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Capital Highlights
A 200-page report from the Department of Homeland Security faulted U.S. Border Patrol agents who rushed to the Uvalde school shooting in 2022, concluding they “failed to establish command and had inadequate training” in one of the deadliest classroom attacks, The Dallas Morning News reported.
A lone shooter killed 19 students and two teachers inside a classroom during a 70-minute standoff before a tactical team led by the Border Patrol went inside and killed him.
“The failure of arriving law enforcement personnel to establish identifiable incident management or command and control protocols led to a disorganized response to the Robb Elementary School shooting,” the report stated. “No law enforcement official ever clearly established command at the school during the incident, leading to delays, inaction, and potentially further loss of life.”
Two Uvalde school officers have been indicted for allegedly failing to act promptly and have pleaded not guilty. The victims’ families have filed a $500 million federal lawsuit against those who responded to the shooting.
VEHICLE INSPECTIONS END IN 2025
Texas car safety inspections will no longer be required in 2025, after HB 3297 passed the Legislature in 2023. The Austin American-Statesman reported inspections end Jan. 1, though drivers living in and near major Texas cities will still be required to take their vehicles in for emission tests.
Although actual inspection is ending, all noncommercial vehicles in Texas still will be charged a $7.50 inspection fee when the vehicle is registered with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.
Counties requiring emission tests to comply with federal clean-air requirements are Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Ellis, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis and Williamson. Costs range from $11.50 to $35.50, depending on what tests are required.
Diesel vehicles and motorcycles are exempt from emissions testing.
DEER DISEASE THREATENS STATE’S BREEDING INDUSTRY Former Gov. Rick Perry has joined House Speaker Dade Phelan’s office as a senior adviser, the Texas Standard reported. The embattled speaker, who survived a tough runoff race, now faces at least three Republican challengers to his speakership.
“[Gov. Perry] understands every facet of the legislative process, and that will be a tremendous asset as we work to strengthen our state’s economy, improve education and ensure every member’s voice is heard in the Texas House this session,” Phelan said in a statement.
Phelan has been under fire for backing an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to impeach Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and for being perceived as not conservative enough by some of his Republican colleagues.
Perry will serve as a volunteer adviser until the 89th Legislature begins in January.
PUC SECURES REFUNDS, CREDITS
The Public Utility Commission has secured refunds and bill credits totaling $502,982 for Texas electric, water and telecommunications customers for fiscal year 2024, which ended Aug. 31. Nearly 13,000 complaints were filed by consumers during the fiscal year.
“Protecting consumers is the first commitment listed in our agency’s mission statement, and our staff works every day to make sure Texas utility consumers are treated fairly and receive high quality service,” Chris Burch, with the PUC, said.
The bulk of refunds and credits were for electric customers.
Customers who believe they were unfairly charged can file a complaint at puc.texas.gov/ consumer/complaint.
Bitcoin plant expansion faces backlash in North Texas A proposal to build a new 300-megawatt power plant next to two existing neighborhoods in Granbury drew about 150 angry residents to a public meeting hosted by the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality last week.
Marathon Digital, a Florida-based cryptocurrency company, operates a 300-megawatt bitcoin mine on property owned by Constellation Energy, according to the San Antonio Express-News. Residents have complained about the constant noise coming from thousands of fans used to cool the banks of computers processing bitcoin transactions.
Constellation hopes to erect eight new turbines powered by natural gas to generate additional electricity and has applied for air permits to release nearly 800,000 added tons of carbon dioxide each year. Residents near the plant objected.
“It’s not right. Y’all moved in on top of us. We didn’t move in on y’all,” said Nick Browning, who lives about 800 feet from the property.
Texas leads the nation in bitcoin mining, which is an electronic payment system that forgoes use of banks and credit card companies and requires vast amounts of computing power. TCEQ officials have not decided whether to grant a permit for a new plant. Constellation says the new plant would only operate about 40% of the year and “would be prohibited from directly serving industrial load,” such as bitcoin. However, opponents say the new plant would allow existing plants to be used for more bitcoin mining than being done now.
TEXTING SCAMS TARGET TXTAG CUSTOMERS Toll customers in Texas are being targeted by scammers claiming the customer has a balance due or past due, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. The agency is working to have fraudulent websites taken down.
While TxTag does communicate with customers via email, text and phone, it does not send text messages concerning final payment reminders or past-due balances. Customers can report messages they believe to be fraudulent by calling 1-88-468-9824 or going online to Tx-Tag.org.
“TxTag takes customer account security and verification very seriously,” the news release said. All customers are required to confirm their account information and verify their identity upon contacting TxTag.
Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@texaspress. com
