Recent rains have improved drought conditions in Central and East Texas, but rural West Texas continues to struggle. Mose Buchele of KUT News reports for StateImpact Texas on what happens when cities see rain while rural lands continue to suffer.
Energy
In-depth reporting on oil, gas, renewable power, and policies shaping the future of energy in Texas from The Texas Tribune.
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Energy
Texas Sees Renewed Push for Uranium Mining
Texas is one of the nation’s only producers of uranium, and mining companies are gearing up for expansion. That’s causing concern among environmental groups, some of which have been battling uranium mining for decades.
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Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Aaronson maps Medicaid patients’ access to pharmacies, Aguilar on Mexicans in exile, Batheja on an unlikely threat to a veteran lawmaker’s re-election, Galbraith and Murphy interactively track reservoir levels around the state, Grissom on the ringleaders who rule the state’s largest youth lockup, Hamilton on how much Texas professors are paid, Ramsey on who’s conservative, Ramshaw and Tan on the latest Planned Parenthood kerfuffle, Root on what Santorum’s exit means for the Texas primary, and parts 4 (by M. Smith) and 5 (by Tan and Dehn) of our series on school district closures: The best of our best content from April 9-13, 2012.
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Energy
National Parks Are Focus of Planned Haze Rule
The Environmental Protection Agency is rolling out a rule aimed at improving air quality above national parks like Big Bend by focusing on big industrial plants.
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Data App: Texas Reservoir Daily Water Level Tracker
The historic Texas drought caused statewide worries over potential water shortages when reservoir levels fell dramatically. Our interactive data app allows you to check the current status of the state’s reservoirs.
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Energy
TCEQ to Vote on State Agency Participation in Contested Case Hearings
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will vote Wednesday on whether to prohibit state agencies from participating in contested case hearings on permits and licenses issued by the commission.
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Energy
As Drought Ebbs, New Worries at the Bottom of Texas Rivers
With the drought receding, at least temporarily, some scientists have turned their focus to the state’s waterways, where mussels have been disappearing. KUHF News’ Dave Fehling reports for StateImpact Texas on the future of the organism that some consider a biological indicator of the health of the state’s water system.
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Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
The first two parts of M. Smith’s series on failing school districts (plus Murphy and Seger’s interactive on how districts’ characteristics relate to ratings), Root on lagging GOP candidates for president trying to shore things up in Texas, Ramshaw on a “fiscal switcheroo” to get federal money for women’s health programs, Galbraith talks to a West Texas farmer about crop insurance and climate change and Aguilar on the money behind a lawsuit on long rifle sales: The best of our best content from April 2 to 6, 2012.
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Energy
The Hot Seat: A Conversation with West Texas Lawmakers
At our Hot Seat conversation at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, state Reps. Tom Craddick, R-Midland, and Tryon Lewis, R-Odessa, and state Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, discussed cuts to public and higher education and other by-products of the 82nd Session.
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Energy
EPA vs. Texas: The Cross-State Rule
In the month ahead, the cross-state air pollution rule will get its day in court, and as summer approaches, debate will continue over the capacity of the Texas electric grid and how to incentivize construction of more power plants.