- Must Read Texas
- Posts
- MRT 7/27-31/26 (free): ERCOT: Energy Demand to Double in Six Years // Data Center Tax Breaks Hit $3.3B // CLT Exam Gains Acceptance // State THC Bans Takes Effect
MRT 7/27-31/26 (free): ERCOT: Energy Demand to Double in Six Years // Data Center Tax Breaks Hit $3.3B // CLT Exam Gains Acceptance // State THC Bans Takes Effect
Here's What You Need to Know in Texas Today.
Matt Mackowiak
August 05, 2026
In partnership with
MONDAY 7/27/2026 - FRIDAY 7/34/2026
Good Wednesday evening.
Thank you for reading as a FREE subscriber.
» You are receiving the PAID subscriber version today so you can see what you are missing. Become a PAID subscriber for $7/mo or $70/yr here.
A WORD FROM SENATOR PHIL GRAMM ABOUT MUST READ TEXAS
“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)
PRESENTING SPONSOR: Superhuman AI
1,000+ Claude Prompts Top Professionals Actually Use at Work
Claude can be your analyst, editor, and strategist.
But most professionals are using it to fix grammar.
These 1,000+ Claude prompts take it from grammar tool to your most powerful AI work assistant.
Sign up for Superhuman AI and get:
1,000+ ready-to-use Claude prompts to get real work done in minutes — researched, tested, and used by professionals at Google, Microsoft, and NASA
Superhuman AI newsletter (4 min daily) so you keep learning new AI tools and skills to stay ahead in your career — the prompts are just the beginning
PRESENTING SPONSOR #2: Lending Tree
Let the insurance companies come to you
Compare multiple car insurance quotes and find your best with LendingTree.
PRESENTING SPONSOR #3: Morning Brew
If you want to sound smarter without doing more…
Read Morning Brew. 5-minute daily email. Day's most important news. Explained in simplest terms. Really, it’s a news experience you’ll actually enjoy.
At this point, it's not about trying Morning Brew's daily newsletter—It's about missing out.
Click below to join 4,000,000+ daily readers.
TOP NEWS
“ERCOT forecasts energy demand to double in six years” via The Texas Tribune‘s Paul Cobler – The demand on Texas’ energy grid by 2032 will be nearly double a record that was set last week, and state regulators say they will need more varied electrical generation to meet that demand.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) forecasts the statewide electric demand will reach roughly 175,000 megawatts — one megawatt can power 250 residential customers during peak hours — in six years, driven by a massive influx of data centers, along with Texas’ growing population and other industrial projects as the economy continues to boom, the council’s CEO Pablo Vegas told the state’s Senate Business and Commerce Committee on Wednesday.
Regulators said they are confident the grid will meet that demand thanks to an influx of solar power and battery storage, but also cautioned that the state needs more natural gas power generation to keep the lights on when the sun goes down and solar quits generating electricity.
“Texas is continuing to grow beyond data centers significantly,” said Thomas Gleeson, chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas. “We’re doing great as a state and continuing to win on almost every front. There is still going to be a need to serve all the rest of the non-data center load, and that is going to require a balanced mix of resources to do that.” (TX TRIB)
“Texas data center tax breaks balloon to $3.3 billion” via NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth‘s Phil Prazan – Texas lawmakers are taking a closer look at billions of dollars in tax breaks awarded to Big Tech data centers. During a hearing in Austin, lawmakers questioned whether the incentives are delivering enough value for Texas taxpayers.
Texas senators are questioning whether some of the country’s most profitable technology companies still need billions of dollars in state tax breaks after the cost of a data center incentive program surged to $3.3 billion in 2026.
Members of the Texas Senate Finance Committee on Monday also raised concerns about how closely the state monitors the 138 data centers now receiving sales tax exemptions on equipment and electricity. When lawmakers approved the incentives about a decade ago, they estimated the program would save technology companies $15 million every two years. (NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth)
“Greg Abbott faces bipartisan pressure over data centers as backlash intensifies” via Houston Chronicle‘s Megan Kimble, Benjamin Wermund – Calls are growing among data center opponents for Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special session for lawmakers to rein in the projects that have roiled rural communities.
On Monday morning, in advance of two interim hearings this week dealing with data centers, grassroots organizers from across the state convened at the Capitol to voice their opposition to the massive computing centers that have proliferated rapidly over the last year.
