From protecting endangered lizards to changing industry standards on fracking, energy and environmental groups have many competing interests in Texas. Use this interactive to track campaign contributions by some of the most influential such groups and donors.
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.
Posted in
Energy
Continued Drought Means Another Big Drop for Ogallala Aquifer
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.
Posted in
Energy
Power Grid Poised to Be Put to the Test Again
It’s shaping up to be another difficult summer for the Texas power grid. A national nonprofit has projected that the Texas grid will have the lowest percentage of power reserves this summer of any region of the country.
Posted in
Transportation
Infrastructure Constraints Loom as Texas Grows
Texas’ drought and water-supply problems have captured headlines. But with the state’s rapid population growth projected to continue, other infrastructure problems also loom, including clogged roads and a strained power grid.
Posted in
Energy
Diana Davids Hinton: The TT Interview
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin professor and expert on Texas oil history on the current fracking boom and how it compares to the great booms of the past, as well as the strange way in which the Railroad Commission came to regulate oil and gas drilling.
Posted in
Energy
Criminal Investigation Launched Into West Explosion
The Texas Rangers and the McLennan County sheriff’s office are launching a criminal investigation into the fertilizer plant explosion last month in West.
Posted in
Energy
Groundwater Levels Suffer Sharp Drop, Study Finds
Groundwater levels in Texas dropped considerably between 2010 and 2011, according to a report published recently by the Texas Water Development Board. The Ogallala was among the major aquifers experiencing significant declines.
Posted inState Government
Railroad Commission Moves Closer to Getting New Name
A bill that would make significant changes to the Texas Railroad Commission, including renaming the Texas Energy Resources Commission, passed the Senate on Thursday after 40 minutes of discussion. The House now must act.
Posted in
Energy
Straus: House Will Find Way to Fund Water
UPDATED: The morning after a major bill to authorize spending billions of dollars on state water projects faltered in the House, Speaker Joe Straus’ office released a statement saying he wouldn’t “let a technicality seal the debate.”
Posted in
Economy
State’s Shale Boom Has Major Impact on Budget
Besides boosting the economies of remote towns, the shale boom has big implications for the Texas economy and budget. Already, taxes on oil and gas production have soared above the comptroller’s estimates.