The Brief: Sept. 23, 2014
A three-week trial challenging Texas' voter ID law in federal court wrapped up on Monday amid speculation a decision could be handed down before Election Day. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
TribFest: One-on-One with George P. Bush
Full video of my 2014 Texas Tribune Festival keynote conversation with George P. Bush, the Republican nominee for Texas Land Commissioner in 2014. Full Story
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The Brief: Sept. 22, 2014
Texas politics was the big conversation in Austin and even outside the state with this weekend's Texas Tribune Festival. Full Story
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![Land Commissioner candidate George P. Bush takes a question from the public at TribFest Sept. 19, 2014.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Liveblog: Environment at The Texas Tribune Festival
We're liveblogging the sessions from the 2014 Texas Tribune Festival's Environment track. The sessions include panels on the state's water needs, the Texas coast, agriculture in the state and Texas' battles with the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Emily Albracht -
Liveblog: Energy at The Texas Tribune Festival
We're liveblogging the sessions from the 2014 Texas Tribune Festival's Energy track. The sessions include panels on the state's power grid, the potential impact of energy reform in Mexico on Texas, the debate over hydraulic fracturing and a deeper look at the state's drilling boom. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Emily Albracht -
At TribFest, Bush Talks In-State Tuition, Open Beaches
In a wide-ranging interview Friday night at The Texas Tribune Festival, Republican land commissioner candidate George P. Bush discussed a state law granting in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants and a controversial court case on the Texas Open Beaches Act. Full Story
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![Then-candidate for Texas land commissioner George P. Bush with Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith at TribFest on Sept. 19, 2014]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
Staples Leaving Ag Commissioner Post Early to Head Oil and Gas Association
UPDATED: Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples confirmed he has been selected to head up the Texas Oil and Gas Association – the state’s largest and oldest petroleum group. He will leave his current post early. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Texas Supreme Court Weighs Oilfield Fraud
For mineral owners, making sure oil and gas operators pay what they promise can prove incredibly difficult, as shown in a case the Texas Supreme Court will soon decide. Full Story
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The Brief: Sept. 18, 2014
Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples lost out on his bid to be lieutenant governor, but he might be in line for another job before his term ends in January. Full Story
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![Texas Commissioner of Agriculture, Todd Staples - August 29, 2011.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Drought Still Grips Texas Towns
After a summer that brought little relief from the drought, the small town of Gordon in Palo Pinto County is just one of many Texas communities still facing a difficult task: find new water or go dry. Full Story
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Credit: Lance Cheung / USDA -
At "Kumbaya" Meeting, a New Colorado River Plan is Approved
The Lower Colorado River Authority approved a new plan on Wednesday to manage the Colorado River and its reservoirs, known as the Highland Lakes. Full Story
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![A 2013 look at at a boat dock at Lake Travis, whose water level decreased markedly amid a historic drought. Lake Travis is part of the Central Texas' Highland Lakes.]()
Credit: Rebecca Vanherdehaage -
The Brief: Sept. 16, 2014
University of Texas System regents moved quickly Monday to keep two lawmakers from sitting in on interviews conducted by an external investigator into admissions procedures at the system's flagship Austin campus. Full Story
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Drillers, but Not Fracking, Tied to Tainted Water
Oil and gas activities – but not hydraulic fracturing – tainted drinking water wells atop North Texas’ Barnett Shale and Pennsylvania’s Marcellus formation, according to a new study. Full Story
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![Steve Lipsky shows the methane contamination of his well by igniting the gas with a lighter outside his family's home in Parker County near Weatherford on June 17.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill -
The Brief: Sept. 15, 2014
At stake, according to a posted agenda for today's meeting of the UT System regents, is "the integrity and independence" of an external investigation of admissions procedures. Full Story
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![State Rep. Dan Flynn (right), R-Van, talks to state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, on Oct. 23, 2013. Van is co-chair of the House Select Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations, whose members include Fischer.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Aquifer is No Quick Fix for Central Texas Thirst
As drought continues to grip Central Texas, those looking to provide water to the region’s fast-growing cities and suburbs see a solution in the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer. But others fear the resource will be drained at their expense. Full Story
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![Darwyn Hanna grows pecans and runs cattle on some of the land he owns in Bastrop County. He is contesting a water marketer's bid to pump about 15 billion gallons a year from the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer in Bastrop County, saying the plan would devalue his property.]()
Credit: Callie Richmond -
The Brief: Sept. 12, 2014
Greg Abbott continued on Thursday his attack against his rival in the race for governor, not going after the substance of Wendy Davis' new memoir but rather the publicity tour that has accompanied it. Full Story
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Credit: Majorie Kamys Cotera / Bob Daemmrich -
New in Trib+Water: Looking to Lakes For New Water
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: Austin looks at repurposing a lake to expand its water supply, the U.S. House acts to stop an EPA water rule and an interview with Sharlene Leurig of the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Program at Ceres. Full Story
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The Brief: Sept. 9, 2014
Rick Perry's attorneys were back on Monday with a new filing in which they pursue a different path to quash the felony indictments handed down against the governor last month while relying on many of the same arguments as before. Full Story
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![Governor Rick Perry's legal team includes, l to r, David Botsford, Tony Buzbee, Ben Ginsberg and Bobby Birchfield. Not pictured is former Chief Justice Tom Phillips.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich -
Railroad Commissioner Raises Concerns About a Russian Threat
Texas Railroad Commissioner David Porter on Monday became the second of the state's three oil and gas regulators to raise concerns that Russia is waging a misinformation campaign against hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking. Full Story
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![Railroad Commission Chairman David Porter.]()
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Natural Gas Fueling Stations Surge in Texas
Texas now has 104 natural gas fueling stations, according to a map released Monday by the Railroad Commission of Texas. That’s nearly 50 more than Texas had last year. Meanwhile, 67 more stations are set to open in 2015. Full Story
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Credit: B Jefferson Bolender
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