The latest environment news from The Texas Tribune.
Ron Curry, a former New Mexico environmental regulator, will become the new Dallas-based regional head of the Environmental Protection Agency. He replaces Al Armendariz, who resigned after a firestorm this spring. Full Story
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The Big D has a big plan to go green. Dallas environmental advocates are confident the city can accomplish its ambitious plan to have the city recycling nearly all of its garbage by 2040. Full Story
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Environmental groups have long raised concerns about the health dangers of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. But a new report questions one aspect of fracking that rarely comes under scrutiny: its supposed economic benefit. Full Story
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The drought that began in October 2010 has continued into 2012, and it has taken a toll on Texas' water supplies. As the summer of 2012 draws to a close, these communities are at risk of running out of water within 180 days. Full Story
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Texans are already used to the lights going out because of everyday issues like storms, equipment problems or people driving into utility poles. So why is there so much fuss about preventing the occasional grid-wide power outage? Full Story
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A commercial space race has begun, and this week the Texas Space Alliance, an aerospace development lobby group, reached out to the Legislature in hopes of making the state part of the enterprise. Full Story
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After populations in Texas plummeted last year due to disease and drought, quail counts are on the rise this season. But that small increase might not be enough to bring hunters out in full force. Full Story
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Wildfire season across the American West and Texas is getting longer and more destructive every year, according to a new report from the research organization Climate Central. Full Story
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More landowners and public safety officials have begun calling on the state to respond to last year's devastating wildfires by lighting more fires — so-called prescribed burns that help remove the dry grass and brush that fuel the blazes. Full Story
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Texas is the top wind power state, but the expiration of a key tax credit at the end of this year could significantly impact the state, which contains about a fifth of the nation’s turbines. Full Story
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Environmental groups filed a petition on Wednesday accusing the state's Public Utility Commission of failing to meet renewable energy targets and thus depriving the state of more solar and geothermal power. Full Story
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Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons' Waste Control Specialists, which runs a radioactive waste dump in Andrews County, has made its first payments to the county and state after years of controversy. Full Story
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Milton Rister, a former Republican political operative who is currently a member of the governor’s senior staff, will become the new executive director of the Texas Railroad Commission. Full Story
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Oil may dominate in Texas, but coal is still king in some small towns. That's why talk of stricter air pollution regulations in towns like Jewett — where the economy is already stagnant — puts some residents on edge. Full Story
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A federal proposal to list four Central Texas salamanders as endangered species has provoked a fierce debate about how humans affect the natural world. But the back-and-forth also foreshadows future fights likely to take place as more species come up for review. Full Story
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Fall weather may bring more Texans outside, but delayed maintenance and years of cuts have left state parks and historical sites struggling — and some on the verge of closure. Full Story
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With temperatures projected to soar during the final days of August, the state of the Texas electric grid will once again be on policymakers’ minds — though some reliability concerns may be eased since a federal court struck down an EPA rule that could have affected coal plants. Full Story
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At a Senate hearing on Thursday, Texas Public Utility chairwoman Donna Nelson sharply criticized renewable energy incentives, saying that they are “one of the primary causes” of the current strains on the state power grid. Full Story
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The drought that began in October 2010 has continued into 2012, and it has taken a toll on Texas' water supplies. This map shows communities that are at risk of running out of water within 180 days. Full Story
A Texas farmer's battle to keep the Keystone XL oil pipeline off her property is only the most visible of what some legal experts describe as a rising tide of property-rights cases across Texas. Full Story
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