Environment

After centuries of fighting back water in a low-lying nation, the Dutch have become the world leaders in flood control. And their expertise is helping Texas design what would become the nation’s most ambitious — and expensive — coastal barrier.

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The judge determined this week that the Taiwanese-owned company has been in "enormous" violation of its state-issued permits and federal clean water laws for discharging plastic pellets and other pollutants into Lavaca Bay and other waterways from its plant in Point Comfort.

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Immigration and border security are at or near the top of voters' concerns about the U.S. and Texas, and political corruption is also near the top of their U.S. list, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.

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The legislation includes framework that provides more than $1.6 billion for flood control projects and repairs across the state.

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The bill would have required domestic violence survivors to be notified when offenders are released on bond. But the Republican governor nixed the legislation over a provision by Democratic state Rep. Poncho Nevárez that would have delayed a West Texas waste facility's increase in state fees.

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The bill includes a provision aimed at forcing the federal government to release more than $4 billion to Texas that Congress allocated to the state more than a year ago.

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Advocates have pushed for years to put a constitutional amendment before voters to ensure Texas parks and historic sites get the maximum funding authorized from a sales tax on sporting goods. They have finally succeeded.

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Lawmakers behind the bills said the legislation will create a more resilient Texas and better prepare the state for storms.

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Texas, Puerto Rico and other communities hit by major natural disasters have been waiting for over a year to receive their shares of $16 billion in grant funding approved by Congress.

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With the damage from Hurricane Harvey in mind, lawmakers approved two bills aimed at better preparing the state for natural disasters.

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House Bill 1325 would legalize hemp and hemp-derived extracts like CBD oil as long as they contain no more than 0.3% of tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive element in marijuana known as THC.

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After a day of testimony, lawyers from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office, the Lower Colorado River Authority, and Inland Environmental and Remediation agreed that the company will begin cleaning up its Altair site.

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Democratic state lawmakers filed multiple bills this year to require the state to prepare for a warming planet. None of them have been scheduled for public hearings.

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For the past year, an influential conservative think tank has lobbied to make wind and solar projects ineligible for a popular local property tax abatement program. A measure to do that has stalled, but renewable advocates are watching for last-minute changes to other legislation.

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A bill designed to encourage Texas manufacturers to use more recyclable materials won final approval Monday. It comes as China and India have implemented policies restricting the import of plastics and other materials.

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The Senate Committee on Water and Rural Affairs took public testimony on a bill that would strengthen state oversight of above-ground tanks that hold hazardous hydrocarbons.

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In the first major policy rollout of his presidential campaign, O'Rourke focuses on one of the most dominant issues in his party.

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Hemp is a cousin of the marijuana plant, but it contains low levels of the psychoactive element in marijuana known as THC. The House's bill will now go to the Senate.

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In the latest episode of our podcast about the 86th Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state Rep. Chris Paddie, who chairs the House Energy Resources Committee, about the impact of oil and gas activity on the Texas economy, the downside of the upside, and what the future holds.

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This is the first legislative session since the storm devastated the Texas Gulf Coast in August 2017. Several measures are afoot to aid in recovery and mitigate the effects of future disasters.

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