Sid Miller, the outgoing Republican Agricultural Commissioner whom Greg Abbott campaigned against in the primary, pointed to the governor’s office and urged the crowd to call on him to act. “He can hear everything we’re saying, and I invite him to come down here and join us today,” Miller said. “The governor has authority to bring the legislature back tomorrow. He can have them in session tomorrow. So we’re calling on him to do just that.”
Clayton Tucker, a Democrat running to replace Sid Miller, also spoke. Tucker has built his campaign against data centers and is one of a growing number of Democrats calling for a moratorium as they try to capitalize on the growing rural resentment. State Sen. Joan Huffman, a Houston Republican who chairs the Senate finance committee, said “It’s time and it’s appropriate and necessary for the Legislature to reexamine whether this exemption still delivers a return that justifies its rapidly mounting foregone tax revenue.” (HOU CHRON)
“Texas homeowners face outsized home insurance burdens” via Houston Chronicle‘s Erica Grieder – Home insurance accounts for 14.4 percent of monthly housing expenses for Texas homeowners, among the highest burdens in the country, according to a new analysis from LendingTree , an insurance shopping website.
Texas homeowners also pay the third highest premiums, $331 per month. Extreme weather events, including hail, flooding and windstorms such as 2024’s Hurricane Beryl, have helped drive up insurance rates across the state along with inflation which has raised the cost of labor and materials such as lumber, according to industry experts.
“You guys have the unenviable position of being exposed to a lot of different risks,” said Rob Bhatt, a Lending Tree analyst and licensed insurance agent. “Hail, windstorms, thunderstorms are a big risk. You guys get tornadoes. You have coastal storms.” (HOU CHRON)
“Ranches listed for nearly $128 million sell along Texas border” via Dallas Morning News‘ Neal Franklin – The Freeman Family Ranches — Coldwater Ranch, Frisco Ranch and Anchor D Ranch — were sold after being listed for $128 million.
A trio of ranches that were originally listed for nearly $128 million sold in late July. The Freeman Family Ranches are three ranches in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles that include nearly 88,000 acres. Word got out about the property pretty quickly, said listing agent Chad Dugger of Hall and Hall. The property was under contract within 30 days of being listed, he said.
“It goes to the quality of the offering and the size of the property,” Chad Dugger said. “There’s a scarcity with these sizes of properties that are available at any given time.” The Freeman Family Ranches sold after being listed for nearly $128 million. The property includes feedyards for cattle and is set to stay a ranch property.
The Freeman Family Ranches were sold in a deal that closed on July 21, according to Sherman County and Oklahoma’s Texas County records. The ranches were originally listed for $127.7 million and offered a turnkey legacy landholding and ranching operation for its buyer. The property was co-listed by Chad Dugger and Sam Middleton of Chas S. Middleton and Son. (DMN)
2026
“Talarico leads Paxton by 5 points in new poll of Texas’ U.S. Senate race” via Houston Public Media‘s Adam Zuvanich – The latest survey of the U.S. Senate race from Texas Public Opinion Research shows Democrat James Talarico leading Republican Ken Paxton, 45% to 40%, marking the Austin state representative’s largest lead in any public poll taken during the general election period.
Since Paxton locked up the GOP nomination in late May, polling of the contest has found a neck-and-neck race with neither candidate able to break 50%. But TPOR’s poll found Talarico leading among voters who do not have a college degree — a group that has consistently favored Republicans in Texas and across the country — and dominating among independents, less than a quarter of whom said they planned to vote for Paxton. The attorney general also had weaker Republican support than in other recent surveys, with nearly one in five GOP voters saying they were undecided or would vote for Talarico.
TPOR labels itself as a nonpartisan public opinion research group. It is directed by Democratic strategist Luke Warford. The group surveyed 1,048 likely voters between July 15 and July 17, and has a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points. Of those poll respondents, 53% voted for Donald Trump and 42% voted for Kamala Harris in 2024, making the sample only slightly bluer than the 2024 electorate, which favored Trump by a 14-point margin in Texas. Trump carried Texas by 5.6 percentage points in 2020, two years after the last midterm held during his presidency. (Houston Public Media)
“Why Republicans Aren’t Funding the Texas Senate Race Yet” via The New York Times‘ Theodore Schleifer – In one of this year’s most competitive Senate races, Republicans are refusing to spend money — so far.
