Members of the Texas Railroad Commission would be allowed to meet behind closed doors to discuss the details of disputed cases under a bill tentatively approved by the Texas House on Monday.
Energy
In-depth reporting on oil, gas, renewable power, and policies shaping the future of energy in Texas from The Texas Tribune.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Aguilar and Weber on a subdued debate over homeland security, Galbraith on rising concern about natural gas drilling, Grissom on a controversial psychologist, Hamilton on the aftermath of the Rick O’Donnell episode, Philpott on the comptroller’s apology, Ramshaw with more on the statewide database of child abusers, E. Smith interviews Lance Armstrong, M. Smith on what House budget cuts would mean for school districts, M. Stiles on how redistricting would change things for each House member, Tan on the Senate’s wobbly attempts to approve a budget and my interview with David Dewhurst: The best of our best content from April 25 to 29, 2011.
Posted in
Energy
Report Finds No Evidence of Market Manipulation During Blackouts
A new report released by the Public Utility Commission has found no evidence of market manipulation during the Texas blackouts in February, though it does suggest some improvements for electric-grid operations.
Posted in
Energy
A Backlash Against Drilling, in the Oil and Gas Heartland
Texans pride themselves on being the heart of the nation’s oil and gas business. But even here, public concern about the environmental consequences of natural gas drilling is growing.
Posted in
Demographics
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Aaronson on a freshman lawmaker’s rogue antics, Aguilar on how cartel violence affects tick eradication, Galbraith on Midland’s water woes, Hamilton on the exit of a higher ed reformer, Murphy maps voting age by county, Philpott on the data breach at the Comptroller’s office, Ramsey on why Susan Combs needs to eat crow, my TribLive interview with U.S. Sen John Cornyn, Ramshaw on Cornyn’s refusal to take the “nickel tour” of Planned Parenthood, M. Smith annotates the contracts of superintendents, Stiles on a GOP-friendly redistricting map and Tan on a possible Rainy Day Fund raid: The best of our best content from April 18 to 22, 2011.
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Energy
Drought-Plagued Midland Is Running Out of Water
A nasty drought is gripping all of Texas, but Midland’s situation is especially precarious. Since the beginning of October, barely one-tenth of an inch of rain has fallen, and regional reservoirs are getting close to empty.
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Energy
West Texas Project Could Change Future of Wind Power
Utility giant Duke Energy announced last week that it has hired a Kyle-based company to build what would be the world’s largest wind energy storage system for the Notrees wind farm in West Texas. As Lindsay Patterson reports for KUT News, the technology behind the project could solve some of wind power’s biggest problems.
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Energy
EPA Budget Cuts Will Affect Texas Environmental Programs
Texas faces a hefty reduction in federal funding for drinking water and sewer projects as a result of a recent budget cut to the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington.
Posted in
Guides
Texplainer: How Will High Gas Prices Affect the Budget?
With gasoline costing $1 more than a year ago, budget planners can add fuel expenditures to their list of worries. However, it’s also true that oil companies will also pay more in taxes to the state as they beef up their drilling operations.
Posted in
Energy
Lawmakers Question Tax Exemption for Natural Gas
In a Texas House Appropriations Committee hearing this morning, natural gas producers fought back against suggestions that a major tax exemption they receive be rolled back.