At a press conference today, the Lower Colorado River Authority warned Austin and the rest of Central Texas to brace for continued drought. Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan, the region’s major reservoirs, are currently 52 percent full, and dropping steadily.
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
EPA Chief, Visiting Texas, Calls Pollution Rule “Not Onerous”
Lisa Jackson, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, said during a visit to Austin on Wednesday that a pollution rule adopted this month that has infuriated many Texas officials will save lives and can be enacted “cheaply and efficiently.”
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Energy
As Drought Intensifies, Ranchers Sell Off Cattle
The third-worst drought in Texas history has made it hard for ranchers to find hay, and sometimes water, for their cattle. So they are selling them off — and finding eager buyers from rainier states like South Dakota.
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Energy
The Midday Brief: July 15, 2011
Your afternoon reading: Perry for president predictions percolate, Ratliff racing to replace a representative, and districts dealing with drought.
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Criminal Justice
This Will Be on the Test
This week, Secretary of State Hope Andrade conducted a lottery that determined the order of the 10 new proposals on the November ballot. Each amendment already won approval from two-thirds of the House and Senate and now needs a nod from a majority of the voters. Here’s the rundown…
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Energy
Amid Long-Running Battle, Plants to Apply For New Permits
More than 100 Texas refinery, chemical and utility plants have told the Environmental Protection Agency they plan to apply for federal air permits, which Gov. Rick Perry has said will cut jobs. Erika Aguilar of KUT News looks at whether the EPA’s new requirements have done that.
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Energy
Regulators Approve More Safety, Environmental Studies of Proposed Nuclear Plant Site
Federal regulators have determined that safety and environmental claims need to be investigated more thoroughly before a site in Victoria County can be declared suitable for a potential nuclear power plant.
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Energy
To Tackle Drought, Can Lawmakers Do More Than Pray for Rain?
The Texas drought is already a significant natural disaster. What can the government do to help those who are hit hardest?
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Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Aguilar on a change in law that affects applications for state-issued IDs, Galbraith on how the drought is taking its toll on wildlife, Hamilton on an outsider’s attempt to lower the cost of higher ed, Murphy visualizes the partisanship of House members, Ramsey on who becomes Lite Guv if David Dewhurst takes another job, Ramshaw on life in the colonias and three stories about Rick Perry — Grissom on how his death penalty stance might play in a 2012 presidential race, Root on how he cemented his reputation as one of the state’s most powerful governors and Tan on the growing demand for him to speak elsewhere: The best of our best content from July 4 to July 8, 2011.
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Energy
The Next Green Grocery Frontier: Zero Waste?
A trio of brothers and their business partner are hoping to change grocery shopping habits in Austin with in.gredients, billed as the first “zero-waste, package-free” market in the nation.