News & Updates
Austin wastewater main break causes 100,000-gallon sewage spill
More than 100,000 gallons of wastewater flowed into a dry tributary bed of Bull Creek after there was a 21’’ main break and sanitary sewage overflow, according to Austin Water crews. The overflow was discovered at 11:30 a.m. Sunday at 10801 Sierra Oaks. Austin Water...
U.S. House Natural Resources Committee passes landmark wildlife conservation bill out of committee
The Texas Alliance for America’s Fish and Wildlife applauds the House Committee on Natural Resources for a bipartisan vote last week on the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. The bill passed out of committee following a 26-6 vote and will now move to the House Floor....
‘I don’t believe it’s in until it’s in’: Gillespie County landowner still fighting pipeline
“This is Texas, by God. I am fifth generation Texan and I am not going to roll over for a multi-billion dollar company,” says Kay Pence. She has been fighting Kinder Morgan for more than a year now. The company offered her $45,000 to run part of the Permian Highway...
Residents near Hamilton Pool up in arms about proposed RV park
The Travis County Commissioners Court spent all morning Tuesday discussing a proposed RV park on Stagecoach Ranch Road in Southwest Travis County, near Hamilton Pool. The court still hasn’t come to a decision on the matter and will take it up again at next week’s...
Report: Texas ranks second in budget cuts for environmental protection
In the past decade, a historic industrial buildout has taken hold in Texas — thanks to the fracking revolution — and has created vast wealth and greatly increased the need for government permitting of new facilities, as well as pollution monitoring. But during the...
New bill will help preserve family farms
A bill introduced today to help more farm families continue their livelihoods after the death of a loved one has the full support of the American Farm Bureau Federation. The Preserving Family Farms Act of 2019 is sponsored by Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) and Jackie...
Doctor’s orders: Support land and water conservation
Humans are a part of nature. We can’t be healthy if the world around us isn’t healthy enough to sustain, nourish and protect us. And without a healthy population, we can’t achieve our full potential for generating strong economies, driving innovation and securing a...
When a developer uses a cow or two to dodge property taxes, guess who pays: Homeowners
We finally know what Texas lawmakers meant when, at the end of this year’s legislative session, they crowed about relief from property taxes. Developers who keep a cow or two on a few urban or suburban acres are paying less in back taxes when they cash in and build a...
Songwriters unite in support of Blanco’s night skies and BHS students learn how to preserve the night sky
Thirteen area songwriters gathered on Friday, November 22 in the basement of Liz on the Square in Blanco to perform original songs for the “Deep in the Dark of Texas ™” songwriting contest, sponsored by the Blanco County Friends of the Night Sky. The more...