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April 25, 2012

Houston Air Quality Improving, But Still Dirty

The winds of change are cleaner than usual in Texas’ biggest metropolitan area. According to the American Lung Association’s annual State of the Air 2012 report, Houston’s air quality index has improved slightly from last year, marking the best levels ever recorded in the city since the association first began following them thirteen years ago. The association […]

April 24, 2012

Latest Insiders Poll: Chisum a Favorite for Railroad Commission

Our friends at the Texas Tribune and Texas Weekly released their latest ‘Inside Intelligence’ poll to the public today, a survey of several “insiders” with their projections for some of the upcoming races. The poll, conducted last week, takes a look at the Republican Primary race for the open seat on the Railroad Commission of Texas (currently […]

April 20, 2012

Law of the Land: How TransCanada Will Leave Its Mark on Texas Property Rights

Texas politicians love talking about the sanctity of private property. They also talk a lot about the benefits of the state’s oil and gas industry. What happens when those two things come into conflict?

April 18, 2012

Farewell, St. Augustine: Dallas Enacts Permanent Water Restrictions

If you live in Dallas, you may want to reconsider that thirsty St. Augustine grass on your lawn, because starting Monday, you’ll only be able to water your lawn twice a week. Permanently. Today the Dallas City Council voted in permanent water restrictions for the city, in a move that Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings (as well as […]

EPA Issues First Emissions Rules for Fracking

Well, the time has come for federal regulation of fracking, a drilling practice in widespread use across Texas. Up until now it’s been a practice regulated by states, but in new rules announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today, the federal government will now have oversight over emissions from fracking. The EPA says the standards […]

April 17, 2012

Our New Series on the Keystone XL Pipeline

All this week we’re running stories on the Keystone XL pipeline in collaboration with our neighbors to the north, StateImpact Oklahoma. We’re looking closely at the southern leg of the pipeline which would run from Cushing, Oklahoma to refineries on the Gulf Coast of Texas. In the first story, you can read (and hear) from StateImpact Oklahoma […]

Texas Rep. Adds New Twist to Radioactive Waste Dump Saga

There are some hot documents that may show a cover-up in the approval of a controversial radioactive waste dump in West Texas. Problem is, you can’t seem them. Democratic State Representative Lon Burnam said at a press conference Monday at the state capitol that he’s obtained top-secret internal documents from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). They reportedly […]

April 16, 2012

Rice Farmers Used More Than Three Times as Much Water as Austin Last Year

New numbers put into perspective just how much water rice farmers in southeast Texas used out of the Highland Lakes for their water-intensive crop compared with city-dwellers in Austin last year. The Highland Lakes consist of two large reservoirs, Lakes Buchanan and Travis, and several pass-through lakes. Buchanan and Travis are still only half-full, despite a […]

April 13, 2012

How a New Tax Ruling Favoring the Oil and Gas Industry Could Cost Texas Billions

A new ruling this week from Travis County District Judge John Dietz this week could cost the state of Texas billions in tax revenue. Ruling in favor of the drilling company Southwest Royalties, the court found that oil and gas equipment used for exploring and completing wells should not be subject to sales tax because it […]

April 12, 2012

Please Welcome Buddy Garcia to the Railroad Commission of Texas

Buddy Garcia, most recently of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), has been appointed by Governor Rick Perry to the Railroad Commission of Texas, which oversees oil and gas drilling in the state. His term will expire this November, when he’ll have to run for his seat on the commission if he wishes to keep it. Garcia […]

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