Texas GOP chairman Tom Mechler, an Amarillo oilman, insists that he wasn’t lobbying when he asked the state to intervene in his clients’ dispute with a pipeline giant.
Energy
In-depth reporting on oil, gas, renewable power, and policies shaping the future of energy in Texas from The Texas Tribune.
Texas sues feds โ including Rick Perry โ for failing to license nuclear waste facility
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accuses U.S. agencies of violating federal law by failing to license a nuclear waste repository in Nevada.
At Capitol, bill targeting plastic bag bans draws strong opposition
Ranchers, city officials and environmentalists testified on Tuesday against a bill that would prevent cities from banning plastic grocery bags or charging a fee for them.
New in Trib+Water: Trump takes aim at water rule
In this week’s edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: Trump administration starts process to eliminate environmental rule under Clean Water Act, the Meadows Center brings back wetlands guided tours and an interview with Meghan Hope of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.
Years after well explosion, Texas family still waiting for answers from agency
A North Texas family is still waiting for answers about whether nearby gas production caused their water well to explode and why the Railroad Commission seemed to miss early signs that something like this could happen in their community.
Environmental impacts of the border fence (slideshow)
Scenes from the Rio Grande Valley in far South Texas, where a border barrier went up years ago.
Scientists say Trump’s border wall would devastate wildlife habitat
At the U.S.-Mexico border, scientists say existing fencing is hurting endangered wildlife and warn that a continuous wall could devastate many species.
U.S. Senate confirms Rick Perry as Trump’s energy secretary
The U.S. Senate approved the confirmation of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry as the next secretary of the Department of Energy on Thursday.
Expect fewer man-made earthquakes in Texas, federal agency says
The odds that a man-made earthquake will hit Texas this year have plummeted, according to new risk projections from the U.S. Geological Survey that are based on the amount of seismic activity that’s occurred here in the past few years.
Trump water directive cheered by ranchers, blasted by environmentalists
State leaders and agriculture groups applauded an executive order issued by President Trump on Tuesday that suggests the controversial “Waters of the U.S.” rule finalized under President Obama could be reversed.


