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- MRT 3/19-20/26 ($): $16B Gas Power Plant Headed to Anderson County // Corpus Refineries Seek Alternate Water Supply // Austin Loosens Lobby Disclosure Requirements // UT, UH Advance to Sweet 16
MRT 3/19-20/26 ($): $16B Gas Power Plant Headed to Anderson County // Corpus Refineries Seek Alternate Water Supply // Austin Loosens Lobby Disclosure Requirements // UT, UH Advance to Sweet 16
Here's What You Need to Know in Texas Today.
Matt Mackowiak
March 23, 2026
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THURSDAY 3/19/2026 - FRIDAY 3/20/2026
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“If something of importance is known in Texas, Matt knows it. With a decline in the number of credible news organizations, the Must Read Texas morning email is indispensable for anyone that wants to continue to be informed.” – Former U.S. Senator Phil Gramm (R-TX)
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TOP NEWS
“East Texas county lands $16 billion gas power project in White House, Japan deal” via Dallas Morning News – A $16 billion gas-fired power facility is coming to Anderson County, placing one of the nation’s largest energy projects in rural East Texas.
It’s one of three new energy infrastructure projects President Donald Trump plans to announce Thursday, part of a $550 billion investment package Japan pledged in October.
Among the details:
Project: Natural gas-fired power generation hub.
Capacity: Up to 5.2 GW of natural gas-fired generation, capable of serving up to 5 GW of large-load demand.
Operator: NextEra Energy Resources.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is scheduled to arrive Thursday morning at the White House, kicking off a visit originally expected to focus on trade and strengthening the U.S.-Japanese alliance as China’s influence grows in Asia.
The war in Iran now hangs over the meetings, with Takaichi warning this week the visit will be “very difficult.”
(DMN)
“Corpus Christi’s crucial refineries look for alternate water supplies amid looming water crisis” The Texas Tribune’s Paul Cobler, Carlos Nogueras Ramos – Companies that own refineries in Corpus Christi say they are working to secure alternative water sources to maintain operations and prevent a shortage of gasoline and jet fuel in Texas and beyond as the city scrambles to delay or avoid a rapidly-escalating water crisis.
The city earlier this week said it could enter a water emergency in as soon as two months; at that point the city would have roughly six months before supply could no longer meet demand.
With gasoline prices rising amid the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, water limitations in the Coastal Bend — a growing fuel and chemical hub — could further drive up prices, industry officials said.
“If water limits force changes, facilities might have to slow production, take units offline or run at lower rates,” said Ed Longanecker, president of the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association, an oil and natural gas industry trade group.
(TX TRIB)
“Texas cities, state government cancel Cesar Chavez Day in wake of report on activist” The Texas Tribune’s Alex Nguyen – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says the state will not observe Cesar Chavez Day on March 31, a move that he hopes to make permanent by working with the Legislature and removing the holiday from state law in the 2027 session.
The announcement came after a New York Times investigation revealed allegations that the late Mexican-American labor and civil rights leader had sexually assaulted and abused women and girls. The reporting has sparked widespread outrage and sorrow, prompting lawmakers and labor groups across the country — including in Texas, where he supported striking farm workers and led a rally at the state
Capitol following a march from Rio Grande City to Austin in 1966 — to reckon with Chavez’s legacy.
(TX TRIB)
“Terminal construction will change drop-offs and pick-ups at the San Antonio airport” San Antonio Report’s Shari Biediger – The way you drop off and pick up your family and friends at the San Antonio International Airport is about to change, at least for the next two years.
Starting Monday, the departures and arrival lanes at the airport will be reduced to allow for construction on Terminal C.
With heavy traffic expected in those areas during peak travel times, airport officials are asking people to consider using the short-term parking area of the garage for pick-ups and drop-offs.
The work to improve the roadways is part of the overall $1.7 billion project underway to deliver another terminal with up to 17 gates at the airport by 2028.
“We’re on scope, on schedule and on budget with the terminal development program, and continue to move forward with that effort,” said Director of Airports Jesus Saenz. “Within that program, we’re making some new advancements with our overall roadway and the curbs adjacent to the terminal complexes.”
