LaSalle County, which is in the heart of the Eagle Ford Shale, has sued the Texas Department of Transportation over a $225 million grant program aimed at repairing roads damaged by oilfield traffic.
West Texas
West Texas is home to the nation’s largest oil field, the Permian Basin. The region is defined by its energy production and wide-open spaces. It also includes Big Bend country and cities such as El Paso, Midland and Odessa.
Posted in
Energy
Criticism of Water Policy Flows From Conservatives
Many conservative activists in Texas worry that when it comes to state water policy, Republican leaders have not focused on principles like small government, private property rights and local control.
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Energy
States’ Plan to Save Rare Bird Stirs Debate in Texas
Environmental officials in five states, including Texas, say interest in a plan to save the lesser prairie chicken should persuade the federal government not to list the bird as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.
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Energy
Nuclear Waste Storage is on Lawmakers’ Agenda
Following instructions from House Speaker Joe Straus, Texas lawmakers plan to study the benefits of accepting high-level nuclear waste from around the country, a controversial proposition. But even if Texas seeks a waste facility, huge hurdles would stand in its way.
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Energy
Solar Plant Planned for West Texas
An Arizona-based company plans to build a 22-megawatt solar plant in West Texas. When it’s up and running — officials say the plant could be online as soon as June — it will rank among the state’s largest.
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Troubled Waters
Isolated Pecos River Faces Ecological Changes
The Pecos River has avoided some of the challenges faced by the state’s other waterways. But it has not been spared from the ecological changes brought by the manmade lakes bookending its passage through Texas.
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Energy
Momentum for Water Recycling on Oilfields, but Still a Long Way to Go
As the drought continues across Texas, more oil and gas companies are considering the long-term benefits of water recycling, and state officials are trying to make the transition easier.
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Demographics
On the Border, Cruz Talks Obamacare, Immigration, Syria
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz on Thursday continued his campaign against the White House’s health care plan during a tour of Fort Bliss. While local business leaders agreed with him on federal health reform, they were at odds over immigration.
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Criminal Justice
Immigration Measure’s Impact on Asylum Seekers is Focus of Concerns
As the debate on immigration reform advances, immigration attorneys fear that an emphasis on strict border enforcement will make an already difficult task more strenuous for asylum seekers.
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Bidness As Usual
Oil Lobbyists Overseeing Protection of Threatened Lizard in Permian Basin
The oil industry vigorously opposed efforts to list the threatened dunes sagebrush lizard as an endangered species. But three oil company lobbyists were given day-to-day oversight of the effort to save the reptile.
