Texas Tribune
How the “bee bill” made Texas the queen of U.S. beekeeping
by By Emily Foxhall, The Texas Tribune – 2024-06-03 05:00:00
SUMMARY: Molly Keck, an entomologist from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, has observed a surge in beekeeping interest since Texas introduced a 2012 law granting property tax breaks for small landowners keeping bees. This law, suggested by beekeeper Dennis Herbert and facilitated legislatively by Andrea Williams McCoy and Rep. George Lavender, led to a boom in apiculture, increasing Texas beekeeping operations from 1,851 in 2012 to 8,939 by 2022. However, the influx of novice beekeepers has raised concerns about disease management and overpopulation. Despite these challenges, the tax break has positively impacted bee populations, essential for pollination.
—————-
FULL ARTICLE:
Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune's daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
SAN ANTONIO — Some tips that entomologist Molly Keck recently gave 26 aspiring beekeepers: Beetles might eat the pollen patties meant to feed their bees. Bees might get cranky when it's overcast. If people drive too long with bees that aren't properly sealed, the bees might escape into the car.
A student giggled nervously.
Keck, 42, has tight, blonde curls and an upbeat personality and works for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in San Antonio. She started teaching Beekeeping 101 around a dozen years ago — when a new Texas law made it possible for people with relatively small tracts of land to get big property tax cuts if they keep bees. After that, interest in beekeeping “really kind of exploded,” Keck said.
The Texas beekeeping boom was the result of a chance meeting between a hobbyist beekeeper and a legislative aide for a rookie state lawmaker. That conversation led to the “bee bill,” which in 2012 created the tax break that sent landowners scrambling to beekeeping classes like Keck's.
The bill garnered limited attention at the time, as lawmakers in Austin were having higher-profile fights over state budget cuts, abortion laws and immigration policies. But it shows how with an interested lawmaker and the right support, a regular person can on occasion influence major change in the Capitol on an issue they care about.
“This has changed everything from a business perspective because now we have people calling us all the time, like, ‘Hey, want to put bees on our land?',” 34-year-old commercial beekeeper Blake Shook said. “It solved one of the biggest issues from a business standpoint because now we have plenty of places to put our bees, and that's unusual, or people want to raise bees themselves.”
A Washington Post data columnist digging through the latest Census of Agriculture found that the number of Texas beekeeping operations shot up from 1,851 in 2012, when the policy took effect, to 8,939 by 2022. That was more than the bottom 21 states combined.
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/132fd94bf511555355f02f1e6c23020e/0509%20Beekeeping%20Students%20JV%2004.jpg)
Molly Keck, an entomologist with Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service in Bexar County, teaches a Beekeeping 101 class in San Antonio.
Credit:
Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/2a9afe8c557b61159b083c45a78a26ff/0509%20Beekeeping%20Students%20JV%2007.jpg)
Students inspect a piece of beekeeping equipment during Keck's class.
Credit:
Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
The uptick in interest came at a time when honey bees were suffering nationwide, said Juliana Rangel, a Texas A&M University apiculture professor (apiculture is another word for beekeeping). Development paved over their habitat, pesticides harmed them and climate change fueled damaging storms that washed away colonies and rinsed pollen from flowers and droughts that reduced how much nectar plants produced. A hard-to-abate parasite called the varroa mite fed on bees and transmitted all sorts of viruses.
A staggering 30 to 45% of honey bee colonies still die on average in the country every year, Rangel said. Beekeepers have responded by dividing their surviving hives to make up for the losses.
The Texas tax break brought a boost of needed hope. More beekeeping operations possibly meant more bees, which are critical for pollinating plants that produce fruit and vegetables from South Texas watermelons to North Texas cucumbers.
But the policy also brought concerns in the beekeeping community, because it attracted a swarm of novice beekeepers who don't always manage their hives properly to prevent disease, and it led to overpopulation in some areas — too many bees in places without enough naturally growing food for them all.
“It has definitely increased the number of interested parties in keeping bees, potentially not for the right reasons,” Rangel said. “Beekeepers are becoming more creative with the ways that they make money.”
