Lawyers Say Ruling Bad For Landowners
A recent Texas Supreme Court ruling favoring a South Plains ranch was described by some as a major win for private property rights, but others painted it as more of a win for developers. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/10/13/JusticeScales-UnderWater-3.jpg)
-
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
As Petroleum Royalties Dwindle, Questions Target Property Assessments
If there’s any silver lining for those royalty owners in these cloudy times, it’s this: Their property tax bills should also plummet. But some advocates are wondering whether many local governments are assigning values that are too high. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/01/12/OilPumpSunset-2.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Paul Lowry -
New in Trib+Water: Greater Peril in Flash Flood Alley
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: Development has increased flooding dangers in Flash Flood Alley, amazing video of a recharging aquifer and an interview with Samuel Brody of the Texas A&M University at Galveston. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/04/08/Tribwater.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
Despite Oil Bust, Midland is Still Bustling
Amid the worst oil bust in decades, the energy capital of West Texas hasn’t slowed down much. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/05/20/Foster_Jerod-4856.jpg)
![Mayor Jerry Morales stands by the counter in Mulberry Cafe, which he bought months after oil prices tanked. The Midland native made the purchase not without some trepidation, he said, but knowing that things would bounce back eventually.]()
Credit: Jerod Foster for The Texas Tribune -
Conservative Appeals Court Hands Win to Texas Environmental Groups
Texas environmental groups have scored a major victory in a six-year legal battle with the world’s largest oil company. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/smokestacks002.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
-
In Weighty Water Ruling, Texas' High Court Backs Landowner
The Texas Supreme Court has strengthened protections for landowners who don’t have rights to the water underneath their property. Full Story
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
New in TribTalk: Could Texas Face California-Sized Water Woes?
Texas is no stranger to drought and flooding, but at least it isn’t as bad off as California. Or is it, Ponderosa Advisors' Samantha Fox asks? Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/07/22/WaterRunning-Spigot.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: James Moran -
Christian Defeats Gates in Railroad Commission's Republican Runoff
Former state Rep. Wayne Christian won the Republican nomination late Tuesday in the race for Texas railroad commissioner, edging out Houston-area real estate mogul Gary Gates in a race that turned heated in its final stages. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/03/17/Christian_v._Gates.jpg)
![Republicans Wayne Christian (left), and Gary Gates (right) are facing off in a May 24 primary runoff for Texas railroad commissioner.]()
-
At the Top of Texas, Town Offers Lessons In Oil Bust Survival
Nearly three decades ago, Perryton's town-wide celebration for $20-per-barrel oil made news across the country, delivering a hopeful message to those mired in an oil bust. The Panhandle town faces a modern day oil bust, but residents are sure they'll stay on the map. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/05/19/tt-bruceJones.jpg)
![Bruce Jones, president of Perryton-Ochiltree Chamber of Commerce, offered a sip of a non-alcoholic sparkling beverage to a man from Woodward, Okla., on June 16, 1987. The driver was passing by during a town celebration of rising oil prices.]()
Credit: Perryton Herald -
Report: Texas Must Increase Water Conservation Efforts
Most of the water utilities in Texas need to "substantially increase" efforts to conserve water, according to a recent review of more than 300 city utilities by the Texas Living Waters Project. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/02/19/TexasWaterTower.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Ed Schipul -
San Antonio Utility Approves Vista Ridge Takeover
The San Antonio Water System board on Wednesday approved a takeover of the controversial Vista Ridge project — a move set in motion by the financial troubles of a firm the city had enlisted to build the 142-mile pipeline. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/29/WaterMap-Carizo.jpg)
![A map of the proposed pipeline that will deliver 16 billion gallons of water annually from underneath Burleson County to San Antonio, about 140 miles away.]()
Credit: San Antonio Water System -
New in Trib+Water: Trouble the Water
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: Iron may pose a greater threat to drinking water than previously thought, contaminated wastewater found in water near "unconventional" oil and gas production site and an interview with Kenneth Cook of WaterCentric. Full Story
![Article thumbnail]()
-
Christian Calls Gates "Slumlord" as Railroad Commission Runoff Nears
In an increasingly testy Republican runoff for railroad commissioner, state Rep. Wayne Christian is reaching into Gary Gates' legal history in an effort to paint his opponent as a “slumlord.” Full Story
![Republicans Wayne Christian (left), and Gary Gates (right) are facing off in a May 24 primary runoff for Texas railroad commissioner.]()
-
In Texas, Market Forces Driving Shift From Coal, Study Says
Texans are on pace to rely more heavily on natural gas, wind and solar energy to power their lives in the coming decades, according to an analysis commissioned by the Texas Clean Energy Coalition. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTrib-BlackoutsErcot028.JPG)
![Grid technicians monitor screens at the Electric Reliability Council of Texas' state-of-the-art backup control center in Bastrop.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Energy Chief: Texas Should Develop Clean Power Plan
U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz says Texas can play a major role in shrinking the country’s carbon dioxide footprint and addressing climate change — if it chooses to. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/05/11/Moniz.jpg)
![U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz]()
-
Obama's Methane Crackdown Rankles Texas Oil and Gas Industry
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday finalized a new set of rules aimed at battling climate change. This time, the agency is targeting the oil patch — with big implications for Texas, the nation’s petroleum king. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/01/31/2014_01_29_NatGatPumpStation_TT_NYT_MG_7685.jpg)
![A natural gas compressor station located near La Grange, Texas, on Jan. 29, 2014.]()
Credit: Spencer Selvidge -
Officials: Fire That Caused West Plant Explosion Was Intentionally Set
Three years after a West, Texas, fertilizer plant explosion killed 15 people, including 12 firefighters and first responders, state and federal officials said Wednesday that someone set that fire, committing a criminal act. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/04/18/West-TX-1.jpg)
![A vehicle near the remains of a fertilizer plant burning after an explosion in West, Texas, near Waco.]()
Credit: Mike Stone / Bay Area News -
Big Bend-Area Pipeline Clears Last Hurdle
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission signed off on a stretch of the Trans-Pecos Pipeline that would cross below the Rio Grande, handing a setback to a coalition of ranchers, environmentalists and landowners that sought to thwart the project. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/07/13/TT-TransPecosPipeline-012.JPG)
![A sign opposing the Trans-Pecos pipeline hangs in a neighborhood near where the pipeline could run near Alpine.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill -
Survey: Texans Support a State "Clean Energy" Plan
A new poll shows most Texans believe state leaders should draw up a plan to shift from coal-fired power to natural gas and renewables — even if the state defeats the Obama administration in a high-profile court battle. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/12/04/SmokeStack.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Thomas Bougher -
New in Trib+Water: Climate Change and Water Supplies
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: Threats to water supplies may be the most damaging effect of climate change, three compounds often found in wells in rural agricultural areas may be linked to birth defects and evidence is found of earlier human habitation at Spring Lake. Full Story
![Article thumbnail]()