The latest environment news from The Texas Tribune.
Aging dams have raised concerns that parts of the state may be ill equipped to deal with future flooding. But a law the Legislature passed this year has made it harder for the state to monitor many of those potentially hazardous dams. Full Story
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A proposal to amend the state Constitution to fund water projects in Texas is bringing together strange bedfellows both in support of and in opposition to the measure. Full Story
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Scientists say a new technology — involving a material derived from vegetable oil — could save billions of gallons of water from evaporation in Texas. But the technology has faced a rocky path to implementation. Full Story
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Despite a drought that continues to dry up the state's lakes and reservoirs, water experts have raised concerns about the quality of the state's 7,500 dams, many of which are in poor condition or are nearing the end of their life spans. Full Story
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Developers expect to soon flip the switch on the final electrical transmission projects built under a nearly $7 billion effort to connect Texas' windiest, mostly secluded regions to communities that demand more power. Full Story
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Half of Texans say they’d vote to approve $2 billion in additional water infrastructure financing this November, according to a new University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll. Full Story
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This week in the Texas Weekly Newsreel: Wendy Davis starts traveling the state, Rick Perry hits the road, too (for water funding), and John Cornyn wants the Tea Party to know he's right there with them. Full Story
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The environment track at the 2013 Texas Tribune Festival featured panel discussions on the aftermath of the fertilizer plant explosion in West, the future of water and parks in Texas, and the fight over climate change. Full Story
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The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is appealing a lawsuit that it has already won — and that was filed by children. Environmental advocates say the case is a waste of state resources. Full Story
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University of Texas scientists who led a study of methane gas emissions say both sides of the fracking debate are misinterpreting the results of the report. Full Story
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The energy track at The Texas Tribune Festival featured discussions about regulation, the shale boom, energy efficiency and the fight over electricity. You can hear the sessions here. Full Story
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Well over half of the money raised so far by the Water Texas PAC came from heavy contractors, Dow Chemical Co. and Energy Future Holdings/Luminant. Use our analyzer to take a closer look at the donors. Full Story
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Texans have long viewed the Railroad Commission as a launching pad for higher office. Each candidate in this year's crowded race for an open seat has promised to serve a full term, if elected. Full Story
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The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has confirmed the presence of invasive zebra mussels in Belton Lake, and experts worry the species could jeopardize the water supply in Central Texas towns. Full Story
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On Oct. 1, I talked about the coming constitutional referendum on funding the state water plan with Laura Huffman, state director of The Nature Conservancy of Texas, and state Rep. Allan Ritter, R-Nederland, the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. Full Story
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UPDATED: San Angelo's O.C. Fisher Reservoir, which after years of persistent drought is completely dry, served as the backdrop for Gov. Rick Perry's remarks Wednesday in support of a constitutional amendment to use $2 billion from the Rainy Day Fund toward water-planning initiatives. Full Story
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Days after scientists unveiled a report predicting serious consequences tied to global warming, state officials debated whether the phenomenon is human-induced and whether they can do anything about it. Full Story
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Texans are growing more satisfied with their electricity providers, but they still complain far more than they did before the state deregulated its power market, according to a new report. Full Story
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We liveblogged The 2013 Texas Tribune Festival's Energy track, which featured panel discussions on regulation, the shale boom, energy efficiency and the fight over electricity. Read the highlights here. Full Story
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We're liveblogging this weekend from The Texas Tribune Festival's Transportation track, which features panel discussions on planning, high-speed rail, road funding and rural transportation. Full Story
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