Serendipity leads to the little bee bill
The story of how beekeeping came to qualify for tax cuts begins in 2005, when wildlife biologist Dennis Herbert retired. Herbert oversaw natural resources at the 213,000-acre Fort Cavazos, then called Fort Hood. His office managed recreational deer hunting, stocked fish and tracked other wildlife at the Central Texas Army post. When he left the job, he got into bees.
Herbert, 75, also ran a Texas art store in Troy. As he remembers it, a woman came in one day looking for items to decorate her office. She was Andrea Williams McCoy, the chief of staff for a newly-elected state representative in East Texas, stopping by on her way to or from Austin. Herbert recalled her mentioning that her boss was looking for bills to pass.
“One thing led to another,” Herbert said. “We got to talking about bees.”
McCoy, 53, had raised bees as a girl with her father in Texarkana. She cared for the hives, harvested honey and peddled the honey on her bike around the neighborhood to sell. When she tried to keep bees later in life, she realized the myriad problems they faced.
Herbert later told McCoy he thought bees should be added to the list of agricultural exemptions — a longstanding tax break for property owners who raise livestock or produce crops. He argued it would be more fair to beekeepers, who produce honey and whose bees pollinate crops. He figured it would help spread bees across the state.
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/84a52e25380a6733b961af1caa08dd65/0510%20Beekeeping%20Field%20Day%20JV%2007.jpg)
A hive at Keck's house during a beekeeping class in Boerne.
Credit:
Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/2ae1632ee3c76bdc083b3fa182ad820d/0510%20Beekeeping%20Field%20Day%20JV%2015.jpg)
Students wear protective gear to inspect a hive at Keck's home in Boerne.
Credit:
Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
McCoy was shocked beekeepers didn't qualify for tax reductions already.
“You've got to be kidding me,” she remembered thinking. “You couldn't even have agriculture without beekeeping.”
McCoy took the idea back to her boss, state Rep. George Lavender, a Texarkana Republican. She remembered that he thought it fit his rural, agricultural district, and that he explained it to some of his constituents and they supported the idea. Because bees pollinate plants, Lavender figured beekeepers “deserved the same break everybody else got,” he said.
Lavender filed what McCoy dubbed the bee bill. It set a minimum of five acres but left it up to local regions how many hives would be required because the local ecosystems were so varied.
The Texas Farm Bureau supported the bill, and Herbert said he drove to Austin to help convince legislators. He remembered seeing the light bulbs come on over their heads as he explained his reasoning and thinking that they hadn't considered the issue before.
McCoy remembers that county appraisal districts didn't like it — another exemption meant less tax money in their coffers. The bill fizzled out and passed instead as an amendment to another piece of legislation.
It's not lost on Herbert how rare it is for an idea to become a bill and pass in one session. Herbert attributes the bill's serendipitous success to God.
“It was still all because of the problems that bees were having, the losses that were taking place, and then obviously the importance of bees as pollinators,” Herbert said. “You have to have an incentive for those small landowners; they have something that's needed and extremely important.
“I was just the goofball that carried it to the Legislature.”
Beekeeping isn't easy
Bees are a prominent option for getting a tax reduction on smaller parcels of land or rocky land that might not be good for grazing or cultivating — and they aren't cheap or easy.
The day after her classroom lessons, Keck invited students for a hands-on session checking out the hives at her Boerne home.
Marci Pehl wore a yellow cap with an image of a bee, next to the word “kind.” Bee kind. The cap was meant to keep the mesh of the bee suit off her nose so a bee couldn't sting her face.
New beekeeping students (clockwise) Marci Pehl, Crystal Treviño, Melissa Bustamante, Dwayne Reeves and Juliet Reeves attend the agrilife extension beekeeping course in Boerne.
Pehl, a 66-year-old who works in healthcare insurance billing, and her husband, Jim, a 74-year-old retired police officer and UPS security manager, were exploring whether they could handle beekeeping on their nearly seven acres just east of San Antonio.
