Stories by Mose Buchele, KUT
New Texas pipeline protest law is about more than pipelines
A law went into effect in Texas this week that increases penalties for demonstrators who interfere with oil and gas pipelines and other pieces of “critical infrastructure.” Oil and gas states have adopted such laws to crack down on demonstrations…
Texas State Legislature • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Sep 4, 2019
Opponents plan lawsuit over Hill Country pipeline's impact on endangered birds
A new front has opened in the legal battle against a proposed, 430-mile natural gas pipeline through the Texas Hill Country, focusing on how the project will impact the endangered golden-cheeked warbler. Hays County, the Travis Audubon Society and private…
Courts • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Jul 18, 2019
The heat in Austin could outpace science’s ability to measure it by 2036
This July is on track to be Earth’s hottest month ever recorded. That spike in heat is part of a larger warming trend that could change the way governments and researchers measure extreme temperatures. When it comes to triple-digit days…
Environment • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Jul 17, 2019
Price tag to fix Shoal Creek landslide balloons
After more than a year of negotiations with property owners over how to repair a landslide along Shoal Creek, the city of Austin is moving ahead with the project – but it could cost millions more than initially thought. In…
Bicycles • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Jun 13, 2019
Mayor Adler says more lanes on I-35 won't solve Austin's traffic woes – but it's a start
Austin Mayor Steve Adler wants you to know something. “I do not believe that adding lanes to I-35 … is the answer to congestion,” Adler said in an interview with KUT, saying that merely adding lanes will make traffic worse…
Roads • By Mose Buchele, KUT • May 21, 2019
That storm last Friday was bad, but it could have been much worse
A powerful storm dumped up to 7 inches of rain in parts of Central Texas on Friday and could be responsible for up to four deaths in the region. But in one sense, Austin “got lucky,” the city’s flood plain…
Environment • By Mose Buchele, KUT • May 7, 2019
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Scientists discover three new species of salamander in Central Texas
A team of biologists announced this week they’d found three new species of rare salamanders in Central Texas. The discovery of any new species is big news in science, but in Texas – where the fate of salamanders and people…
Environment • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Jan 16, 2019
Austin Water report shows big impact of boil order was conservation
Austin Water delivered an “after action” report to City Council yesterday on the weeklong boil-water order enacted during severe flooding in October. The presentation shed more light on what happened to bring about the emergency and what the city might…
Water • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Dec 12, 2018
Austin explores options for new pedestrian bridge over Lady Bird Lake
There are enjoyable ways to walk or bike across Lady Bird Lake, but the Pleasant Valley Bridge is not one of them. A narrow sidewalk, a chain-link fence and low guardrails are all features that make the East Austin crossing…
Planning • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Nov 20, 2018
Here’s what to expect when eight floodgates open on the Mansfield Dam
It’s never happened before, but the Lower Colorado River Authority will likely open eight floodgates on the Mansfield Dam above Lake Austin by noon Thursday. So, what can you expect if you live in Austin? Flooding On Some Streets When…
Austin • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Oct 18, 2018
Prop J initiative exposes rift among Austin environmentalists
Environmentalists in Austin worry about methane emissions from Texas oilfields, plastic pollution clogging up creeks and rivers or nuclear waste being shipped through the state. But one thing they rarely worry about is each other – at least until recently,…
Bonds & Propositions • By Mose Buchele, KUT • Oct 9, 2018
Austin spent millions taking them out of the flood plain. A new map puts them back in.
A massive update to Austin’s flood plain map shows about 3,000 properties are at higher risk of flooding than previously thought. But a review of the map shows the new threat is most concentrated in some neighborhoods where the city…
