The Texas Tribune

View of reservoir with small island with trees in Texas

Texas Water Officials Deaf on Climate Change

The state’s long-term water plan fails to account for the impacts of climate change on water supplies, setting Texas up for a severe water shortage in the coming decades.

November 3, 2022 - The Texas Tribune

Homeless Encampment

Texas Legislature Would Preempt Local Law to Ban Homeless Encampments

The state of Texas and the city of Austin are moving in opposite directions on how best to respond to the needs of people experiencing homelessness.

April 29, 2021 - The Texas Tribune

Polar Vortex

Texas Grid Operator to Be Investigated by Congressional Subcommittee

Texas' costliest natural disaster will be the subject of a congressional investigation by a House Oversight subcommittee thanks to Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who is concerned about ERCOT's lack of preparation for extreme winter weather.

March 7, 2021 - The Texas Tribune

Mass Shootings

Corona Crisis in America: The Metropolitan Area to Watch

The battle to control the coronavirus in the U.S is being led by 50 governors and the D.C. mayor, but ultimately it is at the local level where decisions are often the most consequential. Among large counties, the crisis is most severe in El Paso.

November 3, 2020 - The Texas Tribune

Coronavirus

City vs. State: Mayors Want Power to Require Mask Wearing to Slow Coronavirus Spread

Coronavirus cases are surging in the Lone Star State's urban areas, so mayors of nine of its largest cities asked Greg Abbott for the power to mandate the wearing of masks or facial coverings, prohibited by executive order, to slow viral spread.

June 21, 2020 - The Texas Tribune

Homelessness

Houston Gets a Handle on Homelessness While Dallas Struggles

Formerly playing host to almost double the homeless population of Dallas, Houston has addressed the problem with some success over the past decade. Meanwhile, rising costs have fueled a growing crisis in Dallas.

July 15, 2019 - The Texas Tribune

Texas State Capitol building

Local Government Expect a Pinch After Texas Caps Property Taxes

Texas overhauled its property tax system with two bills in June. The debate about the consequences of that bill continues.

July 8, 2019 - The Texas Tribune

Hurricane Protection

$31 Billion Hurricane Protection Plan Proposed for Texas

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has proposed a suite of coastal infrastructure projects—i.e., floodgates and seawalls—to shore up the coast of Texas against Hurricane- and sea level rise-aided water.

October 29, 2018 - The Texas Tribune

Oil Drills

West Texas Drilling Boom Bodes Ill for Residents, the Planet

Driven by foreign demand, a surge in West Texas oil production is having adverse effects on the local populace, and contributes to climate change at a crucial moment.

October 13, 2018 - The Texas Tribune

Texas Outdoors

In Texas, More Sprawl Means More Homes in the Path of Tornadoes

Revisiting one day in 2012, a reporter finds that many of the Dallas-Fort Worth areas affected by the storms were barely inhabited 20 years ago.

May 20, 2018 - The Texas Tribune

Sprinkler Sprawl

As Drought Returns to Texas, Report Recommends Stricter Rules on Outdoor Water Use

A report from a coalition of nonprofits recommends, among other restrictions, allowing outdoor watering only twice per week.

May 5, 2018 - The Texas Tribune

Texas Oil Industry

Lax Regulation of Texas Air Polluters

Regular "emissions events" at Texas heavy industrial facilities cause a lot of unauthorized pollution. But few consequences mean the companies responsible don't have to crack down.

August 17, 2017 - The Texas Tribune

Texas Capitol Building

State Legislation Forces Austin to Lift Ban on Lyft and Uber

A new Texas state law that regulates transportation network companies also overrides more restrictive local regulations, like Austin's requirement for fingerprinting drivers. Austin voters supported the tighter regulations at the ballot box last May.

May 30, 2017 - The Texas Tribune

Texas Rail

More than Twenty Bills Introduced in Texas Legislature to Stop High-Speed Rail

The California high-speed rail project is not alone in confronting legal and political obstacles. The main issue in Texas that has aroused opposition to the privately financed, 240-mile Dallas to Houston bullet train is the use of eminent domain.

February 27, 2017 - The Texas Tribune

Texas Wind

Texas Road Subsidies Take Toll on General Fund

Diverting billions of dollars of sales tax revenue from the state's general fund to the Texas Department of Transportation is taking a toll on other programs that lawmakers must fund.

February 27, 2017 - The Texas Tribune

Arriving in Texas: the Shinkansen Bullet Train

The Houston to Dallas high speed rail train will be built with the cooperation of Japan's Central Railway, a longtime successful and profitable operator of Shinkansen bullet train lines. Securing the private financing is key to the project.

August 20, 2014 - The Texas Tribune

An Anti-Fracking Initiative...in Texas?

The fracking rebellion has finally spread to The Lone Star State. Citizens of Denton have had enough with environmental woes from fracking close to homes and gathered signatures. Plus: the outcome of litigation against Colorado 's first fracking ban.

July 28, 2014 - The Texas Tribune

Texas State Capitol building

Lacking Funds for Repair, Texas Unpaves its Roads

Unable to find funding to repair roads damaged by the booming oil industry traffic, Texas will convert asphalt roads to gravel. Texas's gas tax is among the lowest in the nation.

August 26, 2013 - The Texas Tribune

Texas Embraces Cycling to Slim Down Residents and Beef Up Economies

From the panhandle to the Gulf coast, cities across traditionally car-crazed Texas are building bike-share systems and expanding bike infrastructure to lure businesses, residents, and improve public health.

August 19, 2013 - The Texas Tribune

Ideas Floated to Meet Texas's Road Funding Shortfall

Texas State Rep. Joe Pickett faults a recent TRIP report for not recommending a funding strategy to address the state's revenue shortfall for transportation needs. Two groups view vehicle registration fees as a funding option.

October 11, 2012 - The Texas Tribune

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