(SA REPORT)
2026
“Bexar County DA Democratic runoff begins to takes shape” San Antonio Report’s Diego Medel – The race for Bexar County district attorney is beginning to take shape ahead of the May 26 Democratic runoff, as candidates eliminated in the March primary and political groups line up behind two finalists offering sharply different visions for the office.
Luz Elena Chapa, former Fourth Court of Appeals Justice, and Jane Davis, longtime prosecutor, advanced to the runoff after finishing with 24% and 18% of the vote, respectively, in an eight-candidate primary that saw high voter turnout.
Now, the contest is emerging as a choice between two approaches: Chapa, an outsider with no prosecutorial experience who has never worked in the district attorney’s office, is calling for a tougher stance on crime and stronger relationships with law enforcement; and Davis, a 40-year veteran of the office who currently leads the juvenile division, is campaigning on the importance of experience and building on reforms already in place.
In the weeks since the primary, that divide has become clearer as endorsements begin to fall into place — with Davis quickly locking down support from much of the eliminated field.
(SA REPORT)
“Dallas County GOP will switch back to countywide voting sites for May runoff” via Spectrum News – Dallas County will officially scrap precinct-based voting locations and proceed with countywide sites for the upcoming May runoff elections.
This comes after countless voters were turned away from the polls earlier this month, leading to a lawsuit by the Dallas County Democratic Party that was later dropped.
On Tuesday, the chair of the Dallas County Republican Party (DCRP) confirmed he will sign the agreement to put countywide voting into effect, saying the party-based voting presents too much risk and voter confusion.
“As Chairman of the DCRP it is my responsibility and duty to protect this organization,” said Allen West. “I have made the decision that seeking to do precinct based operations for the runoff Election Day exposes the DCRP to increased risk and voter confusion. From the end of April through May there will be municipal elections and early voting for the runoff. All of these elections are countywide voting. To then shift for the one day runoff election to precincts would bring about large scale disruption.”
(Spectrum News)
“What it will take for Talarico to win over Crockett’s Black voter base” via Houston Public Media – State Rep. James Talarico won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate over Rep. Jasmine Crockett, but he may have his work cut out for him to win over her supporters.
While Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett didn’t win the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in the party’s primary earlier this month, she did receive overwhelming support from Texas’ Black voters.
Now, nominee James Talarico must find a way to bring Crockett’s supporters into his campaign before the general election in November.
According to political experts and strategists who spoke with The Texas Newsroom, winning over those voters is critical if Talarico hopes to win the U.S. Senate seat and become the first Democrat to hold a statewide office in the Lone Star State for more than three decades.
The congresswoman, who represents a Dallas-area district in the U.S. House of Representatives, received particularly strong support from voters in Texas’ largest cities.
(Houston Public Media)
STATE GOVERNMENT
“Texas takes over permitting for carbon storage projects” The Texas Tribune’s Carlos Nogueras Ramos – Texas takes over permitting for carbon storage projects The Texas Railroad Commission spent two years working to secure the authority to issue the permits energy companies need to inject and store carbon dioxide underground, a power previously held by the federal government.
Last November, the Environmental Protection Agency approved that request, a development experts said will make it easier for energy companies to apply for such permits, called Class VI.
Both Democratic and Republican presidential administrations have approved generous tax incentives to energy companies to encourage carbon capture. While the effectiveness of the practice and benefits to the environment have been debated for years, the oil and gas industry has embraced it as a climate-friendly solution to pollution driven by industrial-scale fossil fuel production.
(TX TRIB)
“Texas jails aren’t meeting deadlines to free inmates, costing some counties thousands in settlements” The Texas Tribune’s Ayden Runnels, Alex Nguyen – Jessica Jackson was supposed to be released from Dallas County jail in time for the holidays last year. She was arrested in early December for misdemeanor drug possession and violating parole, but was credited time for two years she’d already served on a previous aggravated robbery sentence.
