By wading into energy policy, did Texas GOP chair break ethics law?
Texas GOP chairman Tom Mechler, an Amarillo oilman, insists that he wasn't lobbying when he asked the state to intervene in his clients' dispute with a pipeline giant. Full Story
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Texas sues feds — including Rick Perry — for failing to license nuclear waste facility
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accuses U.S. agencies of violating federal law by failing to license a nuclear waste repository in Nevada. Full Story
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![John Ward, operations project task manager at Waste Control Specialists' facility near Andrews, Texas, walks over to inspect concrete canisters that will house drums of nuclear waste.]()
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At Capitol, bill targeting plastic bag bans draws strong opposition
Ranchers, city officials and environmentalists testified on Tuesday against a bill that would prevent cities from banning plastic grocery bags or charging a fee for them. Full Story
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![Joseph Seinsheimer, chairman of the Galveston chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, dressed up as a self-proclaimed “bag monster” with dozens of plastic bags wrapped around his upper body. He testified Tuesday against legislation that would would prevent cities from banning plastic bags.]()
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New in Trib+Water: Trump takes aim at water rule
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: Trump administration starts process to eliminate environmental rule under Clean Water Act, the Meadows Center brings back wetlands guided tours and an interview with Meghan Hope of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Full Story
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Years after well explosion, Texas family still waiting for answers from agency
A North Texas family is still waiting for answers about whether nearby gas production caused their water well to explode and why the Railroad Commission seemed to miss early signs that something like this could happen in their community. Full Story
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![Ashley and Cody Murray, ranchers in Palo Pinto County, pose with their two children. They allege nearby gas drilling caused methane to leak into their water well before it exploded, severely burning the couple, their four-year-old daughter and Cody's father. Their legal case could put pressure on Texas regulators.]()
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Environmental impacts of the border fence (slideshow)
Scenes from the Rio Grande Valley in far South Texas, where a border barrier went up years ago. Full Story
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![A section of border fence near Brownsville.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
Experts: Trump's border wall will stop animals, not people
At the U.S.-Mexico border, scientists say existing fencing is hurting endangered wildlife and warn that a continuous wall could devastate many species. Full Story
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![Scott Nicol, co-chair of the Sierra Club’s Borderlands Campaign, stands in front of a concrete levee topped by the border fence in Hidalgo County. Environmentalists, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, say the barrier endangers wildlife because animals can't reach dry land during floods.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Senate confirms Rick Perry as Trump's energy secretary
The U.S. Senate approved the confirmation of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry as the next secretary of the Department of Energy on Thursday. Full Story
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![Former Gov. Perry is sworn in before testifying at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on his nomination to be Energy secretary on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on January 19, 2017.]()
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Expect fewer man-made earthquakes in Texas, federal agency says
The odds that a man-made earthquake will hit Texas this year have plummeted, according to new risk projections from the U.S. Geological Survey that are based on the amount of seismic activity that's occurred here in the past few years. Full Story
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![Each day, dozens of trucks hook up to the Gulf Coast-run fracking fluid disposal well site near Gonzales, Texas.]()
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Trump water directive cheered by ranchers, blasted by environmentalists
State leaders and agriculture groups applauded an executive order issued by President Trump on Tuesday that suggests the controversial "Waters of the U.S." rule finalized under President Obama could be reversed. Full Story
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New in Trib+Water: Texas/NM water fight continues
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: The water fight between Texas and New Mexico heads to the Supreme Court, the promising future of the Trinity River and an interview with Katherine Romans of the Hill Country Alliance. Full Story
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New in Trib+Water: The rising price of water
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: A new study finds water might become unaffordable soon for many Americans, research identifies threats to freshwater systems across the globe and an interview with Greg Wukasch of the San Antonio Water System. Full Story
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Global warming skeptic Lamar Smith sets "Make EPA Great Again" hearing
A Texas congressman has scheduled a committee hearing next week “to examine the Environmental Protection Agency’s process for evaluating and using science during its regulatory decision making activities.” Full Story
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![Congressman Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio.]()
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Texas scientists worry about research funding under Trump
Texas scientists — particularly those who study climate — are worried they may lose access to key government research funding under the administration of President Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change a "hoax." Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
In South Texas, company planning toxic waste landfill drops lawsuit against county official
The chief proponent of a toxic waste dump in South Texas has abandoned a challenge to local permitting authority, but he said the fight is far from over. Full Story
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![An aerial view of the site of a proposed landfill by Laredo developer Carlos "C. Y." Benavides. The site is about 20 miles east of Laredo.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
Will Texas become final resting place for high-level nuclear waste?
A controversial radioactive waste dump in far West Texas is one step closer to being able to accept high-level nuclear waste. Full Story
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![Large quantities of radioactive materials stored in a single location, like these at an oil well-logging storage site, are particularly vulnerable to theft for use in a dirty bomb, the Department of Energy and the Government Accountability Office determined in 2014, yet the Nuclear Regulatory Commission still allows the practice.]()
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New in Trib+Water: Reviewing regional water planning
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: A look back at the evolution of the state's regional water planning process, a new book celebrates Texas rivers and an interview with TWDB Chairman Bech Bruun. Full Story
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In West Texas, abandoned well sinks land, sucks tax dollars
Land around a West Texas roadway used to be flat. Now, it’s fissured, sinking and has cost taxpayers more than a million dollars — all because of a water well that was left unplugged. Full Story
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![The land is sinking three-fourths of an inch every month around this abandoned well outside of Imperial in Pecos County, and huge cracks have opened in the area. The Texas Department of Transportation paid most of the $315,000 bill to plug the well in 2009 and has spent at least $1 million fixing a nearby farm-to-market road.]()
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Watch our video series on community concerns coming to the Capitol
In our six-part "State of Mind" series, we looked at various issues being discussed across Texas as state lawmakers debate bills during the 85th Legislative Session. Watch all of the videos here. Full Story
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House, Senate disagree on how to fund the state's oil and gas regulator
Texas House and Senate leaders unveiled dueling budget proposals this week that are billions of dollars apart. Full Story
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Credit: Paul Lowry