers through another piping-hot summer.
