The chairman of the Public Utility Commission talked to the Tribune this week about his controversial application for the top job at the state grid operator, as well as his views on energy efficiency and smart meters.
Environment
Coverage of climate, conservation, natural resources, and environmental policy shaping the state, from The Texas Tribune.
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Energy
TribBlog: Texas Takes On Offshore Drilling Ban
Texas is suing to stop the Obama administration’s second offshore drilling moratorium.
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Energy
The Pelican Grief
At Goose Island, near Rockport, some of the nearly 200 pelicans rescued from the Gulf oil spill and sent to Texas seem to be thriving. But officials are holding their breath to see whether the rescued birds stick around or fly back to habitats that may still be contaminated. “Wildlife do crazy things,” says the manager of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. “That’s why they’re called ‘wild.'” But the ones that stay could face survival struggles, too, from coastal litter and competition with other species for food.
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Criminal Justice
TribBlog: Abbott Takes On BP
The Texas attorney general accuses BP of “once again prioritizing profits over environmental compliance” at its Texas City refinery.
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Energy
TribBlog: State’s Air Monitor Inaccurate? [Updated]
According to a study commissioned by the town of DISH, which sits in the heart of the gas-rich Barnett Shale region, a permanent air monitor recently installed by the state is giving false readings.
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Criminal Justice
Reservoir Dogged
In 2004, two brothers thought they had found the perfect ecologically friendly business venture: create a wetlands preserve on 4,000 acres of neglected farmland along the Sulphur River in Northeast Texas and make a pile of money selling mitigation credits to developers who build over environmentally sensitive lands elsewhere. Seven years later, the only thing stopping them from realizing that dream is the state of Texas, which has plans to submerge their property under 80 feet of water.
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Energy
TribBlog: Efficiency Sufficiency
Within 10 days, the Public Utility Commission plans to adopt stricter requirements for energy efficiency, though they are lower than originally proposed.
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Energy
TribBlog: Smart Meters Really Are Smart
The rollout of smart meters in Texas has sparked complaints, but a new report has found that they’re accurate in 99.96 percent of cases.
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Energy
TribBlog: Contemplating Workers’ Comp
A House hearing this morning on third-party liability reflected concerns over whether benefits in Texas were adequate in the case of serious workplace injuries.