Next legislative session, during the few minutes not taken up with the budget, redistricting and immigration, an old stand-by of an issue — water — could creep onto the agenda. Observers say proposals on groundwater rights are probable, given that Texas is just wrapping up a process for planning the allocation of water from aquifers, while environmentalists will be pushing measures for water conservation.
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
On the Ball
For five years, the director of UT’s Frank Erwin Center has been on a crusade to save energy. Fans may not notice the changes, but athletics officials on campus and around Texas are paying heed — and going green themselves.
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Energy
TribBlog: Happy Day for the Hill Country
The Public Utility Commission will cancel plans to build one controversial wind-power transmission line, as well as a segment of a second — to Hill Country landowners’ undoubted relief.
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Energy
Bullish on Batteries
The impoverished border town of Presidio is home to the largest battery system in the country: a $25 million contraption that’s the size of a big house. That’s not as weird as it seems. Partly because of an affinity for wind energy, the state has a number of experiments going in “energy storage” — often referred to as the “holy grail” of energy technology, because it can modernize the grid by more efficiently matching people’s demand for power with the generation of electricity.
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Criminal Justice
TribBlog: High Court: Property Rights Trump Open Beaches
In a pivotal decision, the Texas Supreme Court has ruled that the Open Beaches Act may not allow the state to ask landowners to remove private property if a hurricane or other natural disaster moves it within the public section of a beach.
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Energy
Changes Coming to Our Electric Grid
Operators of the state’s electric grid are about to flip the switch on what could be the most significant change to the Texas energy market in a decade. The change to what’s called a “nodal” grid system happens on Dec. 1, but as Matt Largey of KUT News reports, it’s not clear what happens after that.
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Energy
The Trouble With Trucking
Heavy truck traffic, some of it related to the wind industry, has increased sharply across the state in recent years, and it’s taken a heavy toll on rural roadways. To its chagrin, the Texas Department of Transportation has little prospect of recouping repair costs.
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Demographics
Where They Stand: The Governor’s Race
In the absence of a real debate between Gov. Rick Perry and his Democratic challenger, Bill White, Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune has created the next best thing: a mash-up of their answers to questions asked Friday by the Tribune’s Evan Smith during one-hour interviews of the candidates sponsored by the Trib, KUT and Austin public television station KLRU.
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Energy
TribBlog: A Renaissance for State Parks
As one of 40 parks across Texas benefiting from renovation projects, Bastrop State Park will spend about $4 million on improvements financed by the sale of voter-approved bonds authorized by the Texas Legislature. By April 2011, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department expects to complete $44 million in repairs and renovations to state park infrastructure.
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Energy
TribBlog: Texas Drops in Efficiency Rankings
An annual state-by-state ranking of energy efficiency policies, compiled by a Washington-based advocacy group, shows Texas slipping the fastest.