The latest environment news from The Texas Tribune.
As a major crude oil bottleneck moves from Oklahoma to the Texas gulf coast, many domestic drillers are ramping up their calls for the repeal of U.S. laws banning most overseas crude exports. Full Story
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Many conservative activists in Texas worry that when it comes to state water policy, Republican leaders have not focused on principles like small government, private property rights and local control. Full Story
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As drillers produce millions of barrels of crude oil in shale plays in Texas and the Midwest, railroad companies are finding booming business in transporting the oil to Gulf Coast refineries. Full Story
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A newly released but largely unnoticed study commissioned by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality makes some dire predictions about what will happen to air quality in South Texas as the Eagle Ford Shale boom continues. Full Story
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San Antonio ranks sixth among U.S. cities in installed solar power capacity, and Austin ranks 16th, according to a new report. Full Story
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As drought grips most of Texas, researchers are combing the state's 1.5 million drilling records to map brackish water in the state's 30 aquifers — hidden resources that could help quench the state’s long-term thirst. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: water woes out west and an interview with water consultant Robert Cullick. Full Story
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Volunteers complained they were turned away from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill cleanup in 2010. Four years later, after another spill in Galveston Bay last month, volunteers have been helping officials determine where to send cleanup crews. Full Story
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A former Texas Railroad Commission chairman is helping Ryan Sitton fight back against conflict-of-interest allegations in the Republican primary runoff for an open seat on the commission. Full Story
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Wildlife officials have reported hundreds of dead and dying birds covered in oil as cleanup efforts continue in the aftermath of a fuel oil spill late last month in Galveston Bay. Full Story
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With the official support of the U.S. government, Texas now hopes it has a substantial edge over New Mexico in an interstate legal battle over water from the Rio Grande. Full Story
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Agriculture commissioner candidate Kinky Friedman argues that marijuana legalization is the future of Texas. But for farmers in states where growing it is legal, the crop has come with a new set of problems. Full Story
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The EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers are backing a rule change that would better define bodies of water protected by the Clean Water Act. That could mean increased government oversight of streams and wetlands across Texas. Full Story
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UPDATED: A radioactive waste site in West Texas has received its first truckload of transuranic waste from the federal government’s nuclear weapons program, following wildfires and a radiation leak in New Mexico. Full Story
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More than 80 lawmakers, legislative staffers, water planners and reporters toured the facilities of the San Antonio Water System on March 19. Here's what they saw. Full Story
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Despite its internationally renowned successes in water conservation, San Antonio is still struggling to quench its thirst amid explosive growth. Will its search for new water supplies risk its reputation as a green city? Full Story
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Neither Greg Abbott nor Wendy Davis has spent much time talking about the energy industry and regulations. But Texans should have little trouble distinguishing their positions. Full Story
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Thursay that the lesser prairie chicken will be listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act, potentially affecting economic development activity in five states, including Texas. Full Story
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Amid debate over whether plastic bag bans violate the state's health and safety laws, Dallas on Wednesday became the largest city in Texas to pass an ordinance restricting use of the bags. Full Story
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While the most compelling scenes of devastation from the oil spill in Galveston Bay have been above the water, scientists and fishermen worry about the underwater ecosystem that feeds a multibillion-dollar industry. Full Story