When Texas legislators conceived of the Texas Energy Fund in the spring of 2023, its goal of jump-starting the construction of more natural gas power plants to support the state’s strained power grid seemed reasonable. In the two years since that vote, however, experts say the energy market has turned against the development of gas-fired power plants. Experts and energy companies say the fund’s $7.2 billion worth of low-interest loans and bonus grants may not be appealing enough to overcome those economic headwinds.  “It is a challenging market for natural gas developers right now, and it has been for a good amount of time” said Walt Baum, CEO of Powering Texans, a trade association representing Calpine, Constellation, NRG and Vistra, the state’s four largest operators of dispatchable power. view article

One Texas school cracked the top 10 list of Best Colleges in U.S. view article

The Fort Worth Democrat was confined in the Capitol overnight after refusing to be shadowed by state police, a requirement for lawmakers who had left the state over the GOP redistricting plan.  State Rep. Nicole Collier, a Fort Worth Democrat who has been on the floor of the Texas House since Monday afternoon, filed a lawsuit challenging the chamber’s authority to put members under police surveillance, according to a filing obtained by Courthouse News.  Collier is among the Democrats who participated in a two-week walkout to delay passage of a new congressional map that aims to give the GOP five additional seats in the 2026 midterms. Around two dozen of them returned Monday, allowing the House to resume business, but they were only allowed to leave the chamber if they agreed to be shadowed by state law enforcement officers. view article

LAMPASAS — On a blistering June morning, Andy Sipocz brushes his fingers through the thick, sawgrass fronds rising higher than his head beside a creek in the Texas Hill Country.Around him, rocky limestone lines Yancey Creek, streaked in subtle reds and browns — evidence of millennia of mineral deposits and weathering.  Sipocz, a natural resources coordinator and biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, is one of more than three dozen staffers gathered here to begin laying the groundwork for what will one day be Texas’ newest state park — about a two hour drive northwest of Austin.  Wearing cargo shorts and pants, hiking boots, and sun-brimmed hats, the TPWD team winds its way down a steep hill — no trail in sight. That’s the point. They're here to determine where the trails should be. Today’s mission: conduct early-stage natural resource surveys and habitat assessments to support the park’s future design. view article

Publisher David Flash has been documenting the happenings in Jeff Davis County since 2020. Last year, he was banned from county buildings over allegations of harassment.  ODESSA — Rarely do Jeff Davis County commissioners’ meetings generate commotion in the county of fewer than 2,000 residents. A recent budget meeting was the exception.  David Flash paced around the room, lined with rows of wooden chairs inside this Far West Texas county courthouse, and took photos.  The independent publisher of the Big Bend Times regularly attends these meetings, documenting and recording live footage for the website and social media, where he has amassed 285,000 followers on Facebook.  His presence in the room — and county at large — has vexed officials. view article

The county never disbursed the funds to anyone, despite spending millions to administer the program.  Harris County Commissioners voted Thursday to officially end its troubled guaranteed income pilot program and reallocate $14 million in unspent federal COVID-19 relief funds. The program, originally launched as Uplift Harris and later rebranded as the Community Prosperity Program, was designed to provide $500 per month to nearly 1,900 low-income residents.   Uplift Harris was funded with $20.5 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. view article

Not long ago, developers of the massive server farms talked about powering them with wind and solar energy. Now they’re bypassing the grid and building their own gas-fired power plants on site  NEW BRAUNFELS — Abigail Lindsey worries the days of peace and quiet might be nearing an end at the rural, wooded property where she lives with her son. On the old ranch across the street, developers want to build an expansive complex of supercomputers for artificial intelligence, plus a large, private power plant to run it.  The plant would be big enough to power a major city, with 1,200 megawatts of planned generation capacity fueled by West Texas shale gas. It will only supply the new data center, and possibly other large data centers recently proposed down the road. view article

   Talia Natterson is a sophomore at Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences, a private school in Los Angeles, California. She writes for her school publication, Crossfire.