Well over half of the money raised so far by the Water Texas PAC came from heavy contractors, Dow Chemical Co. and Energy Future Holdings/Luminant. Use our analyzer to take a closer look at the donors. Full Story
Credit:
Graphic by Todd Wiseman / Guillermo Esteves
This week in the Texas Weekly Newsreel: Gov. Rick Perry and others are traveling the state encouraging voters to approve water funding, first lady Anita Perry makes news with her views on abortion and Wendy Davis makes if official. Full Story
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has confirmed the presence of invasive zebra mussels in Belton Lake, and experts worry the species could jeopardize the water supply in Central Texas towns. Full Story
On Oct. 1, I talked about the coming constitutional referendum on funding the state water plan with Laura Huffman, state director of The Nature Conservancy of Texas, and state Rep. Allan Ritter, R-Nederland, the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. Full Story
UPDATED: San Angelo's O.C. Fisher Reservoir, which after years of persistent drought is completely dry, served as the backdrop for Gov. Rick Perry's remarks Wednesday in support of a constitutional amendment to use $2 billion from the Rainy Day Fund toward water-planning initiatives. Full Story
Days after scientists unveiled a report predicting serious consequences tied to global warming, state officials debated whether the phenomenon is human-induced and whether they can do anything about it. Full Story
We're liveblogging this weekend from The Texas Tribune Festival's Environment track, which features panel discussions on the West fertilizer plant explosion, water, the future of parks and the fight over climate change. Full Story
On September 24, I talked about the coming constitutional referendum on funding the state water plan with state Rep. Lyle Larson, R-San Antonio, and former state Rep. Robert Puente, D-San Antonio, the president and CEO of the San Antonio Water System. Full Story
A Texas appeals court recently found that the Edwards Aquifer Authority violated a landowner's property rights in regard to groundwater. Use this document with annotations from lawyers and policy experts for a closer look at the ruling. Full Story
UPDATED: The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has approved the permit for construction of North Texas' Lake Ralph Hall, the first major new reservoir built in the state in decades. Full Story
M. Smith drops in on state textbook hearings, E. Smith interviews Tom Pauken, Satija on water rationing along the Colorado River, Root probes Dan Patrick’s unexpected investment, KUT’s Philpott sorts out clinic closings, Murphy maps the latest census data, MacLaggan on a welcome turn in poverty, Malewitz finds a race for energy efficiency, Hamilton reports on better grades for Sul Ross, Grissom on bad grades for the death penalty, Batheja on Debra Medina’s dilemma, Aguilar on the glum forecast for immigration reform and Aaronson looks at the latest hurdle for Obamacare: The best of our best for the week of Sept. 16-20, 2013. Full Story
Austin is among the large U.S. cities doing the most to conserve energy, according to a study released Tuesday by a national group that promotes energy efficiency. Full Story
A recent court ruling in Texas has fueled an already fiery debate over whether groundwater resources can be adequately protected alongside property rights and economic development. Full Story
Voters in Houston, where the lawns are greener and the water restrictions are still voluntary, will have an outsize impact on November's constitutional amendment on water. Full Story
At our 9/11 Hot Seat conversation at the University of Texas at Dallas, state Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, and state Sen. Ken Paxton, R-McKinney, talked about public education, water, transportation and other issues in play in the 83rd session. Full Story
In the wake of nearly unprecedented drought, environmental advocates fear that state leaders are prioritizing thirsty cities over ecology. Our Troubled Waters series explores the history, health and future of some of the state's most important waterways. Full Story
Credit:
Graphic by Todd Wiseman / Travis Swicegood
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has suspended most water rights along the upper San Saba River, where water use has become increasingly contentious. Full Story
The storied Canadian River has been so badly pummeled by drought that the reservoirs along it are essentially dry. That's bad news for the thirsty cities of the Panhandle, not to mention a fish fighting for survival. Full Story
The three GOP candidates for agriculture commissioner stress that rural areas must not be left behind as the state moves forward on water policy. Full Story
Groundwater managers in Texas have applauded lawmakers' push to fund a comprehensive water plan, but as a water summit this week made clear, money alone won't fix the tangle of concerns facing the state's groundwater authorities. Full Story