The latest environment news from The Texas Tribune.
As the Blanco River rose rapidly in the early hours of May 24th, phones around Wimberley — most of which had 512 area codes — received urgent text alerts: danger, flooding, seek shelter. Laura McComb, who had a 361 area code, did not receive any such text. Full Story
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Former Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson is not running for state railroad commissioner, and he says that Donald Trump has something to do with that. Full Story
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Former state Rep. Lon Burnam, a Fort Worth Democrat, said Sunday that he has filed to run for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, the state agency that regulates oil and gas development. Full Story
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Negotiators from nearly 200 nations, including the United States, struck an unprecedented climate agreement on Saturday that could have big implications for Texas — and also face big pushback from state leaders. Full Story
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Railroad Commissioner David Porter announced Thursday that he will exit his primary battle against Republican activist John Greytok. Former Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson is exploring a run for the seat. Full Story
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Paul Chu, founding director and chief scientist at the University of Houston’s Texas Center for Superconductivity, discusses how energy storage could revolutionize the grid, and how Texas plays a role in advancing the technology. Full Story
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Experts at the Public Utility Commission of Texas are urging its three commissioners to reject plans by a Dallas oilman and real estate tycoon to take over the state’s largest electric transmission company. Full Story
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Legislation aimed at resolving a dispute over who owns land along the Texas side of the Red River has cleared the U.S. House. But the White House has threatened to veto it. Full Story
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Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller faced pointed questions from lawmakers Tuesday over his plan to dramatically hike fees on a host of licenses, registrations and services that his agency provides. Full Story
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Christmas elves, pirates and scientists gathered Monday to present climate change skeptic U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, with a fake award from the “Flat Earth Foundation of Texas.” Full Story
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The Lower Colorado River Authority has concluded that its new southeast Texas reservoir won't hurt aquatic life downstream in Matagorda Bay, but the organization is refusing to release the data behind that contention. Full Story
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A federal bankruptcy judge has signed off on a plan break up key pieces of Energy Future Holdings — a major step in the conglomerate’s effort to shed tens of billions of dollars in debt. Full Story
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Energy Future Holdings, mired in bankruptcy, has agreed to pay up to $2 million to help clean up long-abandoned uranium mines in New Mexico — a sum far lower than the federal government originally sought. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: A celebration of Texas rivers in song, eager beavers might help control algae growth and an interview with Meredith Miller of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University. Full Story
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The Texas land commissioner on Tuesday asked to joined seven North Texas families in a federal lawsuit that accuses the U.S. Bureau of Land Management of perpetuating an “arbitrary seizure” of land along the Red River. Full Story
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Oil rustlers of Texas beware: State lawmakers want to crack down on the those who swipe hundreds of barrels of black gold to sell on the black market. But first, they need the governor’s blessing. Full Story
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The financially troubled Spanish company whose subsidiary is supposed to build a massive water pipeline to serve San Antonio entered into the initial phases of bankruptcy proceedings Wednesday. Full Story
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On your Turkey Day, take a gander at Texas' biggest game bird — from population trends to record-setting hunts. Full Story
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A coalition of environmental groups sued the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Tuesday, claiming the state is dragging its feet in approving operating permits for several major industrial plants. Full Story
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In her disease ecology lab in College Station, Sarah Hamer is studying how an exotic tick from Central and South America made its way to Texas and whether it has the potential to transport tick-borne diseases. Full Story
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