The latest economy news from The Texas Tribune.
A coalition of ranchers, environmentalists and disgruntled landowners has suffered a major setback in its battle to block a proposed pipeline that would carry natural gas beneath 143 miles of largely untouched Big Bend-area land. Full Story
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Texas is suing the federal Environmental Protection Agency again. This time, the state is targeting tightened standards on ground-level ozone — President Obama’s effort to cut down on smog that chokes the nation’s skies. Full Story
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By reclassifying oil wells as gas wells, producers can often claim a generous state tax credit targeting “high cost” natural gas. Now, some lawmakers say the policy deserves a fresh look. Full Story
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Texans could hardly avoid the doom-and-gloom headlines about plummeting oil prices in 2015. But that was far from the only major storyline in energy this year. Full Story
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North Texas’ Barnett Shale — one of the country’s largest natural gas fields and the birthplace of modern fracking — holds twice as much reachable gas as previously thought, the federal government says. Full Story
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The Texas Railroad Commission has named Kimberly Corley as its new executive director. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott has committed $2.7 million in taxpayer dollars to bring WrestleMania to AT&T Stadium in Arlington next year, one of 20 events his office has approved such funding for since September. Full Story
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Railroad Commissioner David Porter announced Thursday that he will exit his primary battle against Republican activist John Greytok. Former Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson is exploring a run for the seat. Full Story
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Paul Chu, founding director and chief scientist at the University of Houston’s Texas Center for Superconductivity, discusses how energy storage could revolutionize the grid, and how Texas plays a role in advancing the technology. Full Story
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Experts at the Public Utility Commission of Texas are urging its three commissioners to reject plans by a Dallas oilman and real estate tycoon to take over the state’s largest electric transmission company. Full Story
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Aiming to prevent heat-related deaths and illnesses, the Dallas City Council on Wednesday approved a measure requiring construction companies to give their employees a 10-minute rest break every four hours. Full Story
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Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller faced pointed questions from lawmakers Tuesday over his plan to dramatically hike fees on a host of licenses, registrations and services that his agency provides. Full Story
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A new breed of app-based moving companies has drawn the interest of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, which wants to ensure that companies with names like Buddytruk and PICKUP are following state laws. Full Story
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On 12/4, I talked about the digital divide in Texas with Juanita Budd of Austin Free-Net, Becky Garlick of Blinn College, Will Reed of Technology for All and state Rep. Gene Wu, D-Houston. Full Story
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A federal bankruptcy judge has signed off on a plan break up key pieces of Energy Future Holdings — a major step in the conglomerate’s effort to shed tens of billions of dollars in debt. Full Story
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Energy Future Holdings, mired in bankruptcy, has agreed to pay up to $2 million to help clean up long-abandoned uranium mines in New Mexico — a sum far lower than the federal government originally sought. Full Story
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While Gov. Greg Abbott hasn't called for the outright repeal of the United States' decades-old trade embargo with Cuba, he made clear to Cubans Tuesday that Texas is ready to jump at the business opportunity if it happens. Full Story
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Oil rustlers of Texas beware: State lawmakers want to crack down on the those who swipe hundreds of barrels of black gold to sell on the black market. But first, they need the governor’s blessing. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that he will lead a state delegation to Cuba next week, just less than a year after President Barack Obama resumed relations with the communist country. Full Story
A group of minority investors is threatening to derail a plan to lift Texas’ biggest power conglomerate from one of the largest corporate bankruptcies in American history. Full Story