The TCEQ has proposed changes to concrete batch plant permits including lowering production limits, reducing dust coming from plants and setting minimum distance requirements from nearby communities.
Environment
Coverage of climate, conservation, natural resources, and environmental policy shaping the state, from The Texas Tribune.
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Environment
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department opts for eminent domain to save Fairfield Lake State Park
With only three days left on the state’s lease, the agency unanimously voted to condemn almost 5,000 acres in Freestone County in an effort to keep the park open to the public after developers purchased the property to build a gated community.
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Environment
Texas sues EPA over federal smog control plan
The lawsuit claims the Environmental Protection Agency exceeded its authority with its plan to reduce ozone emissions that cross state lines.
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Economy
Determined to forge ahead with canal expansion, Army Corps unveils testing plan for contaminants in Matagorda Bay
The expansion project will enable the world’s largest class of tanker ships to dock at a new oil export terminal on the Gulf Coast. It also involves dredging a Superfund site.
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Environment
Hurricane season for Texas’ Gulf Coast region is here. We have predictions, preparation tips and other advice.
Hurricane season officially started June 1 and runs through Nov. 30, the six-month period when most activity in the tropics generally occurs. Here are the common things typically overlooked or misunderstood during hurricane season.
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Environment
Houston commits to cleaning up after illegal dumpers under agreement with Department of Justice
Houston agreed to tackle illegal dumping to settle a federal civil rights case. Neighbors alleged the city failed to respond quickly enough to dumping complaints in primarily Black and Latino areas.
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Environment
A billion-pound problem: How unchecked “excess emissions” ballooned in Texas
Over the last two decades, state regulators have allowed companies to release more than a billion pounds of excess pollution.
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Environment
Fairfield Lake State Park closes again as land sale negotiations fail
The state is now considering seizing the land to save the park after its purchase offer was rejected by a Dallas developer.
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Environment
Without access to water lines, Texas colonias residents are pulling water from the desert air
Thousands of low-income, Latino residents in Texas still do not have safe drinking water. In one El Paso colonia, some residents are using solar distillation to generate water from the air.
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Texas Legislature 2023
Abbott appointee resigns as chair of power grid regulator
Public Utility Commission chair Peter Lake had spearheaded a plan to help the state’s power grid withstand weather disasters, but the plan lacked support in the Texas Legislature.