The latest environment news from The Texas Tribune.
Last year’s drought dried up hay fields, sent feed prices through the roof and forced many Texas ranchers to sell off large portions of their herds. A year later, many are still trying to recover. Full Story
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It's nothing short of a "rebirth" of the petrochemical industry, one executive says. All along the Texas Gulf Coast, big companies are sinking billions of dollars into new plants. Full Story
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The historic Texas drought caused the Ogallala Aquifer to experience its largest decline in 25 years across a large swath of the Texas Panhandle, new numbers from a water district show. Full Story
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Two months after Al Armendariz resigned from his post as a Texas-based regional director for the Environmental Protection Agency, the Sierra Club has announced that Armendariz is joining its "Beyond Coal" campaign. Full Story
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The Obama administration has announced plans to to expand drilling activities in the Gulf of Mexico, even as lingering effects of the disastrous 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill are still felt along parts of the Texas coastline. Full Story
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The Public Utility Commission approved a 50 percent increase for the cap on wholesale electricity prices on the Texas electrical grid. That will mean higher prices for ordinary Texans, consumer advocates fear. Full Story
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Much of the discussion at a Wednesday House committee hearing centered around efforts by drilling companies to recycle water or reduce their water consumption. Environmentalists questioned whether they are doing enough. Full Story
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This week's 100-degree weather across the state has raised important questions about how often Texas would need to force rolling blackouts to keep pace with demand. For the state, it mostly comes down how much power it has in its reserves — and how much it's willing to spend for it. Full Story
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The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is still feeling the effects of last year's wildfires, drought and budget cuts, but officials say the situation is improving with increased park attendance and donations. Full Story
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Drought may be a part of life in Texas, but last year's crisis left an indelible mark on the state. In a special report on the 2011 drought, KUT News, StateImpact Texas and Texas Monthly examine how the state will manage a growing population amid a shrinking water supply. Full Story
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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