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July 23, 2014

Texas Slams EPA Website that Compares State Pollution Enforcement

Compared to other states, Texas has a consistently higher percentage of major industrial plants with “high priority violations” of air pollution laws. Yet, compared to other states, Texas does far fewer comprehensive inspections of polluting facilities. Or at least, that’s what data seem to show on website run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Not […]

July 17, 2014

New Study Shows Rate of Groundwater Decline Slowing in Texas

Scientists at Texas A&M AgriLife Research have published the first long-term statewide survey of Texas groundwater. According to the study, statewide median groundwater levels fell by about 70 feet, or 22 meters, between 1930 and 2000, although the changes vary greatly between areas of the state. The rate of decline in groundwater levels has slowed […]

July 11, 2014

Houston’s One Bin for All Recycling Proposal Divides Environmentalists

From Houston Public Media: The City of Houston hopes to eventually do away with curbside recycling and allow residents to throw all of their trash and recycleables into one bin. The items would then be sorted and separated at a processing facility and city leaders claim they can divert 75 percent of the waste from […]

Marfa Residents Protest City Water Sales

From Marfa Public Radio: With reports of drilling activity approaching the Big Bend region, some residents of Marfa are concerned about the city’s practice of selling its water supply in bulk, sometimes to drilling companies. On Thursday, protesters parked and left their cars in front of city fire hydrants, hoping to block trucks from accessing […]

July 10, 2014

You May Want to Slow Your Coal Roll in Texas

The world is warming, and there’s heated debate over what to do about it, or if it’s even warming at all. (Hint: It is.) Amidst this debate, some opponents of government regulations and environmental policy have taken up protest by retrofitting their diesel trucks to spew billowing clouds of black, noxious smoke. When the soot gets […]

U.S. House Passes Bill Extending Anti-Terrorism Safeguards For Chemical Plants

The House of Representatives has passed a bill to extend anti-terrorism protections for chemical plants through 2017. The bill’s lead sponsors included two Houston congressmen – Republican Rep. Michael McCaul and Democratic Rep. Gene Green. The rules governing security for high-risk chemical facilities have been in place since 2007. But under current legislation, they must be renewed annually, along […]

July 3, 2014

Winners and Losers in Texas from Greenhouse Gas Ruling

When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week on a lawsuit over how much latitude the federal government has to regulate facilities that emit greenhouse gases, victory was claimed both by environmentalists who want more regulation and by Texas state officials who wants less. Texas and 16 other states brought the action. The Texas Attorney […]

July 2, 2014

Ranchers Approve Added Charge for Cattle Sales in Texas

Every time a cow is sold in Texas, a dollar of that sale goes to industry groups that use it to promote and research beef. It’s part of a national program called the “beef checkoff,” and that charge will now rise to two dollars in Texas after a statewide vote by cattle owners. The vote […]

Proposals to Prevent Another Fertilizer Explosion Immediately Meet Resistance

The explosion at a fertilizer plant in the small town of West, Texas last year took much more than fifteen lives. At least 262 people were injured; twenty percent of those were brain injuries. Homes and schools were destroyed. But judging from the response of some state lawmakers charged with stopping it from happening again, preventable […]

July 1, 2014

Don’t Pick Up Aquatic Hitchhikers: New Texas Boating Rules Start Today

Zebra mussels have been stealthily hitching rides between Texas rivers and lakes for several years, but new rules to combat their spread take effect today. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) is requiring that boats be drained and checked for mussels and prohibiting transfer of personally-caught live bait between water bodies. Zebra mussels, invasive […]

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