A federal decision not to list the dunes sagebrush lizard — whose habitat includes the West Texas oilfields — as threatened or endangered set off a round of cheering by state officials and oil groups. But some environmentalists fear for the lizard’s future.
Energy
In-depth reporting on oil, gas, renewable power, and policies shaping the future of energy in Texas from The Texas Tribune.
Posted in
Energy
On Water Conservation, Seeing Room to Improve
As Texas recovers from the severe drought of the last two years, water experts say that conservation is the easiest way to make sure the state has enough water for future growth. But conservation doesn’t always come naturally.
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Energy
Texas Gets Creative With Plans for Recycling Water
Later this year, a plant in Big Spring will become the state’s first facility to process wastewater and send it back into the drinking water system. This is the ultimate use of “reclaimed water” — a source crucial to Texas’ future.
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Energy
Slideshow: A New Kind of Water Plant
The ultimate use of sewage water is converting it into drinking water — and a plant in the West Texas town of Big Spring will do exactly that when it begins operations at the end of the year. This is a slideshow of the plant, currently under construction.
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Energy
Amid Scramble for Water, a Push for Desalination
Desalination has become a buzzword in water discussions around the state, amid concerns over future supplies. But tapping salty aquifers, or even seawater from the Gulf of Mexico, carries costs.
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Interactive: How Cost of Water in Texas Stacks Up
Texas cities have traditionally enjoyed lower water rates than most metro areas in the nation. Use this interactive to see how Texas cities compare in regard to water rates, single-family usage and weather.
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Energy
In Era of Drought, Texas Cities Boost Water Rates
The drought has pushed Texas cities to raise rates to pay for new water supplies and to encourage conservation. But raising rates often triggers public resistance in a state that is wary of too much government.
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Energy
EPA, Armendariz Blasted at House Hearing
At a House subcommittee hearing Wednesday, congressional Republicans heaped criticism on the EPA and its former south-central region chief, Al Armendariz, who had been scheduled to testify but canceled at the last minute.
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Energy
30 Years Later, Superfund Site Still a Threat
The federal government created the so-called Superfund in 1980 to clean up hazardous-waste sites. And as Dave Fehling of KUHF News reports for StateImpact Texas, the work in Texas still isn’t finished.
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Energy
Proposed SpaceX Launch Site in Texas Draws Concerns
SpaceX, which just sent the first private spacecraft to the International Space Station, has proposed building a launch pad in Texas. But the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is concerned the proposed site is too close to endangered species.
