The latest energy news from The Texas Tribune.
Nearly four years after BP awarded Gov. Rick Perry's office $5 million for recovery projects in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, most of the money remains unspent. Now, the company is asking Texas for its money back. Full Story
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Dow Chemical's struggles to secure enough water supplies for its growing operations in Texas have sparked concerns about whether the state's diminishing natural resources can accommodate its exploding population and economy. Full Story
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University of Texas at Austin President Bill Powers has asked for a chance at a "graceful" departure from his post after next year's legislative session. Full Story
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Colin McDonald is traveling the length of the Rio Grande — on foot and kayak — to document its ongoing disappearing act. We're excited to follow McDonald on this voyage and to support this unique journalistic endeavor. Full Story
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Desperate to keep the precious little water left in its reservoirs, the city of Wichita Falls may turn to an "evaporation suppressant" chemical for help. Full Story
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The Rio Grande's future has never been more uncertain. Reporter Colin McDonald and photojournalist Erich Schlegel are traveling the river's length, documenting its culture and its biology from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico. Full Story
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: the Lege talks watershed protections, Prop 6 funding system announced and an interview with Blair Fitzsimons of the Texas Agricultural Land Trust. Full Story
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Lawmakers had a busy Tuesday, with the safe storage of ammonium nitrate and the alleged influence of criminal cartels in the current immigration crisis among the topics addressed. Full Story
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In the year since the West fertilizer plant explosion, there have been no new regulations approved for such plants. Now one state lawmaker is hoping to change that, but he's already facing opposition. Full Story
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Political rhetoric aside, uncertainty remains on the larger impact of Monday's Hobby Lobby decision. Full Story
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State and local water planning agencies in Texas were handed a narrow victory by federal judges on Monday, vindicating decisions to supply more water to cities and industries at potential expense of wildlife. Full Story
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Did Wendy Davis peak with the filibuster? Full Story
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The federal Department of Labor says it has found that some energy companies in states where drilling is booming are cheating thousands of workers out of millions of dollars in overtime pay. Full Story
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The Tribune's Reeve Hamilton has dropped the first in a three-part series tackling the timely topic of lawmakers writing recommendations on behalf of applicants to the University of Texas at Austin. Full Story
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Texas politicians from across the political spectrum are weighing in on the surge of unaccompanied minors crowding detention facilities. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court largely rejected Attorney General Greg Abbott’s challenge of federal climate rules Monday, deciding that the EPA is allowed to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from most large industrial facilities. Full Story
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Spurred in part by its fast-growing renewable energy sector, Texas has become a major testing ground for storage technology that could revolutionize the power grid. Full Story
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The discovery of a mass grave in Brooks County containing unidentified immigrants already has a couple of state lawmakers calling for an investigation of what happened. Full Story
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UPDATED: The Texas Public Utility Commission on Friday unanimously rejected a petition to overturn its “small fish, swim free” rule, which gives small electricity generators an absolute defense against allegations of market power abuse. Full Story
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A North Texas rancher’s protest of a power line that splits his land — one he says was built in the wrong place — could prompt new rules addressing when a transmission company can tweak a line’s route after it is approved. Full Story
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