The latest environment news from The Texas Tribune.
The Texas Railroad Commission is asking West Texas oil and gas operators to curb light pollution — particularly around the University of Texas’ McDonald Observatory — so astronomers can see the stars at night. Full Story
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In the Roundup: Ted Cruz looks ahead to the South Carolina primary, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is the subject of yet another investigation and the U.S. Supreme Court says Texas and more than two dozen other states can wait to take major action on climate change. Full Story
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Texas regulators say they’re ready to crack down on power companies that try to rope consumers into buying electricity plans that are pricier than they appear. Full Story
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With a deadline for action looming, Texas regulators are struggling to make up their minds about the finer points of the Ray L. Hunt family’s $18 billion proposal to buy and reshape Oncor, the state’s biggest electric utility. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling Tuesday to block President Obama’s Clean Power Plan has helped state Republicans — at least temporarily — dodge major action on climate change. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: Past the worst of the drought, water utilities are still feeling the impact, talk of a statewide water grid resurfaces and an interview with filmmaker Merri Lisa Trigilio. Full Story
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The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday granted a request from Texas and more than two dozen other states to block President Obama’s Clean Power Plan. Full Story
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Full video of my 2/8 conversation with seven Republican candidates for Texas Railroad Commissioner. Full Story
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Candidates Ron Hale, Weston Martinez and Lance Christian say they would support a proposal barring railroad commissioners from accepting political donations from parties doing business before the commission. Full Story
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As Texas regulators weigh the Ray L. Hunt family’s plan to buy Oncor, the state's largest electric utility, and reorganize its corporate structure to save on taxes, at least one other giant utility is considering a similar move. Full Story
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Oncor, the state’s largest utility, is warning state regulators that electric rates could increase for millions of Texas customers if they approve a complex reorganization plan offered by the Ray L. Hunt family. Full Story
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Citing an increasingly diversified Texas economy, former Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday boasted about the “Texas Miracle” and said there’s no reason to be overly concerned about the plummeting price of oil. Full Story
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What is the definition of "tangible personal property?" The arcane question is at the center of a lawsuit that could reap energy companies a multibillion-dollar windfall and drain the state's budget surplus. Full Story
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Comptroller Glenn Hegar launched a torrent of criticism at Moody’s Investors Service on Thursday after the credit rating agency released a report suggesting a drilling slowdown could eat up a projected $4 billion budget surplus by December. Full Story
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The Texas Legislature’s efforts to beef up state oversight and avert deadly disasters like the 2013 West fertilizer plant explosion have been “not entirely adequate,” the federal Chemical Safety Board says in its final report. Full Story
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Despite a recent ad bashing Donald Trump for employing eminent domain for a parking lot, Ted Cruz has backed the Keystone XL and other pipeline projects that would use the same controversial tool to displace landowners. Full Story
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In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: A new study highlights four states' differing approaches to water strategies, rapid growth poses new dangers to the Hill Country and an interview with Zachary Sugg of the University of Arizona. Full Story
While Comptroller Glenn Hegar tried to assure lawmakers that plummeting oil prices do not mean the Texas economy is headed for a nosedive, some worried Hegar was being overly optimistic. Full Story
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"Politicians shouldn’t mess with churches or farmers, and this is a church full of farmers,” says Janey Burke of Roscoe's Champion Baptist Church, whose congregation can be counted among those outraged by Sharyland Utilities' bills. Full Story
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A federal appeals court on Thursday denied a request from Texas and other states to block President Obama’s Clean Power Plan, leaving the climate change rules in place as a legal challenge winds through the courts. Full Story
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