Where politics, government and energy intersect.
You can welcome two Central Texas salamanders this week to the list of animals protected under the Endangered Species Act. The Austin Blind Salamander, a creature that doesn’t have eyes in the traditional sense and lives in the dark depths of the Barton Springs Pool, has been listed by the US Fish & Wildlife Service […]
Cattle theft is up almost 40 percent, a trend that’s surprised some in law enforcement.
In Rosenberg, even the manhole covers have a train insignia on them. Railroads are the town’s heritage. In this city 20 miles west of Houston and at the edge of South Texas, three rail lines converge. Add to the trains all the trucks the cross the town’s south side on the Interstate 69 corridor. It […]
Development May Have Already Damaged Fragile Habitats San Marcos, Texas is the fastest-growing city in the nation, in a rapidly-growing state, and with that growth comes concerns over balancing development with environmental and ecological needs. Tensions over development exist in communities across the country, but they are amplified in San Marcos, which is home to approximately […]
Please join us for a panel to discuss how drilling is changing West Texas: its impact on the land, water and community.
But Are They Being Penalized Enough? The state’s regulator for oil & gas drilling, the Railroad Commission of Texas, said it’s charged over $2.1 million in penalties called “severance fees” to drilling violators so far this fiscal year that ends August 31. That’s almost double the amount in 2010. “The severance fee charges are up, […]
A Conversation with Michael Webber We’ve arrived in the dog days of summer in Texas, when air conditioners across the state stretch our power supplies thin. It’s also dry: the state is in a third year of drought, with reservoir levels at 63 percent full overall, down significantly from a year ago. In short, Texas […]
This summer, much of the American West is in drought. And climate change in the American West is expected to bring longer droughts, increased wildfire risk, and diminished water supplies. The region is also one of the fastest-growing in the nation. As the region looks at a future of growing population and shrinking supplies, many […]
A few months after a deadly explosion at a fertilizer plant in the town of West, Texas, President Barack Obama signed an executive order today that aimed at increasing safety and oversight of chemical plants across the country. In a series of measures, various federal, state and local agencies would share more information and look […]
The Environmental Protection Agency’s recently confirmed administrator, Gina McCarthy, gave her first public address at Harvard Law School today. As the head of the EPA’s air and radiation office since 2009, McCarthy has helped write some of the agency’s toughest air pollution regulations. Today she announced her intentions to make a serious effort to combat climate […]
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