The Brief: June 2, 2014
The GOP state convention kicks off this week in Fort Worth with some folks urging attendees to take their guns to town. Full Story
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![Gun rights supporters participate in an open carry march through South by Southwest led by the Austin chapter of Come and Take It on Wednesday, March 12.]()
Credit: Erika Rich -
Royalty Owners Get Some Tips on the Art of the Deal
For landowners and mineral owners in Texas’ hottest drilling plays, the state’s boom means long-lasting windfalls — if those lessors know what to look for in negotiating contracts. With new educational efforts, advocates for royalty owners hope to bolster their position. Full Story
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![Pipes used for fracking are shown in front of a Fasken OIl and Ranch drilling rig outside of Midland on Oct. 8, 2013.]()
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The Brief: May 30, 2014
Attorney General Greg Abbott reversed himself Thursday on whether the Texas prison system can withhold information about companies that make drugs used by the state in executions. Full Story
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![Attorney General Greg Abbott declares victory in the Republican primary on March 4, 2014 in San Antonio.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
No Link Between Drilling and Water Contamination, Report Says
A new report from the state's Railroad Commission found that there isn't enough evidence to link rising amounts of methane in some North Texas water wells to nearby drilling activity. But scientists who study the issue aren't so sure. Full Story
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The Brief: May 23, 2014
Confirmation came down from the White House on Thursday night that San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro will be announced on Friday as President Obama's choice to be the next secretary of housing and urban development. Full Story
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Railroad Commission Sides With Driller on Well Protest
UPDATED: The Railroad Commission on Thursday sided with Marathon Oil Company’s bid to dismiss a groundwater conservation district’s protest of its application to inject waste into part of South Texas’ Carrizo-Wilcox aquifer. 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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In Ag Commissioner Race, Focus Not on the Farm
Farmers and ranchers in Texas are in trouble, according to recently-released data, but the candidates for Texas agriculture commissioner are talking more about conservative credentials and pot than farming woes. Full Story
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![Runoff candidates for the nomination for Texas agriculture commissioner, from left to right: Republican former state Rep. Tommy Merritt, Republican former state Rep. Sid Miller, Democrat Jim Hogan and Democrat Kinky Friedman.]()
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New in Trib+Water: Dirty Water, Planning for Drought
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: dirty water, planning for drought and an interview with Sarah B. Faust of Kemp Smith LLP. Full Story
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The Brief: May 21, 2014
David Dewhurst and Dan Patrick, the Republican candidates for lieutenant governor, gave one last surprise in their final debate before the May 27 primary runoff election — a largely civil debate that avoided mention of the personal attacks that have come to dominate the last few weeks. Full Story
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![State Sen. Dan Patrick and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst are in a runoff in the GOP lieutenant governor's race.]()
Credit: Daniel Kramer / Michael Stravato -
New Technology Aids Quest to Help Find Ducks a Home
Drought and urbanization in Texas have hit duck populations hard in recent years. But computers and satellites are now allowing scientists to pinpoint where to fund projects to restore or expand habitats. Full Story
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Credit: Bob Woods -
Official Says Marvin Nichols Reservoir Should Stay in Water Plan
UPDATED: The Texas Water Development Board's executive director issued a final recommendation Monday that the controversial Marvin Nichols reservoir in northeast Texas remain in the state water plan for now. Full Story
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TCEQ Proposal Could Mean More Dry Years for Rice Farmers
More bad news for Gulf Coast-area rice farmers: State regulators on Friday proposed a plan for managing the lower Colorado River basin that would likely deny them water deliveries for years to come. Full Story
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![A rice field near Bay City, Texas.]()
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Perry Talks Coal, Keystone Pipeline in Letter Criticizing Obama's Policies
In a letter to President Obama, Gov. Rick Perry accuses the president of waging a war on coal and kicking the can down the road on the Keystone XL pipeline. Perry suggests that Washington should follow Texas’ lead in spurring energy production. Full Story
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![Gov. Rick Perry is shown on Nov. 15, 2013, at an Austin kickoff rally for U.S. Sen. John Cornyn's re-election campaign.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Despite Water Issues, Texas Politicians Still Say "Pass the Hot Sauce"
Texas politicians' attempt to lure the sriracha sauce factory here from California is part of a strategy to bring more agribusiness to the state, they say. But some farming advocates complain that agriculture is being left behind in the scramble to accommodate growth. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Charlie Pearce -
The Brief: May 16, 2014
News reports late Thursday that lieutenant governor candidate Dan Patrick had received treatment for depression and exhaustion in the 1980s threatened to roil further an an already tense runoff contest just days before voters begin casting ballots. Full Story
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![Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson and state Sen. Dan Patrick, who are both running in the 2014 Republican primary for lieutenant governor]()
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Deal Sets Plan for Texas' Largest Single Solar Facility
Recurrent Energy has signed a 20-year deal with Austin Energy to build a 150-megawatt solar farm in West Texas that would help power Austin. Expected to be completed in 2016, the facility would be the largest single solar site in the state. Full Story
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![The Webberville Solar Project near Austin.]()
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The Brief: May 15, 2014
Gov. Rick Perry's attorney is asking for the ability to get witnesses for his client before a Travis County grand jury without making them appear in public. But in a twist in a case that has already had plenty of them, the only way to circumvent the public entrance is to go through DA Rosemary Lehmberg's office. Full Story
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Landowners, Utilities Keep Eye on Rancher's Bid to Move Power Line
UPDATED: The Texas Public Utility Commission on Friday heard oral arguments in the case of a Wise County rancher protesting a power line that he says was built in the wrong place on his property. The commission is poised to vote on the line’s fate on May 30. Full Story
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![The Rolling V Ranch in Wise County, Texas is home to power transmission lines built by Oncor. The owner, Johnny Vinson says one stretch of the new lines are not built where Oncor promised to build them.]()
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No Joke: Most Texas Cities' Drinking Supplies Flush With "Potty Water"
Wichita Falls has become the butt of late-night jokes and the subject of shocked headlines over plans to use treated sewer water as drinking water. But the town is hardly the only one to reuse dirty water. Full Story
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The Brief: May 14, 2014
Wichita Falls is catching more than a little flak for its plan to take treated sewer water and use it for drinking water, a plan that got put on the fast track with the current drought. But the wisecracks hide an important fact — wastewater reuse is already common across the state. Full Story
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![A tour group samples treated wastewater at the Dos Rios Water Recycling Center, operated by the San Antonio Water System.]()
Credit: Gabriel Cristóver Pérez
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