The Brief: Jan. 9, 2015
The incoming governor on Thursday equated local efforts to regulate single-use plastic bags or fracking to forms of collectivism. Full Story
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![Incoming Gov.Greg Abbott speaks at TPPF's Policy Orientation session on Jan. 8th, 2015]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Controversial Marvin Nichols Reservoir Stays in State Plan
The plan to build the Marvin Nichols Reservoir has been a subject of contention between Dallas-Fort Worth officials and opponents in Northeast Texas. State officials voted Thursday to keep the lake in the state water plan, but the dispute is far from over. Full Story
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![The Hearts Bluff Mitigation Bank as pictured with the proposed Marvin Nichols Reservoir.]()
Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
What’s Behind the Earthquakes in Dallas?
A swarm of small earthquakes started shaking the Dallas area a couple of days ago. But the tremors, while new to the region, are just the latest in a major increase in earthquakes in Texas over the last several years. Full Story
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Amid New Earthquakes, Researchers Head to Irving
UPDATED: Irving has experienced scores of small earthquakes in recent months, and seismologists are headed to town to help figure out what’s behind the shaking. Full Story
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![Lynda Stokes, the mayor of Reno, Texas, testified before the Railroad Commission of Texas on Jan. 21, 2014. She voiced her concern about an increased number of earthquakes around Eagle Mountain Lake.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Raw Gas Fuels Worry for Rural Homeowner
Thousands of rural Texas homes get their natural gas from "farm taps," hooking up to nearby pipelines that carry raw gas on its way from wells to processing plants. One homeowner shut down his furnace when he learned of the risks. Full Story
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![Some rural Texans, including Jon Salis, have been getting untreated natural gas that can freeze up and, in rare cases, pollute homes. Salis poses at the gas line near his Lake Palo Pinto property.]()
Credit: Star-Telegram/Joyce Marshall -
The Brief: Jan. 6, 2015
Another day and another threshold is crossed in oil's steady downward march in value. This time it was the price of U.S. oil dipping below $50 during the day on Monday. Full Story
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![Trucks carry cement that will be mixed to fill the space between multiple layers of casing in preparation for the hydraulic fracturing process at a Chesapeake Energy drill site in Dimmit, Texas in the Eagle Ford Shale.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa -
The Brief: Jan. 5, 2015
Three special elections are on tap for Tuesday, including two contests to find replacements for a pair of San Antonio Democrats who have opted to run for mayor. Full Story
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![Campaign signs outside a polling place at Zilker Elementary School in Austin on March 4, 2014.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond -
Texas Perspective: Water
Last year, The Texas Tribune partnered with public media stations across Texas to produce Texas Perspective: Water, a magazine news program that examined water issues in various parts of the state. Watch the program here, courtesy of KLRU-TV. Full Story
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The Playlist: The Best is Yet to Come
For this week's playlist of the news, we’re using our reporters' own predictions for 2015. Kicking things off: “The Best Is Yet To Come,” by Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, backed up by the Count Basie Orchestra. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by John Jordan -
With New Land Commissioner, a New Era for Bush Family
Big names in state and national politics gathered in the Texas Senate chamber Friday to welcome George P. Bush, the state's new land commissioner, into the family business. Full Story
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![George P. Bush is sworn in Jan. 2, 2015 as Texas land commissioner as dad Jeb Bush and wife Amanda look on.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Sitton Leaving Consulting Firm to Avoid Conflicts
Ryan Sitton, the incoming Texas railroad commissioner, says he is following through on a campaign promise to step away from his oil and gas consulting firm and place its assets in a blind trust. Full Story
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![Ryan Sitton, the incoming Texas Railroad Commissioner, speaks at a Texas Tribune event on Oct. 30, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Texas Now Hands-Down Leader in Wind Power
When Gov. Rick Perry first took office, Texas’ wind energy sector hardly existed. But the state has since become the nation’s leader in wind energy generation, Jim Malewitz writes, and Perry — more commonly associated with oil and gas — helped steer that boom. Full Story
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Texas Air is Cleaner, but Who Deserves the Credit?
According to recent data, average levels of ozone — more commonly known as smog — decreased by nearly 25 percent in Texas between 2000 and 2013. But does the credit for cleaning up Texas air belong to Gov. Rick Perry? Neena Satija writes that opinions vary. Full Story
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Roundup: Same-Sex Marriage Ban and Texas' Oil Futures
This week in the Roundup: The fate of Texas’ same-sex marriage ban is in question, as is the state’s budget as oil prices continue to tumble. Meanwhile, South Texas counties plan to lobby lawmakers to allow them to negotiate mineral rights leases. Full Story
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Disappearing Rio Grande: A Look Back at 10 Stories
On June 19, Colin McDonald began exploring the incredibly important Rio Grande from its source in Colorado. Here are 10 posts that give a good representation, both in words and photos, of the journey. You can follow along here for the rest of his trip. Full Story
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![The Rio Grande has been the lifeblood of the valleys and civilizations it flowed through for more than 3,000 years. As cities and farms suck it dry and a warming climate makes it evaporate faster, the river's future has never been more uncertain.]()
Credit: Erich Schlegel -
Old Ruling Keeps Counties From Tapping Oil Money to Fix Roads
A 54-year-old state attorney general’s opinion keeps counties from making money on mineral leases under their roads. But officials say they need the money to fix the damage caused by oil field traffic. Full Story
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As Oil Prices Plunge, Texas Eyes Are on Hegar
Incoming Comptroller Glenn Hegar is on the hot seat as a nosedive in crude oil prices – and the increasingly gloomy forecasts that have followed – cast a pall over the next legislative session. Full Story
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![Glenn Hegar (far right) stands with chief revenue estimators past and future. From left: Dale Craymer, Billy Hamilton and Tom Currah, the incoming estimator.]()
Credit: Office of the Comptroller -
The Brief: Dec. 19, 2014
Is Texas in danger of recession next year because of the current swoon in oil prices? An economist with J.P. Morgan Chase is raising an early warning flag about that possibility. Full Story
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Credit: Jerod Foster -
As Cities Get Testy, Regulators Mull Oversight of Urban Drilling
The Railroad Commission wants to beef up oversight of oil and gas wells in cities, and ease tension between the industry and the growing number of urban Texans living next to well pads, compressor stations and disposal wells. Full Story
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![A well pad is flanked by Fort Worth's skyline on Sept. 27, 2013.]()
Credit: Mark Graham -
The Brief: Dec. 18, 2014
The awarding of a no-bid Medicaid fraud detection contract to the 21CT company continues to draw scrutiny with three separate news reports published Wednesday evening. Full Story
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![Jack Stick, the top lawyer for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.]()
Credit: Erich Schlegel