The latest environment news from The Texas Tribune.
At the Trib's April 13 energy symposium at the University of Houston, I talked with state Rep. Jim Keffer, R-Eastland, the House Energy Resources Committee chairman, and state Rep. Mark Strama, D-Austin, a committee member. Full Story
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As part of our day-long symposium on energy and the environment at the University of Houston on April 13, the Trib's Kate Galbraith led a discussion on clean and renewable energy. Full Story
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Fort Bliss has launched a massive effort to cut its net energy and water usage and reduce waste as part of a focus on self-sufficiency. Fort Hood is also working to go greener, but high upfront costs pose challenges. Full Story
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A video going viral shows Al Armendariz, who heads the EPA regional office that includes Texas, likening his job in 2010 to the crucifixion actions of the Romans — comments Gov. Rick Perry says are "unacceptable and offensive." Full Story
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As part of our day-long symposium on energy and the environment at the University of Houston on April 13, UH Law Center Assistant Professor Tracy Hester led a discussion of the economic and environmental impact of the Eagle Ford Shale. Full Story
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The iconic pronghorn antelope once thrived in West and Central Texas, but it’s quickly disappearing. Mose Buchele of KUT News reports for StateImpact Texas on the race against the clock to save the antelope, which must now contend with the ravages of the drought. Full Story
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The former county judge on why he's running for chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, what would pull the party out of the doldrums and what he thinks of the Republicans. Full Story
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Thousands of oil wells sit abandoned in Texas, and with oil and gas on the rise again, another generation of defunct wells may appear if the boom subsides. Dave Fehling of KUHF News reports for StateImpact Texas on the risks and costs associated with so-called orphan wells. Full Story
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The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association could be raising premium rates soon — and for the time first, adjusting policyholder premiums depending on the likelihood of severe storm damage or hurricanes in specific areas. Full Story
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Today marks the second anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon accident, which spilled millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Terrence Henry of KUT News reports for StateImpact Texas on the continuing recovery efforts in the Gulf and the work that remains. Full Story
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In the final installment of a series on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, Mose Buchele of StateImpact Texas, in partnership with StateImpact Oklahoma, reports on what happens when laws favoring landowners come into conflict with pipeline companies granted the power to seize land. Full Story
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Less than a year after a wildfire burned 96 percent of Bastrop State Park’s 6,613 acres, the park is bouncing back. Here's a photographic trip through the park, where camping areas and hiking trails having recently reopened. Full Story
After a wildfire in September burned 96 percent of Bastrop State Park, the park is beginning to recover, and this month parts of the park opened for the first time since January. Full Story
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Less than a year after a wildfire burned 96 percent of Bastrop State Park’s 6,613 acres, the park is bouncing back. Here's a photographic trip through the park, where camping areas and hiking trails having recently reopened. Full Story
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The former chairman of the Public Utility Commission, a Port Arthur native, discusses the reasons behind the long-term power crunch in Texas, his role in the wind boom and the future of solar power. Full Story
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In part three of a four-part series on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, Terrence Henry of StateImpact Texas, in partnership with StateImpact Oklahoma, reports on the fight over property rights, which has spurred some Texas landowners to take the company building the pipeline to court. Full Story
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In part two of a four-part series on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, Dave Fehling of StateImpact Texas, in partnership with StateImpact Oklahoma, reports on the fight over the risks of crude oil, which supporters of the pipeline say presents no unique threat. Full Story
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In part one of a four-part series on the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, Logan Layden of StateImpact Oklahoma, in partnership with StateImpact Texas, reports from the tip of the pipeline’s southern leg, where tens of millions of barrels of oil are waiting to make their way to Texas refineries. Full Story
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This interactive breaks down the costs of the lawsuits that Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has brought against the federal government. Full Story
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The Keystone XL Pipeline, and whether it will be built to bring oil from Canada to the Texas coast, has been a hot topic. This week on KUT News and the Trib, we'll have a series on the pipeline and unresolved issues surrounding it. Full Story