That peculiar dynamic is playing out in Texas, where the fate of the Republican nominee, Ken Paxton, will help decide which party controls the U.S. Senate. But Mr. Paxton has struggled to raise cash, and no one has stepped in yet to help him.
Ken Paxton finds himself in a unique situation among Senate candidates, according to interviews with a dozen Republicans with ties to his campaign. Republican donors still hold grudges from a bruising primary. The state, with its 18-plus television markets, is an epically expensive setting. And his Democratic opponent, James Talarico, has proved to be a particularly strong fund-raiser.
Perhaps the most striking piece of Mr. Ken Paxton’s money woes is the high-stakes game of chicken that two of the Republican Party’s biggest money committees, along with their allied donors, are playing. Both of those groups, the Senate Leadership Fund and MAGA Inc., are not so secretly hoping that the other one swoops in to boost Mr. Ken Paxton with tens of millions in spending, the Republicans said. Neither group has reached for its wallet yet. “Somebody is going to have to spend big money,” said Dan Eberhart, an oil executive who is raising contributions for Mr. Ken Paxton. “We’ll see who blinks.” (The New York Times)
“Ken Paxton has long crusaded against voter fraud. His Senate rival now accuses him of committing it.” via Texas Tribune‘s Zach Despart – The Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas is trying to turn a key talking point of his Republican opponent against him — alleging Attorney General Ken Paxton is guilty of the same type of voter fraud he has spent years trying to eliminate.
“As our state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton has gone on a voter fraud witch hunt,” state Rep. James Talarico, who is challenging Paxton in the race to replace U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, said during a campaign event in Houston. “Turns out, he was committing voter fraud the whole time, voting illegally in six elections in a row from the wrong address.”
Talarico’s comments come after ProPublica and The Texas Tribune revealed that Paxton moved out of the home he shared with his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, in 2024 but continued to vote using that address, including during the March Republican primary in which he beat Cornyn. Three election experts told the news organizations that Paxton may have broken state law.
Last week, the Collin County Democratic Party filed a complaint with the Texas secretary of state, urging that office to investigate Paxton for election fraud. Paxton has repeatedly declined to answer the newsrooms’ questions about his voter registration and residency. On Tuesday, he held a rare news conference to tout the endorsement of nearly two dozen sheriffs and attacked Talarico as soft on crime. Talarico denied the charge at his own news conference Wednesday, saying he’d voted for billions of dollars in law enforcement funding as a member of the Legislature. (SA REPORT)
“Greg Abbott is outraising Gina Hinojosa, but he doesn’t seem to be spending the money campaigning against her” via Spectrum News – Greg Abbott is out-raising Gina Hinojosa, but he doesn’t seem to be spending the money campaigning against her.
Abbott raised $25.5 million and has $67 million cash on hand compared to Hinojosa’s $6 million raised and $3 million on hand.
Her donations are primarily from Texans and in small amounts, as she campaigns against big money in politics.
“We have lost our way because of a corrupt political system where corporate actors and lobbyists have unlimited money and influence to influence politicians in both parties,” said Hinojosa during her speech at the Texas Democratic Party convention in June. (Spectrum News)
“Texas could send a record four GOP women to Congress — if they make it through November” via The Texas Tribune‘s Samanta Habashy –- That would be a high-water mark for the Lone Star State, which has more Republicans in Congress’ lower chamber than any other state, yet has continued to send mostly GOP men to Washington as the ranks of Republican women have grown elsewhere in recent years.
But that could change this November, thanks to Texas’ new congressional map and a wave of retirements, which helped make way for two Republican nominees in the Houston area — Alex Mealer and Jessica Steinmann — who are favored to win their red-leaning districts. They were among the 31 Republican women who filed for a U.S. House seat in Texas this cycle, outnumbered 4-to-1 by the 124 male candidates in the GOP primaries.
Also emerging from those contests were incumbent Reps. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg, and Beth Van Duyne, R-Irving. But that cohort still has to make it through the general election, when De La Cruz will be defending one of Texas’ most competitive congressional seats. And while Mealer is running in a newly drawn district that President Donald Trump carried by 20 points in the 2024 presidential race, Democrats also see an outside shot of competing for her Hispanic-majority district if a blue wave lands this fall. (TX TRIB)
STATE GOVERNMENT
“Gov. Abbott suggests lowering health insurance costs by nixing state mandates” via Fort Worth Star-Telegram‘s Rachel Royster – Gov. Greg Abbott raised the curtain on the third part of his plan to lower insurance costs for Texans. This section focuses on health insurance costs for small businesses and their employees.
