The latest environment news from The Texas Tribune.
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: A new swimsuit material takes contaminants out of the water, South Carolina floods highlight problem of stormwater runoff and an interview with James Simons of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Full Story
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Harris County has politely declined Attorney General Ken Paxton’s request to drop its lawsuit against Volkswagen over the carmaker's use of software that allowed its diesel vehicles to skirt emissions limits. Full Story
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On Nov. 3, Texas voters will consider whether to add another seven amendments to the hundreds already in the state constitution. Full Story
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After seeing the smog in China, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller says he believes human actions have contributed to climate change — though Texas isn't a big part of the problem. Full Story
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President Obama’s plan to combat climate change will cause higher power prices in Texas and threaten electric reliability, but not as much as originally feared, operators of the state’s main grid, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas say in a new analysis. Full Story
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott fired a new volley at the Bureau of Land Management Friday, adding to the years-long standoff between the state and the federal agency over the ownership of roughly 90,000 acres along the Red River. Full Story
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Austin is poised to dramatically expand its solar footprint after the City Council on Thursday directed Austin’s utility to line up contracts adding 600 megawatts of solar power to the city's energy mix by the end of 2019. Full Story
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Nearly a year after the San Antonio City Council unanimously approved what could be the most expensive water project in the region's history, some council members appear to be having doubts. Full Story
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After hearing oral arguments Wednesday, the Texas Supreme Court will consider whether a provision in oil-and-gas law that protects landowners who don’t own the minerals beneath their property should also apply to those who don’t own the groundwater. Full Story
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With developers, water marketers and others gobbling up acreage to secure groundwater rights, the state's highest civil court is set to consider what rights landowners have to protect them from unfettered development of pumping operations on their land. Full Story
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Former first lady Laura Bush is heading up a new non-profit, Texan by Nature, aimed at convincing private landowners to embrace conservation and nurture the state's native beauty. Full Story
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Seeking to fight scandal-plagued Volkswagen alone, Attorney General Ken Paxton is asking two Texas counties to halt their lawsuits against the automaker. Full Story
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A federal appeals court has blocked a major Obama administration clean water rule, handing a victory to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and other states trying to drown it in court. Full Story
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Following in the footsteps of Harris County and the city of Dallas, the state announced Thursday it is suing Volkswagen in connection with the German automaker's admitted use of software that allowed its vehicles to circumvent emissions limits. Full Story
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A Texas A&M University study reveals just how closely petroleum activity appears to be linked to collisions on crowded, crumbling roads in rural South and West Texas. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: A district judge sides with a groundwater conservation district in a ruling with a potentially large impact, a San Antonio water transfer project hits a snag and an interview with Richard Seline of AccelerateH2O. Full Story
Denton announced a lofty plan Tuesday that aims to make the North Texas city one of the cleanest energy providers in the state. Full Story
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Texas and four other Gulf Coast states have reached a final settlement with BP stemming from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill, the U.S. Department of Justice and states announced Monday. Full Story
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For decades, residents of El Cenizo and Rio Bravo along the Texas-Mexico border have struggled to obtain safe, reliable drinking water. A new treatment plant was supposed to help, but politics got in the way. Full Story
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The discovery of dangerous bacteria in the drinking water of two working-class communities along the Rio Grande set off alarms among state regulators and investigators. Now, it appears that efforts to hold anyone responsible are sputtering to an inconclusive end. Full Story
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