The latest environment news from The Texas Tribune.
At Thursday's TribLive conversation, former state Rep. Sid Miller, R-Stephenville, a 2014 candidate for Texas Agriculture Commissioner, explained why the state's water crisis would be his first priority if he's elected — and what he'd do about it. Full Story
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The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has decided not to take action yet on a controversial plan that would almost surely cut off water from rice farmers in the lower Colorado River basin for a third straight year. Full Story
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Following instructions from House Speaker Joe Straus, Texas lawmakers plan to study the benefits of accepting high-level nuclear waste from around the country, a controversial proposition. But even if Texas seeks a waste facility, huge hurdles would stand in its way. Full Story
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Injecting acid to help drill for oil isn't a new practice, but Texas' oil and gas regulator doesn't track where or how much acid is used by drillers in the state, and that has some people concerned. Full Story
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Drought-stricken Texas cities have succeeded in encouraging residents to slash water consumption — but they've lost money in the process by selling less water. That means everyone must pay higher rates. Full Story
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Four Republicans running for Texas railroad commissioner are working to differentiate themselves. But speaking Thursday at a Republican Women of Austin luncheon, they found plenty upon which to agree. Full Story
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More than three years after San Antonio Water System asked the private sector to develop plans for a new water supply for the growing region, the utility has decided not to use any of them. Full Story
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Millions of dollars may be headed to Texas from BP to help make amends for the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But a state agency has sparked a debate over a proposal to charge fees when that money is used to restore coastal habitats. Full Story
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The contentious relationship between Texas and the Environmental Protection Agency was the primary focus of a Wednesday hearing of the U.S. House Science, Space and Technology Committee. Full Story
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A new national report on water use for hydraulic fracturing suggests that oil and gas companies are at risk of running short on the precious resource — especially in South Texas. Full Story
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After years of political fighting, Congress has passed a farm bill that will bring certainty to agricultural and food assistance policy until 2018. Texas agricultural producers could see big changes. Full Story
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Take a look back at Beneath the Surface, our five-part series on the state's growing interest in groundwater. While more Texans are counting on groundwater to fuel the state's economic growth, legal and regulatory hurdles present challenges. Full Story
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Should Texas overhaul its electricity market? And if so, how much would it cost? A highly anticipated report has shed some light on those questions amid an increasingly contentious debate. Full Story
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As the oil and gas industry continues to flourish in Texas, several areas of the state are experiencing small earthquakes, and scientists see a link. But the shaking is just part of what has many of the affected residents on edge. Full Story
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Texas' refusal to issue required greenhouse permits for almost two years may have hurt business. Energy companies say they have been unable to take advantage of the area's shale boom. Full Story
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As oil booms in La Salle County, so have 911 calls. In response, officials have unleashed a plan to professionalize the county's firefighting forces. Full Story
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In La Salle County, about an hour southwest of San Antonio, production in the Eagle Ford Shale is estimated to drive 90 percent of all 911 calls. Before November, there were just a handful of volunteer firefighters to respond. Full Story
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Nearly four years after the BP oil spill, a fight over how to spend the recovery money paid to Texas has erupted between environmentalists and the state's parks and wildlife department. Full Story
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A controversial groundwater pumping plan that opponents argue could threaten the lower Rio Grande's already depleted supply is highlighting a conundrum in Texas water law. Full Story
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Oklahoma says it will allow a North Texas water district to resume pumping water from Lake Texoma, even though some of the district’s pumps sit — just barely — inside Oklahoma territory. Full Story
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