Texas, Puerto Rico and other communities hit by major natural disasters have been waiting for over a year to receive their shares of $16 billion in grant funding approved by Congress.
Environment
Coverage of climate, conservation, natural resources, and environmental policy shaping the state, from The Texas Tribune.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas House passes bill to spend more than $3 billion to help pay for flood control projects
With the damage from Hurricane Harvey in mind, lawmakers approved two bills aimed at better preparing the state for natural disasters.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas farmers could begin growing hemp under legislation gaining steam in both chambers
House Bill 1325 would legalize hemp and hemp-derived extracts like CBD oil as long as they contain no more than 0.3% of tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive element in marijuana known as THC.
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Environment
Judge orders alleged polluter of Skull Creek to stop accepting, disposing of waste
After a day of testimony, lawyers from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office, the Lower Colorado River Authority, and Inland Environmental and Remediation agreed that the company will begin cleaning up its Altair site.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Once again, bills to study the impacts of climate change in Texas have stalled
Democratic state lawmakers filed multiple bills this year to require the state to prepare for a warming planet. None of them have been scheduled for public hearings.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Renewable energy proponents brace for last-minute attack on tax breaks for wind and solar
For the past year, an influential conservative think tank has lobbied to make wind and solar projects ineligible for a popular local property tax abatement program. A measure to do that has stalled, but renewable advocates are watching for last-minute changes to other legislation.
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Environment
As demand for recyclables plummets abroad, Texas lawmakers back plan to boost market at home
A bill designed to encourage Texas manufacturers to use more recyclable materials won final approval Monday. It comes as China and India have implemented policies restricting the import of plastics and other materials.
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Texas Legislature 2019
In wake of Houston-area chemical fires, Texas Senate panel weighs input on stronger storage tank regulations
The Senate Committee on Water and Rural Affairs took public testimony on a bill that would strengthen state oversight of above-ground tanks that hold hazardous hydrocarbons.
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Energy
Beto O’Rourke unveils plan to fight climate change
In the first major policy rollout of his presidential campaign, O’Rourke focuses on one of the most dominant issues in his party.
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Texas Legislature 2019
Texas House votes to legalize the farming of industrial hemp
Hemp is a cousin of the marijuana plant, but it contains low levels of the psychoactive element in marijuana known as THC. The House’s bill will now go to the Senate.