Where politics, government and energy intersect.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s decision to not list the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard as an endangered or threatened species has everyone buzzing. Here’s a roundup of reactions from groups across the state. Ken Kramer, the director of Sierra Club’s Lone Star Chapter was critical of the decision: “Let’s be clear that these agreements are voluntary,” […]
The Dunes Sagebrush Lizard, a native of the Permian Basin, will not find its way onto the threatened or endangered species list. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today cited the Texas Conservation Plan (TCP) as adequate protection for the species. “We have determined that the lizard is no longer in danger of extinction and […]
Representatives for environmental groups walked away disappointed after the White Stallion coal plant was allowed to keep its air permit.
The Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) announced a grant program this week that will help get more diesel trucks off the state’s roads. TCEQ plans to release a total of $5.7 million to businesses hoping to replace their diesel-powered fleets with either hybrid or electric vehicles or vehicles powered by compressed natural gas, liquified […]
After being placed on administrative leave last week, the general manager of the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA), Karl Dreher, has now been let go, effective immediately. The Authority manages the groundwater district of the Edwards Aquifer, which includes San Antonio and many of the surrounding counties, producing drinking water for more than 2 million people in Central […]
There’s a flow of talent leaving environmental regulation agencies in Texas. In some cases, they’re being hired by the very companies they used to watch over.
They were part of the wildfire-fighting force that helped push back Texas’ worst year of fires in history, and now they may be leaving the state’s armada. The U.S. Air Force wants to move eight C-130s from Fort Worth to Montana. But Texas feels differently. As Era Sundar of StateImpact Texas lead station KUT reports, […]
Earlier this week, Al Aremendariz was back in the news. The former Region 6 administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had been scheduled to appear at a House subcommittee hearing on the EPA, but canceled at the last minute. Texas regulators and other energy industry figures spent much of the hearing blasting him and the EPA anyway. […]
The EPA announced plans to approve changes to Texas’s Clean Air Plan that the agency has been insisting on for more than two years.
The saying goes, “Don’t Mess With Texas,” and that was certainly the attitude on display today when a group of Texas regulators testified before a Congressional committee in Washington. At a the hearing of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Energy and Power entitled “EPA Enforcement Priorities and Practices,” the head of the Railroad Commission of Texas, Barry Smitherman, […]
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