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Where politics, government and energy intersect.
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March 7, 2012
March 6, 2012
Rule Changes at TCEQ May Be in the Works
Yana Skorobogatov of StateImpact Texas researched and reported this article. At a public hearing today in Austin, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality heard from groups worried about proposed changes to the way the state agency tracks emissions and pollution by companies. A proposal before the Commission as part of the state’s sunset review process […]
Rule Changes at TCEQ May Be in the Works
Yana Skorobogatov of StateImpact Texas researched and reported this article. At a public hearing today in Austin, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality heard from groups worried about proposed changes to the way the state agency tracks emissions and pollution by companies. A proposal before the Commission as part of the state’s sunset review process […]
How to Get Eminent Domain in Texas (Just Check This Box)
Texas is a state that prides itself on its independent spirit and rugged individualism, particularly the rights of landowners to use their land as they please. But it’s also a state that has a long history of drilling for oil and gas and a tradition of cooperation with the industry. Where the two traditions intersect, […]
March 5, 2012
Now Read This: StateImpact Texas Top 5
There was a lot of action on the state level in the last week, with the Supreme Court of Texas reinforcing an earlier opinion that sides with landowners fighting claims of eminent domain by pipeline companies on their land. We also analyzed another recent decision by the Court on groundwater, and looked at the past and future […]
Now Read This: StateImpact Texas Top 5
There was a lot of action on the state level in the last week, with the Supreme Court of Texas reinforcing an earlier opinion that sides with landowners fighting claims of eminent domain by pipeline companies on their land. We also analyzed another recent decision by the Court on groundwater, and looked at the past and future […]
You Could be Hunting with a Silencer Soon in Texas
A new proposal would allow hunters in the state to use a silencer when hunting deer, birds, and even alligators.
March 2, 2012
In Austin, Landfills Hide in Plain Sight
For a city that prides itself on being green, many Austinites may be surprised to learn that they’re living next to trash buried decades ago. For Reporting Texas, a digital journalism initiative at the University of Texas, StateImpact Texas intern David Barer reports on hidden landfills in Austin that hold “everything from banana peels to […]
In Austin, Landfills Hide in Plain Sight
For a city that prides itself on being green, many Austinites may be surprised to learn that they’re living next to trash buried decades ago. For Reporting Texas, a digital journalism initiative at the University of Texas, StateImpact Texas intern David Barer reports on hidden landfills in Austin that hold “everything from banana peels to […]
Texas Supreme Court Reinforces Denbury Decision, Favors Landowners
Dave Fehling of StateImpact Texas contributed reporting to this article. The Texas Supreme Court sure is busy as of late. Today they released an updated opinion in the Texas Rice Land Partners v. Denbury Green Pipeline-Texas case that could have big implications for the oil and gas industry and private landowners in Texas. The bottom line […]
After Water is Cut Off, Texas Rice Farmers Say They Still Have a Future
Many rice farmers across southeast Texas have to face a sobering reality today: for the first time in history, they will not have water for their crops. What happens next?
March 1, 2012
Taking a Deeper Look at the Texas Supreme Court’s Ruling on Water
Timing is everything, and the Texas Supreme Court’s recent decision on groundwater rights is no exception. After two years of nail-biting and speculation by land owners, conservationists, policy experts and a small army of lawyers, the ruling came down Friday afternoon. Andrew Sansom, director of the River Systems Institute, was attending a water law conference in […]
Taking a Deeper Look at the Texas Supreme Court’s Ruling on Water
Timing is everything, and the Texas Supreme Court’s recent decision on groundwater rights is no exception. After two years of nail-biting and speculation by land owners, conservationists, policy experts and a small army of lawyers, the ruling came down Friday afternoon. Andrew Sansom, director of the River Systems Institute, was attending a water law conference in […]
In Their Own Words: What No Water Would Mean for Rice Farmers
A deadline is looming for many rice farmers in southeast Texas. If there isn’t 850,000 acre-feet of water in the Highland Lakes by midnight tonight, the Lower Colorado River Authority will not be sending water downstream for rice farmers this year. In this video by Jeff Heimsath for StateImpact Texas, we travel to Bay City, […]