The latest environment news from The Texas Tribune.
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
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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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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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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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Determined to cut down on smog that chokes the nation’s skies, the Obama administration finalized new limits on ozone. But the limits are weaker than some had hoped, suggesting that fierce critics like Texas had some effect on the outcome. Full Story
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A group of investors led by a Dallas oilman and real estate mogul has launched a bid to take control of Oncor, the state’s largest electric transmission company, putting forth an unprecedented plan. Full Story
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On 9/28, we talked about the future of environmental policy in Texas with the TCEQ's Toby Baker ; John Hall of the Environmental Defense Fund; state Rep. Geanie Morrison, R-Victoria; and Mike Wetz of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Full Story
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During an event The Texas Tribune hosted Tuesday as part of our "Road From Rita" series, audience members at Lamar University shared stories about the difficulties of evacuating ahead of Rita in 2005. Hear them describe what they went through. Full Story
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When you read a letter from Texas Railroad Commission Chairman David Porter, there is a chance he wrote it. And there is a chance it was written by someone in the oil and gas industry he's supposed to be regulating. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: A proposed statewide water grid is opposed by the Sierra Club, a report finds fracking activity in wetlands preserves and an interview with Navid Saleh of the University of Texas at Austin. Full Story
Weighing in on a case before the FCC, Texas Railroad Commission Chairman David Porter signed a letter authored by a pipeline company. Critics say the move illustrates a coziness with the industries he regulates. Full Story
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Here's video of our discussion on the lessons learned from Hurricane Rita and its aftermath. The conversation, which we presented with the Beaumont Enterprise, took place at Lamar University in Beaumont. Full Story
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Halliburton, the Houston-based oilfield service giant, has agreed to pay nearly $18.3 million in back overtime wages to more than 1,000 U.S. employees, following a federal investigation. Full Story
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