In conversations with small business owners, Greg Abbott said, he heard time and time again that the employers were having trouble providing health insurance to their workers due to rising premiums.
According to the Texas Association of Health Plans, insurance premiums for small businesses in Texas are jumping 15-20% in 2026 — 36-82% above the national average. As a result, only about 38% of the small businesses can afford to offer healthcare coverage to their employees.
Gina Hinojosa, his Democratic opponent in the gubernatorial race, said if Greg Abbott really wanted to lower healthcare costs, he would’ve done so in the 12 years since he began serving as governor. (FWST)
“Universities can use conservative-favored entrance exam as Texas eyes wider use, agency chief says” via The Texas Tribune‘s Jessica Priest – Texas’ higher education commissioner signaled last week that the state could expand the use of the conservative-favored Classic Learning Test in public university admissions even though an independent review found far less evidence linking the exam’s scores to college performance than SAT and ACT scores.
In a letter to campus leaders on Thursday, Commissioner Wynn Rosser clarified that universities can immediately consider CLT scores for any applicants who fall outside the top-10% automatic admissions window. While the letter did not alter current statewide rules that currently recognize only the SAT and ACT, it signaled the state’s plan to formally approve the CLT by fall 2028 as a new test option for home school, private school or out-of-state applicants.
Jeremy Tate, the CLT’s founder and CEO, told the board this week that the exam aligns with Texas’ new social studies standards and instructional materials. Approving it would create an educational pipeline that “honors the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty,” he said.
Maria Markham, an ACT representative, noted that the THECB had just considered a proposal to tie more public university funding to student outcomes. Evidence that a test can predict whether students will pass courses, remain enrolled and graduate was, therefore, “more important than ever,” she said. (TX TRIB)
“Texas Business Court Judges Await Abbott’s Thumbs Up or Down” via Bloomberg Law News‘s Ryan Autullo – Texas’ push to replace Delaware as the premier destination for business incorporation is at a major checkpoint as Gov. Greg Abbott will decide soon whether to keep the 10 judges he picked to launch the state’s business court two years for a second term.
Abbott must decide by Sept. 1 whether he’s reappointing some, none, or all of the judges for two more years. He didn’t discuss his intentions when asked by Bloomberg Law.
“Final appointment decisions will be made at a later date,” Andrew Mahaleris, Abbott’s press secretary, said in late June. Mahaleris didn’t respond when asked for an update last week.
No other judge in Texas is subject to reappointment by the governor every two years. But the business court’s unusual reappointment system is meant to give litigants confidence that the judge overseeing their complex, high-dollar case will be insulated from the unpredictability of an election and not get replaced with what could be an inexperienced candidate. Limiting terms to two years was done to avoid a constitutional challenge, as judges in Texas with four-year terms must face voters in elections. Grant Dorfman of Houston told Bloomberg Law, “We’re all enjoying the work and the opportunity,” and “Certainly hope to continue doing the work and building the court and expanding the number of cases.” (Bloomberg Law News)
“Texas is banning several THC products. Find out what will still be legal on July 31.” via The Texas Tribune‘s Katlyn Ma – Texas will ban several hemp-derived THC cannabis products, including those containing delta-8 and delta-10 THC variants, punishing people in possession of them with jail time and fines. However, delta-9 THC, the most commonly sold THC product in Texas, will remain legal.
This is the latest blow to the state’s hemp industry, which has been consumed with uncertainty over the last several months as flurries of court of actions have ripped products off shelves and then put them back on.
The recent change stems from a Texas Supreme Court decision in May that allowed the Texas Department of State Health Services to reclassify all hemp-derived THC, except for low-dose delta-9 THC, as a schedule I drug, prohibiting its possession and sale in the state. The ruling ended a 2021 injunction that paused DSHS from enforcing the new classification, which effectively allowed stores to stock different kinds of THC for the past five years.
