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On the House floor today, the state water grid amendment by Rep. Lyle Larson of San Antonio was stripped off an unrelated water bill, SB 1301, under threat of a point of order that could have killed the bill itself. In response to this development,...

Last Minute Shenanigans at the Capitol, Abbott Gets Cool Reception in Denton, and Much More

In brief, parks do well, TERP and extra inspectors for oil and gas still short-changed, and other bills face uncertain future.

On the House floor today, legislation to evaluate a so-called state water grid was resuscitated as an amendment to an unrelated water bill, SB 1301. In response to this development, Ken Kramer, Water Resources Chair of Sierra Club’s Lone Star...

In a national report released this week, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) ranked the top 51 cities in the United States for policies and programs designed to save energy – including in some cases water and gas. Five Texas...

Two bills to add energy efficiency programs at the State Energy Conservation Office, or SECO (under the Comptroller of Public Accounts), were discussed on the House Floor on the last days to get a House bill approved and sent to the Senate. Despite...

[Original post: Evelyn Merz, Houston Chronicle, May 18, 2015] The Texas Legislature, while opening a door to adequately fund the Texas state park system via appropriation of the sporting-goods sales tax, is quietly closing a window so that less...

If you were to read the pretty, glossy one-pagers from the Texas Public Policy Foundation, or listen to the testimony by the Public Utility Commission, or lobbyists representing American Electric Power, or those entities suing the EPA over its...

To those of you who took action on our alert opposing legislation to create an ill-advised state water grid for Texas, thank you!. Unfortunately – despite our best efforts – House Bill 3298 passed the Texas House and is now in the Texas Senate....

In what has turned out to be an unequivocal disaster of a legislative session for the environment and individual rights, good legislation may yet pass into law. By an overwhelming majority, the Texas House of Representatives approved HB 14 by Rep....