Texas voters will decide Tuesday whether the state should continue spending $1 billion a year to secure the state’s water supply. Part of that investment will be spent to find new water supply.
Environment
Coverage of climate, conservation, natural resources, and environmental policy shaping the state, from The Texas Tribune.
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Running Out: Texas’ Water Crisis
Texas’ congressional delegation wants Trump to punish Mexico for missing key water deadline
The state’s citrus industry is at risk, farmers say, after Mexico failed to deliver water it owes Texas as part of a 1944 treaty.
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Graphics and data reporting
An East Texas landowner fenced off a community’s favorite fishing spot, igniting multiple legal battles
Phillip Surls, a local businessman who owns much of the property around the Cutoff, has argued he blocked access to the stream to protect his cattle and that the waterway is not public.
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Running Out: Texas’ Water Crisis
Plan to pump billions of gallons of water from East Texas appears on hold
An East Texas farm sued the local groundwater conservation district that has authority over the aquifer that would be pumped. As part of a settlement, the district has voided its original permits.
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Environment
A new South Texas data center will rely on untapped renewable energy
The new data center will work directly with a nearby windfarm to use energy the windfarm can’t send to the state’s electricity grid.
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Running Out: Texas’ Water Crisis
Texas voters have final say on $20 billion package to secure state’s water supply
No new taxes would be collected for the package that would give the state’s water department $1 billion to spend on projects like cleaning salty water, flood control and reservoirs.
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Hill Country floods
FEMA has denied or not advanced most Kerr County aid applications after deadly July 4 flood
Advocates are questioning why so many applicants from the flood-ravaged county have not received federal disaster help. Nonprofits are trying to fill in the gaps.
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Hill Country floods
Texas youth camps say cost of implementing new safety requirements will force them to close
During a Friday state hearing, parents of July 4 flood victims said camps should prioritize the safety even if costs are high.
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Environment
A North Texas community will vote to form a city in an effort to quiet down a crypto mine
Leaders of the effort say they moved to rural Hood County for its quiet country charm, which was shattered by what locals call “that roar” from the facility.
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Environment
Exxon delays planned plastics plant on Texas coast
The announcement comes six weeks after a judge struck down the local school district’s decision to give Exxon a tax break for the $10 billion plant in Calhoun County.