“It’s a pretty big blow, and it’s recriminalizing a lot of cannabis products that have been completely legal and allowable in the state for many years, so we’re taking steps backwards toward prohibition,” said Sarah Todd, media representative at Texas Cannabis Policy Center. (TX TRIB)
#TXLEGE
“Texas data centers get billions in tax breaks from the state. Should that end?” via Fort Worth Star-Telegram‘s Eleanor Dearman – Should Texas keep giving data centers a break on paying sales tax? That’s the $3 billion question before state lawmakers as they prepare for their next legislative session.
Tax incentives can lure the industry and its economic activity but can also increase the tax burden on other businesses and consumers. The Senate Finance Committee begins its work on the matter when members meet on July 27 in Austin for an interim hearing.
Senators are tasked with reviewing laws passed more than a decade ago that exempt certain data centers from paying sales taxes on goods that are essential to their operations. Examples generally include things like electricity, cooling systems and servers. (FWST)
“Texas House Committee to Review Decade-Old Data Center Tax Breaks” via The Texan‘s Isaiah Mitchell – After laying out the red carpet for data centers more than a decade ago, the Texas Legislature looks ready to roll it back up.
The Finance Committee of the Texas Senate, chaired by state Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston), will meet on Monday, July 27 to discuss several interim charges, including a 2013 state law that authorized a tax break for data centers and which passed with broad support.
The hearing follows a Friday announcement by Gov. Greg Abbott that teased new regulations on data centers the Legislature may consider in the 90th Legislative Session starting in January.
A state law authorizing a sales tax exemption for data center equipment passed the Texas House unanimously in 2013. (THE TEXAN)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
“Under pressure from Mayor Jones, Spurs to pay part of penalty over failed MLS bid” via San Antonio Express-News‘s Molly Smith – San Antonio FC Christian Parano celebrates a goal during a home game at Toyota Field in this April 2023 file photo.
The Spurs organization will pay the city of San Antonio and Bexar County a penalty of $2.6 million because it failed to lure a Major League Soccer team to the Alamo City — a requirement under a decade-old soccer stadium deal.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has made it her mission to enforce the provision, repeatedly calling on Spurs Sports & Entertainment to fulfill its end of the $21 million agreement, which resulted in the city and county purchasing Toyota Field from philanthropist and one-time developer Gordon Hartman in 2015.
“Payment in accordance with the contract would remind everyone of the strength of the City’s relationship with the Spurs owners — a relationship built on mutual respect,” Gina Ortiz Jones said to SS&E managing partner Peter J. Holt in a May 15 letter. (SAEN)
“Former IBM building is Dallas’ ‘preferred’ site for new 911 center” via Dallas Morning News‘ Chase Rogers – Dallas officials have identified a preferred site for a new 911 dispatch and emergency operations center: a city-owned office tower near police headquarters in the Cedars.
The four-story former IBM building at 1000 Belleview St., near Jack Evans Police Headquarters, was named in a city solicitation published this month. The city is seeking a private development agent to assess the property, plan its conversion and potentially oversee the work.
City staff “anticipates that it will serve as the project site,” the document says, though officials are still evaluating alternatives. The selection is not final, and City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert must bring the results of the review to the City Council for consideration.
The solicitation comes more than four months after the council voted 9-6 to direct staff to explore relocating 311, 911 and emergency operations from City Hall. Council members later authorized up to $1 million for due diligence on as many as four potential sites for 911 and emergency operations. (DMN)
“Austin strikes ‘once-in-a-generation’ deal with Texas Gas Service” via Austin American-Statesman‘s Alex Driggars – The Austin City Council approved a 10-year franchise agreement with Texas Gas Service that dictates how Austin’s primary gas utility can operate in the city.
The council’s move marks the end of a lengthy negotiation process, during which consumer and climate advocates lobbied for stricter environmental regulations and tighter cost controls in the contract as natural gas bills balloon in Central Texas.
Paul Robbins, the vice-chair of the commission, considers these changes wins, though he’s still not wholly satisfied with the outcome of what he has called a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to address longstanding issues with the utility. (AAS)
BUSINESS NEWS
“SpaceX launches Starship on another test flight, this time with the most advanced Starlinks” via Houston Chronicle‘s Marcia Dunn – SpaceX’s mammoth Starship rocket blasted off Friday on another test flight stretching halfway around the world, this time releasing 20 of the most advanced Starlinks.
