In Franklin County, a group of locals are concerned about potential environmental harm from renewable energy facilities and support a bill that would impose more regulations on solar and wind. The industry says it’s being unfairly singled out.
Environment
Coverage of climate, conservation, natural resources, and environmental policy shaping the state, from The Texas Tribune.
Posted in
Environment
Texas Senate seeks increased penalties on polluters as it renews state’s environmental agency
The bill would require the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to focus enforcement on repeat violators and increase public outreach.
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Environment
Senator’s bill would fine Texans for multiple environmental complaints that don’t lead to enforcement
The bill would impose fines when residents make more than three complaints to the state environmental agency in a year if they don’t result in enforcement action. Critics warn the bill would discourage people from reporting pollution.
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Economy
More than 18,000 cows are dead after dairy farm explosion in Texas Panhandle
The state fire marshal’s office is investigating.
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The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
EPA proposes major air pollution reforms to lower residents’ cancer risk near industrial facilities
The EPA has proposed tougher air pollution rules for chemical plants and other industrial facilities after ProPublica found an estimated 74 million Americans near those sites faced an elevated risk of cancer.
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Environment
Environmental groups sue EPA over water pollution standards
A coalition of environmental groups claims the EPA has failed for decades to update limits on the discharge of some dangerous chemicals into waterways. Most of the worst polluters are in Texas.
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Environment
A rare Texas wildflower gets protection under the Endangered Species Act
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has declared the bracted twistflower, native to the Edwards Plateau, a threatened species, a month after putting another Texas plant on the endangered list.
Posted in
The Texas Tribune-ProPublica Investigative Unit
Feds advance portable generator safety rule to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning
Saying that manufacturers failed to make generators safer, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is moving forward with proposed regulations to bolster protections. The proposal comes after reporting by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and NBC News.
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Environment
Texas has the fifth-highest percentage of water pipes made of lead
In a first-of-its-kind survey of public water utilities, the EPA estimates that 7% of water lines in Texas, more than 647,000, are lead based. It’s the fifth-highest proportion of lead-based water lines in the country.
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