It was possibly the most high profile piece of legislation at the capital this session. It had the backing of the governor, the state’s business community, and many environmental groups. But last night House Bill 11, the plan to pull $2 billion from the state’s rainy day fund to put to Texas water projects, could […]
The highest court in the land will hear about Texas’ water woes today. It will be the culmination of several years of litigation over Oklahoma water that Texas wants. Shelley Kofler of KERA in Dallas has more on the story: “There’s often been tension between Texas and Oklahoma. A dispute over the state boundary line dates […]
Conversation swirled around water at the House Natural Resources Committee meeting today at the Capitol. The committee discussed dozens of water bills regarding groundwater, desalination, the border between Texas and Oklahoma and even rainwater harvesting. The bill for the latter, HB 2781, would allow people with a public water supply connection to collect rainwater for […]
While there are different routes proposed to get there, one goal is clear this legislative session: lawmakers want to do something to address the state’s water woes. Texas faces shrinking water supplies, persistent drought and a growing population. One major initiative that would likely take $2 billion from the state’s Rainy Day Fund to start […]
It’s crunch time at the Capitol, and legislators have precious little sand left in the hourglass to push bills out of committee. So you’ll see the pace pick up quite a bit in the coming weeks. We at StateImpact Texas have compiled a not-so-short list of important bills on energy and the environment to help […]
http://youtu.be/OWBX3QesGnQ Some parts of the state may find themselves in the strange position of actually needing hurricanes this summer. Victor Murphy, climate program manager at National Weather Service Southern Region, says tropical storm landfall could be the best hope to get rain to parts of Texas that desperately need it. Even though much of the state experienced […]
Water and roads are hot topics at the Texas legislature this session, as for the first time in several sessions, lawmakers make real efforts to fund new water and road projects for the growing state. While there seems to be a broad consensus that significant new funding is needed; as expected, it’s in the particulars […]
Lawmakers had rocketed through more than a dozen bills before they arrived at Rep. Charlie Geren’s complex and controversial water bill, HB 1307. Then things slowed down at the House Natural Resources Committee meeting at the Capitol today. Other bills, including one that would expand the water supplies a waste disposal authority could tap and […]
From the Texas Tribune: Gov. Rick Perry, joining a chorus of Texas politicians, wants Mexico to release more river water to Texas. In a letter to President Obama dated April 9, Perry urged the president and the State Department to press Mexico to release more water from Rio Grande tributaries, under the terms of a […]
Graphic by Todd Wiseman / Pedro Moura Pinheiro (Texas Tribune) From the Texas Tribune: Something odd happened here last week. It rained. But the relief, an answer to desperate prayers, is likely to be short-lived. The drought that has gripped much of Texas since the fall of 2010 shows few signs of abating soon. The […]
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