The latest environment news from The Texas Tribune.
With invasive plant species taking over the Texas landscape, lawmakers are looking at how to bring back native plants. Two new bills could help increase the supply of drought-resistant native seeds in Texas. Full Story
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Mexico's ruling party says the country's oil monopoly will stay under state control. But on Sunday, the party adopted a platform to allow for private investment in the oil giant, drawing interest among Texas companies. Full Story
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Despite mounting concerns over disruptions to the environment and infrastructure, Texas lawmakers haven't soured on fracking. But that hasn't kept the practice out of the sights of legislators pushing for more regulations. Full Story
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Reservoir projects are inching forward throughout Texas as an answer to the drought, but environmentalists argue that they are unnecessary and expensive. Full Story
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As the price of natural gas has declined, much of Texas' drilling activity has moved south, to the Eagle Ford Shale, leaving the battle-tested Barnett Shale in North Texas with an uncertain future. Full Story
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The North Plains Groundwater Conservation District board member on the district’s unusually strict water-meter requirements, the drought and how the iPad is making it possible to farm from a cafe. Full Story
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Proponents and critics weighed in Wednesday on a bill that would allow the sale of raw milk at farmer’s markets and other sites like fairs and flea markets. Full Story
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The 485-mile Oklahoma-to-Texas leg of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline is about half done and should be operational by late this year or early 2014, according to officials from TransCanada, the company building it. Full Story
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At a StateImpact Texas forum on Tuesday, a group of lawmakers agreed that the state must address road damage caused by the oil and gas boom. Such damage is estimated to have cost the Eagle Ford Shale area up to $2 billion. Full Story
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As Texas lawmakers mull a plan to safeguard the state against future water shortages, agriculture groups are already worried they might be left high and dry. Full Story
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State Rep. Mary González, D-Clint, wants to bring dairy farming back to her district by repealing a decade-old ban on the practice, the result of longstanding concerns over bovine tuberculosis. Full Story
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Texas A&M University has requested $284,000 from the Legislature to expand the operations of the state climatologist, John Nielsen-Gammon, who says more money would help support research and relieve some of his ever-growing workload. Full Story
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A who's who of mayors, lawmakers and agency officials testified at the Capitol on Tuesday in support of using $2 billion from the state’s Rainy Day Fund for water projects. But before that, they said, the state must focus on conservation. Full Story
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Plans to build a new Gulf Coast power plant called White Stallion have fizzled, marking a victory for environmental advocates and — for now, at least — the demise of new coal plant projects in Texas. Full Story
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This session, renewable energy advocates are bracing to defend critical policies that have helped Texas become the leading wind-power state. The discussions include a renewable energy mandate and a key tax incentive. Full Story
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Ten years ago, the renewable energy industry basked in political popularity. With the rise of the Tea Party, it is now under fire. Clean energy advocates will spend part of the legislative session fending off attacks. But they also have some big dreams. Full Story
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At a joint meeting of the House Natural Resources and Energy committees Wednesday, legislators said that even if fracking accounts for only a small portion of the state's water use, every drop counts. Full Story
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In addition to the discussions of water infrastructure funding at the Capitol, an even more basic issue is also on the table: whether to restructure the Texas Water Development Board. Full Story
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State Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, filed legislation this week that would create a commission to work with neighboring states like Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma on securing water for Texas. Full Story
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President Obama on Tuesday night peppered his State of the Union address with proposals for America's energy future, including natural gas development. But what do those proposals mean for Texas? Full Story
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