Towering 407 feet, Starship soared from the company’s base at the southern tip of Texas. NASA monitored the space-skimming flight, a critical step toward using the Starship as a lunar lander for moon crews.
The hourlong journey ended with a splashdown so soft that the spacecraft remained afloat in the Indian Ocean as the SpaceX webcast drew to a close, drawing cheers from employees back at the launch site.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX had replaced six of the 33 engines on the first-stage booster after some of them failed to ignite last week, resulting in a last-second launch abort. The previous Starship flight in May also experienced engine trouble, which prevented the booster from making a controlled return. (HOU CHRON)
“A Texas firm claims Micron stole tech powering the AI boom. An Idaho jury will decide” via Idaho Statesman‘s Mark Dee – An Idaho court will help determine who owns the engine propelling America’s artificial intelligence boom — and the golden goose for Idaho’s largest company.
Texas-based Advanced Memory Technologies is suing Micron Technologies , claiming that Micron illegally uses five of its patents in some of the Boise chipmaker’s most advanced products : the chips that power smartphones, computers, data centers and AI.
Advanced Memory Technologies, or AMT, is seeking lost profits, royalties and, since it claims that Micron knowingly stole its intellectual property, triple damages. The filing does not specify an exact amount.
The suit follows a template for patent infringement cases in the technology sector, according to Jorge Contreras, a professor of intellectual property law at the University of Utah. And, if it continues to follow the common trajectory, resolution could be years away. (Idaho Statesman)
TEXANS IN DC
“U.S. House Ethics Committee is investigating GOP Rep. Lance Gooden” via The Texas Tribune‘s Gabby Birenbaum — The House Ethics Committee announced Monday it is looking into U.S. Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Terrell — though it did not specify what the probe is about.
The Ethics panel is scrutinizing Gooden for a matter that was referred to the committee last month by the Office of Congressional Conduct, an independent entity that investigates misconduct allegations against members of Congress. House rules require the Ethics Committee to publicly announce when it extends a review of any such matter beyond 45 days, though it does not have to disclose any details about the probe. In Gooden’s case, the Office of Congressional Conduct referred its findings to the Ethics Committee on June 10.
Reps. Michael Guest, R-Mississippi, and Mark DeSaulnier, D-California, the committee’s respective chair and ranking member, said in a joint statement that the review does not imply Gooden has violated any rules.
Gooden, a fourth-term representative, said in a statement that the matter is related to spending. “These are bogus spending allegations perpetrated by dishonest unelected OCC bureaucrats, and as the fifth Texas GOP ally of the President to endure one of these attacks, I am confident the House Ethics Committee will confirm their baseless nature,” he said in a statement to The Texas Tribune. Several other members of the Texas delegation — including Reps. Wesley Hunt, R-Houston, Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo, and Troy Nehls, R-Richmond — have been investigated by the committee over potential campaign finance violations. Hunt and Jackson were both cleared by the committee, which found no evidence of intentional misuse of campaign funds for personal benefit. The Ethics Committee has not made its findings in Nehls’ case public or announced any action since it published an Office of Congressional Ethics report about the matter in 2024. It is not clear what spending is at issue in the probe or whether it is related to Gooden’s use of campaign funds or his House office budget. In 2021, the Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint with the Office of Congressional Conduct asking the body to investigate stock purchases Gooden appeared to have made. (TX TRIB)
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
“DHS waives environmental laws for border barriers and roads from Big Bend to Lake Amistad” via TPR – The Department of Homeland Security has waived dozens of environmental, public health and historic preservation laws to speed construction of border barriers and roads along the Rio Grande from the Big Bend region to Lake Amistad.
The waiver, signed by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, took effect July 27 and applies to a project area spanning parts of the Border Patrol’s Big Bend and Del Rio sectors. It covers physical barriers, roads, staging areas, drainage systems, lighting, cameras and sensors but does not specify what will be built where.
Laiken Jordahl, national public lands advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, said the latest action expands the geographic reach of earlier waivers and removes environmental protections from a larger stretch of the border.
