The big questions about the future of pipelines in Texas this legislative session revolve around how companies should be able to use eminent domain to build them. Those questions remain unanswered. But while Texas lawmakers have been unable to agree on reforms to pipeline companies common carrier status, they have voted some other bills out […]

Update: As of Thursday morning none of the bills mentioned in this article had been brought to the floor with the exception of HB2133 and HB1509. Wednesday, the legislative calendar is inundated with bills that would effect how the state handles its water issues. In total, six water bills are up for a second reading […]

Some people who live in Pearsall, the South Texas town where country star George Strait grew up, said they learned they had a disposal well nearby when they heard a big boom. “Then I saw the billows of smoke coming out,” said Henry Martinez, Pearsall’s police chief. He’s talking about the afternoon in January 2012 […]

As the legislature enters its final weeks, what are the big energy issues still facing lawmakers? Sunday on KXAN StateImpact Texas’ Mose Buchele joined a panel to discuss how water, drilling and fracking are forcing legislators to make some tough decisions as things get down to the wire. You can watch their discussion in the video above.

From the Texas Tribune: The impact of the recent boom in shale drilling is hard to miss in some remote Texas towns, where hotels and homebuilders scramble to keep up with the influx of oil and gas workers. But the most significant effect from the boom may be seen in the state’s coffers. Taxes on oil […]

From the Texas Tribune: SWEETWATER — About a year ago, talk began circulating in this West Texas town about a huge oil-producing formation called the Cline Shale, east of the traditional drilling areas around Midland. Then the oilmen and their rigs arrived. Now homes and hotels are sprouting, “help wanted” signs have multiplied, and a […]

FracFocus, the online registry used by Texas and other states to disclose information about hydraulic fracturing, “creates obstacles to [regulatory] compliance” and seems “structurally skewed to delete” records, according to a report from Harvard Law School’s Environmental Law Program. The website is an integral part of the way drillers disclose what chemicals they are putting […]

Time is winding down at the State Legislature, but the pace is picking up. We’ve put together a list of some important bills on energy and the environment up for discussion this week. They tackle the Railroad Commission, fracking, drought and more. But they aren’t all serious, a House committee will discuss a slew of honorifics […]

The disaster brings up questions about regulation in the state and whether Texans should be living so close to industry.

Texas is often called the energy capital of America, so it might come as a surprise that the oil and gas boom has substantially driven electric prices up in some parts of the state. And in those same areas, prices are expected to spike again this summer. To understand why, it’s best to start with the small […]