The latest environment news from The Texas Tribune.
Now that Texas voters have agreed to spend $2 billion to finance water supply projects, legislators say the state finally has some money to execute its water plan. But it's a plan full of contradictions and uncertainty. Full Story
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The Texas Railroad Commission has nothing to do with abortion. But that hasn’t stopped some Republicans vying for an open seat on the three-member commission from touting their anti-abortion stances. Full Story
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Mexico's secretary of the economy on tax reforms in his country, changes that would allow private investment in Mexico's state-owned oil monopoly and his government's thoughts on immigration reform in the United States. Full Story
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Now that Proposition 6 has passed with close to 75 percent of the vote, the real work of water planning — and jockeying for funds — begins. Full Story
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A consumer advocacy group says it has documented at least 125 possible anomalies across a 250-mile stretch of the Keystone XL pipeline, raising questions about the integrity of a project that traverses more than 600 Texas rivers and streams. Full Story
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On Saturday, Wichita Falls will enter an unprecedented stage 4 of emergency drought response, which includes a total ban on outdoor watering and an internal audit of water consumption by local businesses. Full Story
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About eight months after a ruptured pipe spewed at least 210,000 gallons of tar sands oil in Arkansas, residents and some public officials in East Texas are calling on regulators to permanently shutter the Pegasus pipeline, which runs beneath local reservoirs and backyards. Full Story
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With what has been described as the worst drought in recorded history punishing parts of Texas, Attorney General Greg Abbott found a way to keep watering his yard: He drilled his own well. Full Story
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This week in the Newsreel: The voting is over for now, the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll is out, and a statewide candidate questions the loyalty of anyone who loves Texas but hates fracking. Full Story
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Steve Brown, a former legislative aide and past chairman of the Fort Bend County Democrats, is the first Democrat to enter the race for railroad commissioner. Full Story
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A federal judge has granted Comptroller Susan Combs the day in court she asked for to address what she calls Texas' balance between environmental protection and economic growth. Full Story
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Use our interactive map to check out the correlation between the success of the water ballot measure and the severity of drought conditions around the state. Full Story
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Texas voters addressed the state's fast growth and lingering drought Tuesday by approving a $2 billion water fund and eight other constitutional amendments in a low-turnout election. Full Story
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Texas Comptroller Susan Combs on Tuesday defended a controversial program her office oversees to conserve the state's threatened dunes sagebrush lizard. Full Story
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This year's vote on water funding has some implications for conservative candidates in Texas. It's the best opportunity to fund water projects without raising taxes, but also controversially pulls from the state's savings account. Full Story
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A few companies in Texas are developing pilot projects to capture and use the excess natural gas that is often vented into the air or burned during the oil drilling process. Full Story
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Whether or not Texas voters approve Proposition 6, which would take $2 billion from the state's savings account to use for water financing, the state has a long way to go in dealing with its water deficit. Full Story
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As the Highland Lakes in Central Texas continue to dwindle to near-historic lows, the Lower Colorado River Authority is recommending unprecedented steps to cut back freshwater releases. Full Story
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The Colorado River, which flows from West Texas all the way down to the Gulf Coast, is caught in a tug-of-war amid the West's prolonged drought. Full Story
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The passage of Proposition 6, which proponents say would jump-start billions of dollars in spending on water projects across Texas, may be just the beginning of a debate over how to spend money in a new state water fund. Full Story
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