Environment
Getting Wise to Bad Air: North Texans Take Smog Monitoring Into Own Hands
Mean to Green: How the Texas Legislature Took its Toll on the Environment This Session
Lawmakers have weakened citizens’ ability to challenge polluters, made flying drones over oil and gas facilities a jailable offense and slashed funding for the state’s environmental agencies.
Lawmakers weakened citizens’ ability to challenge polluters, made flying drones over oil and gas facilities a jailable offense and slashed funding for environ...Read More
Governor Abbott’s Beef with Tree Ordinances Has Its Roots in a Pecan Tree He Destroyed to Build a New Home
In his haste to build a new home and swimming pool, Greg Abbott killed a protected pecan tree in violation of Austin’s rules.
In his haste to build a new home and swimming pool, Greg Abbott killed a protected pecan tree in violation of Austin’s rules....Read More
After 17 Years, EPA Settles Racial Discrimination Case Against TCEQ
TCEQ has agreed to install an air monitor in a majority African-American neighborhood near the Beaumont Exxon refinery, but advocates say it’s too little, too late.
Reverend Roy Malveaux learned in the late 1990s that reporting the overwhelming rotten-egg smell coming from ExxonMobil’s Beaumont refinery was fruitless. Man...Read More
Texans Could Soon Be Jailed for Flying Drones over Oil Facilities, Animal Factory Farms
“It’s taking a law that’s already unconstitutional and making it worse,” said one media attorney.
Texans caught flying drones over oil and gas well pads, cell towers and large animal feeding operations could face jail time if a bill that has cleared the Hous...Read More
Endangered Science
Can Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar oversee objective scientific research into rare species? Or is he rigging the process to keep them off the endangered list, as his critics charge?
Lars Letaru From the looks of them, it’s hard to imagine that the smooth pimpleback, the Texas fawnsfoot or the Texas fatmucket could threaten the Texas econo...Read More
After Eight-Year Battle Over Reforming the Railroad Commission, Oil and Gas Industry Wins
The industry is the top funding source for lawmakers’ campaigns, according to a recent report from Texans for Public Justice.
A nearly decade-long battle between environmentalists and the oil and gas industry to reform Texas’ energy regulatory agency came to a close last week — and...Read More
Bill Aims to Protect Communities of Color from Polluting Concrete Facilities
Senator Borris Miles’ bill requires concrete crushing facilities to be located at least 440 yards away from parks and playgrounds.
Concrete crushing plants, which recycle concrete from demolished roads and buildings, can emit plumes of fine dust, worsening nearby residents’ asthma and oth...Read More
For Texas Pronghorn, an Unusual 500-Mile Journey
Wildlife experts are airlifting and trucking pronghorn into West Texas in hopes of replenishing a shrinking population.
Wildlife experts are airlifting and trucking pronghorn into West Texas in hopes of replenishing a shrinking population....Read More
Lawmaker Hopes Bill Will Encourage Legislature to End Shady Accounting Practice
Representative Joe Pickett wants to stop collecting fees from Texans to improve air quality and spend the $1.27 billion sitting unused in the TERP fund.
Texas collects millions of dollars every year from residents to improve air quality, but almost never spends it all. Instead, the Legislature hoards the money t...Read More