Where politics, government and energy intersect.
We’ve compiled a list of several important meetings coming up this week at the state legislature that could have an impact on Texas’ energy and environment. Find out when the lege will tackle new bills that could affect everything from the concrete casing on oil wells to space flights near the beach: Disposal Well Fee […]
Goats and sheep with wanderlust in Texas could find a little more protection from a new bill making its way through the legislature. The bill, HB 1819, by Rep. Kyle Kacal, R-Bryan, would make a property owner liable for killing or brutalizing goats or sheep that trespass onto their property due to an insufficient fence. […]
The Texas House approved legislation today that would use $2 billion to fund more water projects in the state. HB 4, by Rep. Allan Ritter, R-Nederland, would create a water bank that would offer loans for projects like new water reservoirs, pipelines and conservation projects. “As Mother Nature has reminded us in the last couple […]
From the Texas Tribune: A day before an important legislative hearing about the future of the Texas Railroad Commission, interpersonal tensions boiled over at an open meeting of the three commissioners who head the agency. Tuesday’s meeting began routinely, with discussion of oil and gas cases. The commissioners also voted to approve new rules to make […]
This week, a bunch of bills that could affect everything from Texas’ energy and environment to the names of state regulatory agencies will be heard at the Capitol. We’ve compiled a short list of the bills that would have an impact on energy and environment in the state for you to keep an eye on, […]
Under legislation considered at the Capitol this week, hydraulic fracturing companies in Texas could soon be mailing a list of “fracking” fluid ingredients to residents near oil and gas wells. House Bill 448, authored by Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, would require drilling companies to mail a list of the ingredients they plan to use in […]
Update, April 16, 2013: The Senate Natural Resources Committee voted 6-3 in favor of the bill, SB 957, today. Senators Nichols, Seliger, Eltife, Hegar, Estes and Fraser voted in favor of the bill, while Senators Duncan, Ellis and Uresti voted against it. Two Senators were absent. The bill now heads for to the Senate floor. Original story, March 20, […]
Update: HB 788, which would put greenhouse gas permitting into the hands of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), passed out of the House this week. No amendments to the bill were added. Mike Heim, a Texas oil and gas executive, previously told the House Natural Resources Committee that moving the permitting process to […]
Update: On March 18, the bill passed in the Senate. It now heads to the House. Original Story, March 5, 2013: Texas is in a third year of drought, with 89 percent of the state in some level of drought conditions according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor Map. In Texas, landscaping can make up […]
Ron Curry is the EPA’s new administrator for Region 6, overseeing enforcement of federal pollution laws in New Mexico (where he once headed that state’s environment department), Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and in Texas. Texas, where the state has gone to court to stop the EPA from enforcing pollution laws. Texas is also where the previous […]
StateImpact seeks to inform and engage local communities with broadcast and online news focused on how state government decisions affect your lives.
Learn More »