“This whole stretch from the Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River in Big Bend National Park, down to Lake Amistad, has not had those waivers issued yet,” Laiken Jordahl said. “So now, at this point, our nation’s most important environmental laws, like the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, those laws are off the books. They don’t apply.” (TPR)
“Republican South Texas construction owners decry ICE raids” via The Texas Tribune‘s Berenice Garcia – Leaders within the construction industry in South Texas delivered a clear message to lawmakers: Stop the mass deportation of workers or risk losing in November. During a gathering Wednesday hosted by the South Texas Builders Association and the American Business Immigration Coalition Action, industry leaders discussed possible solutions for immigrant workers. Lawmakers who don’t engage with their concerns or don’t support worker protections, the group warned, will lose their races in the November midterm elections.
The South Texas Builders Association had been for months raising the alarm on how immigration enforcement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had scared immigrant workers from showing up to work sites, causing a labor shortage and a delay in construction projects. After the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a construction worker in Houston who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier this month, ICE’s targeting of immigrant laborers has once again come into focus, and now, the builders association is demanding worker protections, such as permits that would allow immigrants to work legally in the country.
“I want to send a clear warning to every political leader: If you don’t stop the worksite raids, the mass deportations, if you don’t pass the work permits for long-term, law-abiding immigrants, or citizens, or our Dreamers, you will lose,” said Massey Villarreal, CEO and president of Precision Task Group, a business solutions firm based in Houston. Villarreal, a Republican, serves as co-chairman of the Comité de 100, a bipartisan group of Latino business leaders who advocate for immigration policies that enable border security alongside a pathway for legal status for workers. (TX TRIB)
QUICK LINKS
NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth: “Texas could have major influence next four years of American politics” NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Fox Business: “Texas economy booms as businesses, residents flee high-tax states” Fox Business
KXAN: “Crypto kiosks linked to $56.8M in losses for Texans, lawmakers examine scams” KXAN
COMMUNITY IMPACT: “Public school closures deepen across Texas amid enrollment, accountability issues” COMMUNITY IMPACT
AAS: “Black voters’ frustrations with Texas Democrats go beyond just James Talarico” AAS
DMN: “Large object blocks Dallas North Tollway near I-635, causing major delays” DMN
AAS: “Austin ISD shutters Paredes Middle School, leaving families scrambling” AAS
HOU CHRON: “Is your home at risk? Search Houston addresses for flood risk FEMA maps may miss” HOU CHRON
DMN: “As Celina grows, so do its water woes” DMN
DMN: “McKinney mosque faces continued opposition to expansion ahead of council vote” DMN
DMN: “Dallas will seek new development for part of Fair Park” DMN
HOU CHRON: “Missouri City says this 42-acre tract could change the city’s future” HOU CHRON
HOU CHRON: “Katy ISD scraps proposed elementary school rezoning after parent backlash” HOU CHRON
FWST: “While Fort Worth improves reading scores, a quieter math crisis has festered” FWST
FWST: “Fort Worth ISD forms School Choice Committee as district enrollment falls” FWST
SAEN: “Mexico backs off lawsuit threat against SpaceX over Starship debris” SAEN
EXTRA POINTS
Recent Texas sports scores:
Monday 7/27
> MLB: Houston 6, LA Angels 4
> MLB: Texas 7, Seattle 3
Tuesday 7/28
> MLB: Houston 3, LA Angels 2
> MLB: Texas 4, Seattle 1
> WNBA: Atlanta 82, Dallas 81
Wednesday 7/29
> MLB: Houston 7, LA Angels 4
> MLB: Tampa 3, Texas 0
Thursday 7/30
> MLB: Tampa 3, Texas 2
Friday 7/31
> MLB: Houston 11, Texas 2
Saturday 8/1
> MLB: Houston 5, Texas 4
> MLS: Colorado 1, Austin 0
> MLS: LA Galaxy 0, Dallas 0
> MLS: Houston 2, KC 0
Sunday 8/2
> MLB: Houston 7, Texas 3
> WNBA: Dallas 83, Connecticut 63
Monday 8/3
> MLB: Toronto 3, Houston 1
> MLB: San Francisco 5, Texas 1
Tuesday 8/4
> MLB: Houston 7, Toronto 2
> MLB: Texas 5, San Francisco 4
Today / tonight’s Texas sports schedule:
> 1:10pm: MLB: Toronto at Houston
> 1:35pm: MLB: San Francisco at Texas
> 6:30pm: WNBA: Dallas at Washington
Tomorrow’s Texas sports schedule:
None.
TEXAS SPORTS HEADLINES / LINKS