The latest energy news from The Texas Tribune.
Seven months after a toxic gas leak killed four workers at DuPont’s chemical plant in La Porte, a top U.S. labor official blasted the company’s commitment to workplace safety, saying he wished he could hand out a stiffer punishment. Full Story
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The first Texas town to ban hydraulic fracturing is poised to be fracked again. Vantage Energy plans to resume fracking operations at eight gas wells in Denton on June 1, the Colorado-based operator has told city officials. Full Story
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In a session that's been kind to business interests, local control might be about to take another hit as the Senate tentatively approves legislation that could make it harder for counties to sue polluters. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: Drought has abated to levels not seen since the summer of 2012, rains bring floods to state parks and an interview with Mike Gershon, water lawyer at Austin-based Lloyd Gosselink. Full Story
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Saying Texas needs to avoid a “patchwork of local regulations” that threaten oil and gas production, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday signed legislation that would pre-empt local efforts to regulate a wide variety of drilling-related activities. Full Story
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With the clock winding down on the legislative session, Tesla Motors, Uber and Lyft have little to show for the money they spent on high-profile lobbying. As deadlines loom, the bills they were steering appear to have run out of gas. Full Story
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City officials are crossing their fingers that one Republican proposal – what consumer advocates call the session’s most important bill for natural gas utility customers – will pick up steam before time runs out. Full Story
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Four days after the Senate approved landmark legislation that would pre-empt local control over a variety of oil and gas activities, the Texas House advanced another response to Denton's vote to ban hydraulic fracturing. Full Story
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Texas appears poised to enact environmental legislation that could trigger an unintended consequence: more federal oversight. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: California's drought response could foreshadow future action in Texas, a new study raises new concerns about fracking and drinking water and an interview with Antonietta Quigg, an oceanography professor at Texas A&M University at Galveston. Full Story
Attorney General Ken Paxton says he plans to sue the Obama administration over the proposed “Clean Power Plan,” its sweeping plan to combat climate change by slashing carbon emissions from power plants. Full Story
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The so-called Denton fracking bill is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk. The Senate on Monday approved a bill to pre-empt local efforts to regulate a wide variety of oil and gas activities. Full Story
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The murky rules for regulating groundwater pumping aren't going to get any clearer after the state Supreme Court declined to take a case that might have helped clarify when a property owner's right of capture can be restricted. Full Story
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The Texas Supreme Court won’t re-examine a high-profile case that asked a perplexing question: If industrial wastewater pollutes your groundwater, can you sue for trespassing? Full Story
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Contending that Texas is struggling to lure businesses, House lawmakers on Thursday gave initial approval to bill to quicken the pace at which regulators crank out permits for major industrial projects – by limiting public scrutiny. Full Story
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At issue is the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, a stockpile of over 700 million barrels of crude oil stored in Texas and Louisiana. Congressional lawmakers are uncertain of the reserve's role in an age of abundance. Full Story
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Business-friendly Texas still isn't quite friendly enough, Republican lawmakers say, and they're pushing legislation to curtail public input and speed up permits issued by state environmental regulators. Full Story
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A hefty slice of Americans support local control over hydraulic fracturing, according to new University of Texas at Austin survey. Full Story
As the Texas Legislature ponders ethics reforms to increase transparency and reduce conflicts of interests among its members, a key state lawmaker is facing new questions about whether his private business affairs are impacting his public duties. Full Story
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On 4/24, I talked about the future of energy policy in Texas with SMU's Bruce Bullock; state Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo; former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Antonio Garza; and state Rep. Morgan Meyer, R-Dallas. Full Story
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