Texas House Approves "Denton Fracking Bill"
UPDATED: The Texas House on Friday approved House Bill 40, which would pre-empt local efforts to regulate a wide variety of oil and gas activities. Full Story
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![State Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, lays out HB 40 that would curb local control over oil and gas activities on April 17, 2015. With a 122-18 vote, the House sent the bill to the Senate.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Shark Fin Ban Back on the House Menu
A proposal to ban the trade of shark fins in Texas sailed through the Texas House on Wednesday, but it faces choppier waters ahead: the Texas Senate, where similar legislation foundered in 2013. Full Story
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![A bowl of shark fin soup with crab meat at Ho Ho Chinese BBQ in Austin.]()
Credit: Ryan McCrimmon -
Tesla Makes Sales Pitch to House Panel
At a packed committee hearing Monday evening, advocates for Tesla Motors told a panel of Texas House members that it was time to bring state laws into the 21st century and let the company sell its luxury electric cars in Texas. Full Story
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![Tesla vehicle on display outside the Texas Capitol on Jan. 15, 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Despite Rocky Start, Agriculture Commissioner Defends His Record
A collection of unflattering headlines has lawmakers and one of Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller's predecessors questioning whether the world-champion calf roper was ready to steer a billion-dollar agency. But Miller is brushing off the criticism. Full Story
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![Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller gives away cupcakes at a press conference on Jan. 12, 2015.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Universities, Water Providers Launch Conservation Effort
With a third of Texans still facing drought conditions, a coalition of Texas universities and water providers has launched an $8 million effort to curb water use in cities. Full Story
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![Screenshots of the University Municipal Water Consortium's smart phone app.]()
Credit: Pecan Street, Inc. -
New in Trib+Water: California Cuts Back on Water
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: California cuts back on water use in face of prolonged drought, more on the Central Texas water fights and an interview with Sharlene Leurig, hydrologist and producer of “Our Desired Future.” Full Story
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Lawmaker's Bill Aims to Prevent Another Fertilizer Plant Blast
State Rep. Kyle Kacal has introduced legislation that he hopes would prevent another accident like the explosion of a West fertilizer plant in 2013 that killed 15 and injured more than 200. Full Story
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![A vehicle near the remains of a fertilizer plant burning after an explosion in West, Texas, near Waco.]()
Credit: Mike Stone / Bay Area News -
Water Ruling Cuts State's Power in Droughts
A state appeals court has sided with farmers, ranchers and other longstanding water rights holders in a Brazos River case with widespread implications for future water battles in drought-prone Texas. Full Story
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![The Dow chemical plant along the Brazos River in Freeport, Texas.]()
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Bill Would Ban Fees for Conserving Electricity
One state lawmaker has an idea to encourage Texans to conserve energy: Stop charging them for doing so. Rep. Sylvester Turner's legislation would bar companies from charging customers for using too little energy – a common practice. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Todd Wiseman -
Former Railroad Commissioner Lands Job at Law Firm
Barry Smitherman, the only person to serve both on the Texas Railroad Commission and the state’s Public Utility Commission, will practice energy law at Vinson and Elkins, the international law firm announced Tuesday. Full Story
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![Chairman Barry Smitherman of the Railroad Commission of Texas in his office, May 31, 2013.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Legislation Aims to Boost Electricity Conservation
Some state lawmakers are trying to cut Texas' energy use by encouraging demand response – programs under which utilities reward customers for powering down electricity guzzlers when demand peaks. Full Story
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![Homeowner Adam Leija demonstrating how CPS energy's "home manager program" works.]()
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House Committee Passes Compromise on Local Drilling Rules
A House committee on Monday approved legislation that would limit local control over oil and gas activities — a committee substitute for a bill that initially stirred anger in city halls across Texas. Full Story
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![A well pad is flanked by Fort Worth's skyline on Sept. 27, 2013.]()
Credit: Mark Graham -
Texas Scientists Find Antibiotic Resistance Blowing in Wind
In a study slated for publication next month, two Texas Tech University scientists may have made their biggest discovery yet: DNA from antibiotic-resistant bacteria in cattle feedlots is airborne. Full Story
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![Thousands of cattle spend their final months at feed yards like this one, located in Hale Center.]()
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Former U.S. Energy Official: Texas Needn't Fret Over Climate Rules
Jon Wellinghoff, the former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chairman, talks about what looming federal climate regulations mean for Texas, whether the state should link its grid to others and how to incentivize energy conservation. Full Story
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![Jon Wellinghoff, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission]()
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See How Local Drilling Rules Vary Across Texas
The debate over whether some Texas city drilling ordinances go too far has become a much-discussed issue during the Texas legislative session. Use our tool, with data from the Texas Municipal League, to see if your city has an ordinance. Full Story
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![Most of the 183 pump jacks scattered throughout Luling are unadorned, such as this one in the middle a shared yard.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Railroad Commissioner Rallies for Natural Gas
Railroad Commissioner David Porter has kicked off an initiative to tout the benefits of natural gas, whose low price has benefited some power generators but bedeviled operators and other energy companies that bet big on it years ago. Full Story
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![Railroad Commission Chairman David Porter.]()
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Blood Lessons: An Investigative Series on Refinery Deaths
Take a look back at Blood Lessons, a Texas Tribune/Houston Chronicle investigation into whether the nation’s oil refineries learned the lessons of the deadly explosion at BP’s Texas City plant in 2005. Full Story
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Hays County Water Fight Tumbles Into Committee
Dripping Springs state Rep. Jason Isaac went before the House Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday to make the case for his four-bill cocktail aimed at stopping a controversial groundwater pumping project in Hays County. Full Story
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![Rep. Jason Isaac, R-Dripping Springs, on the House floor, February 8, 2011.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
U.S. Supreme Court Hears Latest Texas v. EPA Challenge
Texas again went head-to-head with the EPA before the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, this time challenging federal limits on the emission of pollutants like mercury, acid gases and other toxic metals from power plants. Full Story
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Credit: Thomas Bougher -
New in Trib+Water: New Threats to Texas Coastal Bays
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: Shellfish face threat in acidification of Texas bays, a new report says sprinklers are used too much and an interview with Wenwei Xu, a professor and corn breeder based at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Lubbock. Full Story
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