Texas

Energy and Environment Reporting for Texas

Topics

Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

Latest Posts

Why Alaska is Reconsidering Texas-Inspired Oil Tax Cut

Alaska funds its state government largely by taxing oil production. But last year, faced with dwindling production, the legislature narrowly passed tax cuts to lessen the burden on energy companies in hopes of encouraging more drilling and generating more tax revenue. One Alaska lawmaker said they looked to the Lower 48 for inspiration. “Because we […]

Texas House Approves Bill Ending Comptroller’s Endangered Species Duties

Update: HB 3509 passed out of the state House Thursday, the final day for bills to be voted out. Earlier: The Texas House could vote today on a bill that would strip the Texas Comptroller’s office of its endangered species monitoring duties and send the job over to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Advocates […]

Comptroller’s Endangered Species Duties Could Go to Wildlife Department

Comptroller Susan Combs, Texas’ top accountant and tax official, doesn’t just deal with money: she’s also in charge of monitoring endangered species. It’s an odd coupling, money manager and critter caretaker, and a new piece of legislation could undo the two disparate duties. The Senate Natural Resources Committee discussed a bill, SB 468, at a meeting Tuesday […]

How the Conservation Plan for the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard Works

The dunes sagebrush lizard is tiny, and brown, and hides in the dunes of East New Mexico and West Texas. And until recently, it seemed like it could threaten the drilling boom in the Permian basin as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service considered adding the lizard to the endangered species list. But this week the […]

Texas Judge Will Reconsider Tax Break For Oil and Gas Industry

Travis County District Judge John Dietz is reportedly “reconsidering” a recent decision that could cost the state of Texas billions in tax revenue. Ruling in favor of the drilling company Southwest Royalties a few weeks ago, Judge Dietz found that oil and gas equipment used for exploring and completing wells should not be subject to sales tax, because it qualifies for […]

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 […]

About StateImpact

StateImpact seeks to inform and engage local communities with broadcast and online news focused on how state government decisions affect your lives.
Learn More »

Economy
Education