With the credits, Jackson was eligible for release on Dec. 19, when a judge ruled she had no time left to serve. But, Christmas passed, then New Year’s, and despite daily calls to jail staff from her public defender, family and a friend trying to help her, she could not understand why she was still in jail.
By the time the county released Jackson 49 days later on Feb. 6, she had missed a job interview that she scheduled and lost her state-provided housing after missing a filing deadline, all without knowing why she was held so long, she said.
(TX TRIB)
“Court approves new manager for Dallas-area foster care program after deaths of 2 infants” The Texas Tribune’s Stephen Simpson – A state judge allowed the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to appoint an outside child welfare director to take over foster care case management in the North Texas region after two children died while under the current operator’s care.
District Judge Monica Purdy on Wednesday approved George Cannata, a Child Protective Services regional director in North Texas, to oversee case management and executive operations for EMPOWER, a nonprofit foster care service provider.
In court documents, the agency said Cannata’s appointment was necessary because EMPOWER’s “systemic failures” placed foster care children in imminent danger, including a newborn who died after the foster care agency did not create a plan for care despite allegations of abuse with the family’s previous child. According to court records, another child also died while under EMPOWER’s care.
(TX TRIB)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
“Harris County Commissioners hold first meeting following Hidalgo’s rodeo incident” via KHOU – Harris County leaders are set to take up several major issues during a commissioners meeting today, including a proposed new commission and potential hospital expansion. The meeting also comes as County Judge Lina Hidalgo faces growing political pressure following a recent incident at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
Harris County Commissioners will meet for their weekly session with several key items on the agenda.
Among them is a proposed immigrant and refugee commission, as well as a possible expansion of Ben Taub Hospital.
The meeting also marks Hidalgo’s first public appearance at a commissioners meeting since her fallout with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
The controversy stems from an incident Tuesday night at NRG Stadium during a sold-out Megan Moroney concert, when Hidalgo was escorted out after reportedly not leaving the chute area.
Rodeo officials said Hidalgo had been told she would not be allowed in that section.
(KHOU)
“‘People forget’: Council Member Alter warns some lobbyist meetings could go unreported” via KXAN Austin — Future meetings between Austin’s elected officials and lobbyists hoping to influence their votes could go unreported because “people do just forget,” Council Member Ryan Alter said.
“I don’t think it’s nefarious,” Alter told KXAN’s Grace Reader on “Inside Austin’s Agenda.”
Alter was one of two council members who opposed last week’s measure shifting responsibility to lobbyists to self-report communications with city officials in quarterly reports. The measure was approved and takes effect next week.
City officials will no longer be required to publicly track and disclose meetings with lobbyists. Up until now, physical sign-in sheets were used to collect the names and dates of lobbyist meetings and who they represented.
Last year, an audit report found sign-in sheets were used by 70% of city departments and “not practical” for tracking virtual meetings. The report noted the records were sometimes hard to read, inconsistently filled out and concluded it’s “possible some lobbyists did not sign in at all.”
(KXAN)
“Ballpark high rises, hotel go before San Antonio historic office soon” via Texas Public Radio – San Antonio-based Weston Urban’s proposal for residential high rises and a hotel near the planned Missions ballpark go before the city’s Historic Design and Review Commission (HDRC) on April 1.
The meeting begins at 3 p.m. at the commission’s meeting room at 1901 S. Alamo.
One residential high rise, dubbed 309 Travis for the address it’s planned for, would have 410 units. At least 27 stories tall, it would be built on San Pedro Creek but be set back as to reduce its shadow on the waterway. New landscaping would replace what is now a parking lot. The high rise would also interface with the historic San Fernando gymnasium.
“The gymnasium is preserved both in form and use: the basketball court on its upper level is retained and refurbished, and spaces beneath are used for exercise spaces for building tenants,” background documents submitted to the commission stated.
The exercise spaces and a pool would overlook the creek and downtown.
(TPR)
“Dallas City Hall emails on Mavs and Stars: What they show, what they don’t” via Dallas Morning News – Dallas City Hall’s future has been widely speculated to be tied to new arena plans for the Dallas Mavericks, but a trove of city emails over the past year shows virtually no discussion linking the downtown site to the Mavericks or Stars.
