environment

TribWeek: In Case You Missed It

By Ross Ramsey June 23, 2012

Aguilar on the aftermath of changes in U.S. immigration policy, Batheja on how the Republican candidates for Senate are handling that sensitive issue, KUT's Philpott on new driver's license laws and immigration, M. Smith on racial tensions and an ousted police chief in Jasper, Galbraith on the state's efforts to limit electric service blackouts, Hamilton on the hot Campbell-Wentworth Senate runoff in Central Texas, Murphy maps the May primary voting, Root on the restoration of the arson-damaged Texas Governor's Mansion and Dehn's latest Weekend Insider on obese Texans: The best of our best content from June 18 to 22, 2012. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman
Drought Maps Show Improvement, but Dry Conditions Linger

By Laura Rice, Texas Standard June 22, 2012

For the first time since March 2011, no part of Texas is under the worst stage of drought, according to new U.S. Drought Monitor data. But as Laura Rice of KUT News reports, some parts of the state are drier than they've been in the last few months. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by courtesy, U.S. Drought Monitor
Even in Coastal Areas, Drought Leaves Lasting Concerns

By Mose Buchele, KUT News June 22, 2012

As last year’s drought intensified, the Colorado River brought less fresh water to the Gulf of Mexico. For the latest installment in KUT News' series on water issues, Mose Buchele looks at Matagorda Bay, where water quality has suffered — and the economy, too. Full Story

Credit: Ed Yourdon
Texas' Blackout Avoidance Measures Could Cost Billions, Group Says

By Kate Galbraith June 21, 2012

Texas’ efforts to stave off future blackouts could cost ordinary households hundreds of dollars per year, a filing by a Texas industrial group suggests. Texas regulators are due to vote on the proposal next week. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman
In a More Urban Texas, Farmers Face Uncertain Future

By Mose Buchele, KUT News June 21, 2012

The drought has permanently changed life for some Texans, but in many ways, the scarcity just underlined a looming crisis. For the latest installment in KUT News' series on water issues, Mose Buchele looks at Wharton County, where water concerns have imperiled a generation of rice farmers. Full Story

Credit: Earl Nottingham/Texas Parks & Wildlife
State's Readiness for Hurricane Season Touted

By John Wayne Ferguson June 19, 2012

The 2012 hurricane season is here. TxDOT officials point to recent drills and expanded social media efforts as evidence that they are better prepared to help Texans with potential mass evacuations. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Mel Rick / TXDOT
Urban Redevelopment Renews Concerns Over Industrial Sites

By Dave Fehling, Houston Public Media June 19, 2012

The federal government has spent millions of dollars cleaning up so-called brownfields, old industrial properties contaminated by toxic waste. But as Dave Fehling reports for StateImpact Texas, the re-development of some of the state's urban cores has revived concerns over some of the sites. Full Story

Credit: Dave Fehling NPR StateImpact / KUHF Houston Public Radio
Hot Weather, Hot Seats, Hot Reptiles

By Kate Galbraith June 15, 2012

As summer begins, the spotlight will be on the dunes sagebrush lizard (will it get an endangered listing or not?), former EPA regional head Al Armendariz (who's testifying in Washington) — and, of course, the perpetual question of whether the electric grid has enough juice. Full Story

Credit: Graphic by Jacob Villanueva
Updated: Combs, Oil Groups Applaud Decision to Keep Lizard Off Endangered List

By Kate Galbraith June 13, 2012

A federal decision not to list the dunes sagebrush lizard — whose habitat includes the West Texas oilfields — as threatened or endangered set off a round of cheering by state officials and oil groups. But some environmentalists fear for the lizard's future. Full Story

Credit: Steve Jurvetson
On Water Conservation, Seeing Room to Improve

By Kate Galbraith June 12, 2012

As Texas recovers from the severe drought of the last two years, water experts say that conservation is the easiest way to make sure the state has enough water for future growth. But conservation doesn't always come naturally. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Ariel Min
Texas Gets Creative With Plans for Recycling Water

By Kate Galbraith June 11, 2012

Later this year, a plant in Big Spring will become the state's first facility to process wastewater and send it back into the drinking water system. This is the ultimate use of "reclaimed water" — a source crucial to Texas' future. Full Story

Credit: Jerod Foster
Slideshow: A New Kind of Water Plant

By Kate Galbraith June 10, 2012

The ultimate use of sewage water is converting it into drinking water — and a plant in the West Texas town of Big Spring will do exactly that when it begins operations at the end of the year. This is a slideshow of the plant, currently under construction. Full Story
Amid Scramble for Water, a Push for Desalination

By Kate Galbraith June 10, 2012

Desalination has become a buzzword in water discussions around the state, amid concerns over future supplies. But tapping salty aquifers, or even seawater from the Gulf of Mexico, carries costs. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Ivan Pierre Aguirre
Interactive: How Cost of Water in Texas Stacks Up

By Kate Galbraith and Geoff McGhee June 8, 2012

Texas cities have traditionally enjoyed lower water rates than most metro areas in the nation. Use this interactive to see how Texas cities compare in regard to water rates, single-family usage and weather. Full Story
In Era of Drought, Texas Cities Boost Water Rates

By Kate Galbraith June 8, 2012

The drought has pushed Texas cities to raise rates to pay for new water supplies and to encourage conservation. But raising rates often triggers public resistance in a state that is wary of too much government. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Jerod Foster
EPA, Armendariz Blasted at House Hearing

By Kate Galbraith June 6, 2012

At a House subcommittee hearing Wednesday, congressional Republicans heaped criticism on the EPA and its former south-central region chief, Al Armendariz, who had been scheduled to testify but canceled at the last minute. Full Story
30 Years Later, Superfund Site Still a Threat

By Dave Fehling, Houston Public Media June 5, 2012

The federal government created the so-called Superfund in 1980 to clean up hazardous-waste sites. And as Dave Fehling of KUHF News reports for StateImpact Texas, the work in Texas still isn't finished. Full Story

Credit: Dave Fehling NPR StateImpact / KUHF Houston Public Radio
Proposed SpaceX Launch Site in Texas Draws Concerns

By Minjae Park June 1, 2012

SpaceX, which just sent the first private spacecraft to the International Space Station, has proposed building a launch pad in Texas. But the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is concerned the proposed site is too close to endangered species. Full Story

Credit: SpaceX
Report on Electric Grid Cites Concerns With Reserves

By Kate Galbraith June 1, 2012

A 135-page report by a Massachusetts-based consulting group is the latest analysis suggesting that the Texas electric grid does not have adequate reserves for future years. Full Story

Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman / Neil McIntosh
Michael Burgess: The TT Interview

By Minjae Park May 31, 2012

The Republican congressman from Lewisville on his objections to a law setting higher efficiency standards for lightbulbs and how he intends to stop the Department of Energy from enforcing the standards. Full Story