News & Updates
COVID-19 relief for farmers, ranchers
The Agricultural and Food Policy Center at Texas A&M University in College Station has developed a briefing paper that identifies provisions most applicable to agricultural producers in the three recent Congressional interventions to stimulate the economy and...
Sierra Club lawsuit challenges construction of Permian Highway fracked gas pipeline
The Sierra Club filed a lawsuit today against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for permitting the ongoing construction of the 428-mile Permian Highway fracked gas pipeline, despite a federal court order vacating the nationwide permit on which the pipeline’s 449 water...
Central Texas farmers survive selling directly to customers
Central Texas farmers are adjusting to the new reality and in some cases thriving at farmers markets from Cedar Park to Southwest Austin. Even with strict access requirements and cones to keep customers 6 feet apart, sales are high, albeit with fewer customers who are...
NRCS invests more than $1.1 million in partner-driven Comanche Springs project in West Texas
USDA’s Natural Resources Service (NRCS) today announced that it is investing $1.1 million in Texas for a partner-driven conservation project through its Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). NRCS will leverage nearly $1.6 million in partner contributions...
As a billion birds fly through Texas, they find a landscape quiet and still
Once the stay-at-home orders were in place and the sounds of traffic and business dimmed, the birds seemed louder. There seemed to be more of them. It’s not clear if birds have really raised their volume (more on that in a bit), but there are more in Texas these days....
Supporting local Hill Country producers
During these unprecedented times, it’s especially important to support and invest in our local communities. One way to do this is with our food choices. You can help local businesses bounce back from economic downturns and invest in the overall resiliency of your...
Hill Country Alliance Board Member: A view from the Hill Country
The world has changed. In the span of 90 days, an unlikely viral emissary from Mother Nature has issued forth from a market in Wuhan, China and spread across the globe with dizzying speed and crushing effect. Who could have thought such a tiny, invisible strand of RNA...
KXAN investigation uncovers safety concerns over pipes used in Kinder Morgan’s Permian Highway Pipeline
A tip led us to a storage yard holding hundreds of pipeline segments in Blanco. The segments will become the Permian Highway Pipeline. The group fighting the pipeline is concerned the anti-corrosion coating on the pipes has been outside, uncovered for far too long....
Supreme Court gives environmentalists partial water law win
The U.S. Supreme Court gave environmentalists a partial win on the scope of the Clean Water Act, ruling that the law applies to some pollution discharges that don’t go directly into a major body of water. The 6-3 decision Thursday told a federal appeals court to...