Instead, more than 5,000 pages of messages reviewed by The Dallas Morning News largely reflect routine outreach, event invites and one pointed warning from Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, the City Manager, to the Stars hockey team over lease disputes.
City leaders are weighing whether to repair, relocate or redevelop the aging I.M. Pei–designed City Hall, a decision with long-term implications for downtown. Consultants estimate $329 million in near-term repairs and more than $1 billion over 20 years to fully modernize the building.
At the same time, the Mavericks are exploring sites for a new arena ahead of their 2031 lease expiration at the American Airlines Center, including downtown. That overlap has stirred talk that City Hall could become part of a larger redevelopment deal.
(DMN)
“FAA finds Harlingen failed to properly train VIA firefighters” MyRGV.com’s Fernando Del Valle — The Federal Aviation Administration has cited the city for failure to properly train the fire department’s team of airport firefighters in handling wildlife safety hazards on Valley International Airport’s runways.
In the agency’s fourth investigation since 2017, the FAA found the city failed to ensure “qualified” airport rescue firefighters inspected the airfield for wildlife such as flocks of birds on landing strips, calling for “immediate” training.
In a Feb. 13 letter to interim Aviation Director Michael Browning, while copying Fire Chief Rafael Balderas, Denson E. Stasher, manager of the FAA’s Airports Division’s Southwest Region Safety and Standards Branch, offered the city an opportunity to respond to the findings.
Browning did not to respond to an emailed message requesting comment.
In November, the FFA launched the investigation in response to then-Aviation Director Marv Esterly’s Oct. 3 letter citing “serious concerns regarding the safety and operational readiness of the airport rescue firefighting program.”
(MY RGV)
EXTRA POINTS
Recent Texas sports scores:
Thurs
> NCAAM: 2 Houston 78, 15 Idaho 47
> NCAAM: 9 TCU 66, 8 Ohio State 64
> NCAAM: 10 Texas A&M 63, 7 St. Mary’s 50
> NCAAM: 11 Texas 79, 6 BYU 71
> NBA: San Antonio 101, Phoenix 100
Fri
> NCAAM: 5 Texas Tech 91, 12 Akron 71
> NCAAM: 1 Florida 114, 16 Prairie View A&M 55
> NBA: Houston 117, Atlanta 95
Sat
> NCAAM: 2 Houston 88, 10 Texas A&M 57
> NCAAM: 1 Duke 81, 9 TCU 58
> NCAAM: 11 Texas 74, 3 Gonzaga 68
> NBA: LA Clippers 138, Dallas 131 (OT)
> NBA: Houston 123, Miami 122
> NBA: San Antonio 134, Indiana 119
> NHL: Minnesota 2, Dallas 1 (OT)
Sun
> NCAAM: 4 Alabama 90, 5 Texas Tech 65
> NBA: San Antonio 119, LA Clippers 115
> NBA: LA Lakers 100, Houston 92
> NBA: New Orleans 129, Dallas 111
> NHL: Las Vegas 3, Dallas 2
Monday’s Texas sports schedule:
> 6pm: NBA: San Antonio at Miami (Peacock)
> 7pm: NBA: Houston at Chicago
> 8:30pm: NBA: Golden State at Dallas (Peacock)
Tuesday’s Texas sports schedule:
> 7pm: NHL: NJ at Dallas (ESPN+)
TEXAS SPORTS HEADLINES / LINKS:
TEXAS RANGERS: “Final 2026 Rangers roster projection: What’s left for Texas, Skip Schumaker to decide?” DMN
DALLAS COWBOYS: “P.J. Locke had more than one reason to sign with Dallas Cowboys in free agency” DMN
TEXAS MEN’S BASKETBALL: “Texas goes from First Four to Sweet 16, beating Gonzaga 74-68 in March Madness” AP
TCU MEN’S BASKETBALL: “Jamie Dixon wants more for TCU basketball — and that costs money” FWST ($)