The latest environment news from The Texas Tribune.
House Speaker Joe Straus announced Thursday that a new House Committee on Federal Environmental Regulation will examine a litany of new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency efforts that have roiled Texas leaders and industry. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: An environmentalist argues conservation is good for business, farmers are slow to adapt conservation practices and an interview with Fritz Hanselmann of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University. Full Story
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The Texas Railroad Commission has officially cleared two oilfield companies of responsibility for earthquakes that rattled two North Texas towns — despite research suggesting otherwise. Full Story
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State environmental officials on Monday continued to downplay the impact of Eagle Ford Shale drilling on San Antonio’s worsening air quality, blaming cars and trucks instead. Full Story
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Along a disputed stretch of the Red River, one Clay County farmer got his land back from the federal government. Can his neighbors follow suit? Full Story
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A Massachusetts consulting firm that was paid $1.65 million by state environmental regulators to help fight federal smog standards is getting more work from Texas, this time exploring how much arsenic it takes to cause cancer. Full Story
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By filing a one-page form, some producers can have their oil wells reclassified as gas wells and potentially reap huge tax savings. More such requests are being granted, and the Texas budget might start feeling the pain. Full Story
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During the keynote sessions of the 2015 Texas Tribune Festival, we featured one-on-one conversations with Dan Patrick, Joe Straus, Nancy Pelosi and Julián Castro. You can watch those interviews and videos of our other keynote sessions here. Full Story
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Hundreds of gas plants across the country — and as many as 180 in Texas — soon will have to alert the federal government if they discharge, produce or handle certain toxic chemicals like benzene or hydrogen sulfide. Full Story
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The Environment track at The 2015 Texas Tribune Festival featured discussions on the water supply, the climate debate, related legislative issues and lessons from the May floods. There was also a conversation with Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. Full Story
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The Energy track at The 2015 Texas Tribune Festival featured panel discussions on the state’s drilling industry and the state of the electric grid. We also featured a one-on-one interview with Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick. Full Story
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More than half a century after NASA came to Houston to pursue human spaceflight, Texas is again home to an emerging space industry. What does that mean for Texans who live near future commercial launch sites? Full Story
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As Texas' transportation needs multiply, voters in the rapidly growing state will be asked Nov. 3 to consider a way to pay for those needs. Full Story
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As promised, Texas is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over President Obama’s plan to combat climate change, Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Friday, just after the new regulation had been finalized. Full Story
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SpaceX and Blue Origin have big — and sometimes secretive — plans for commercial space flight from South and West Texas. While some of the companies’ new neighbors are hopeful, others fear the effects on wildlife and small-town life. Full Story
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As evidenced Thursday during a U.S. House committee hearing, Texas officials and lawmakers are continuing to fight against tougher federal ground-level ozone standards implemented recently by the Environmental Protection Agency. Full Story
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The ousted author of a study that describes a controversial San Antonio water supply project as “high risk” squared off with the head of the city’s water utility Wednesday. Full Story
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A half-century after NASA began pursuing spaceflight from Houston, Texas has again become the center of an emerging space industry. SpaceX and Blue Origin plan to launch commercial rockets from Texas sites. But they haven't won over their neighbors. Full Story
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After a years-long tumble, Texas has taken a major leap forward in an annual state-by-state ranking of energy efficiency policies — those aimed at slashing utility bills and carbon emissions by curbing energy use. Full Story
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Texans are griping less about their electricity providers, but a sharp spike in complaints against one small company may affect oilman Ray Hunt's $18 billion bid to take over the state’s largest electric transmission company. Full Story
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