Capital Highlights September 16 – September 20

Border Patrol faulted in Uvalde school shooting

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

Texas deer breeders say their livelihoods are threatened by steps being taken by the state to limit chronic wasting disease, The Texas Tribune reported.
The easily transmissible disease has been detected in Texas since 2012. As of August, 387 cases have been reported this year in 31 of the state’s 254 counties. This includes cases in 34 captive breeding facilities. The disease gradually erodes a deer’s neurological functions. It is not known to infect humans.
“This disease is literally eating holes in the deer’s brain,” Kip Adams, a wildlife biologist with the National Deer Association, said.
Breeders in areas where CWD has been reported can’t sell or transport their deer outside the state-declared containment zone. Breeders have complained that having a facility inside a containment zone has hurt business. Breeders who have a deer with CWD are required to either euthanize their remaining deer herd or perform additional testing in order to segregate deer who test negative.

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 TxTag.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: [email protected].