The couple liked the quiet out there, but they hadn't expected the $4,800 tax bill. Her dad owned the land before them and had received a tax reduction because it was a hay field. She started reading about their options.
“We need to do this because it'll be a savings,” Marci Pehl said. “But it will be something fun too in retirement.”
The day was overcast, the kind of day Keck had warned them about. The large property felt far from San Antonio with an expansive view of the natural landscape.
“It's beautiful out here,” said Crystal Treviño, 39, exiting a shed filled with white bee suits. “So peaceful.”
Treviño had bought 11 acres near her parents southwest of San Antonio and hired someone to keep bees on it. She works in government contracting and figured bees were low-maintenance compared with goats or sheep.
Her godsister, Melissa Bustamante, 39, who works for a bank, planned to help Treviño care for her bees as soon as they learned how. Bustamante stuffed her right leg through a white bee suit, then her left. She stood to pull on the rest. Her name — Melissa — means honey bee.
Keck, with her hair pulled back, tugged the bee hood over Trevino's head and zipped her up.
The group went up the driveway to the hive, looking like aliens in their white suits. Keck took off the hive's lid. Bees buzzed about.
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/9f3fb72e2f0991095b8f6be2a0e7ec75/0510%20Beekeeping%20Field%20Day%20JV%2023.jpg)
Protective suits hang at Keck's Boerne home.
Credit:
Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/9e17d99b2d5674f43a478b6ba8bf7677/0510%20Beekeeping%20Field%20Day%20JV%2008.jpg)
Students pull a frame from a bee hive at Keck's house during a beekeeping class in Boerne.
Credit:
Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
“They're not mad,” Keck reassured the students. “They're just making noise.”
One by one, each student pried loose and inspected the rectangular frames of bees that hung like files in filing boxes.
“Way to go honey,” said Juliet Reeves, 52, as her husband Dwayne, 56, lifted up a frame.
The Reeves plan to build a house on five acres they bought last year north of San Antonio, close enough for their daughter to keep going to the same school in the city but far enough to have a buffer from their neighbors with room to expand. She's active duty Army and he's retired from the Army.
Dwayne Reeves thought the bees might help make the land more marketable or a better inheritance. Problem was, they were an acre short to qualify for the tax reduction.
But he wasn't deterred. He loves honey. In a strawberry shake. On bread. On a spoon.
The bees buzzed louder as the morning wore on.
“I think we could totally do this,” Treviño said, pausing. “As long as we have the suit.”
Business is booming for beekeepers
When some of the many new novice beekeepers in Texas give up, they might call a professional like Gary Barber to tend bees for them.
Some people are beekeepers, and some are bee havers, Barber jokes.
Barber was feeling worn out recently as he sat in front of a mostly eaten lunch. The May 31 deadline to get bees onto property in time to qualify for the tax reduction in Dallas-area counties was approaching fast.
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/554da77d7dedd45d5ab028772f5c1a68/0524%20Bees%20Delivery%20ST%2011.jpg)
Gary Barber, commercial beekeeper and co-founder at Honey Bees Unlimited, moves hives in preparation for night deliveries at his Gainesville apiary on May 24, 2024.
Credit:
Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune
“That's why I'm working so hard,” Barber later said.
The 50-year-old beekeeper and his team had signed on to handle some 200 sites. They used a data management system (called “Nectar”) to track where they had already installed bee hives (164 places) and a spreadsheet to show what they had left.
Barber had pretty much stopped looking at emails because he couldn't keep up. He hadn't taken time off since mid-March, he said, when they began splitting hives for the season. Even though the weather was hot, he'd been turning on his seat warmer to soothe his aching back.
The night before, Barber and a teammate delivered bees to seven locations, trying not to get the Ford F-550 stuck in the mud. They worked overnight, when the bees are tucked into their hives, moving the bee boxes from the truck bed onto private land. The moon and the red lights on the loader illuminated their work.
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1bffc9938bc0223810ac02c63b968983/0524%20Bees%20Delivery%20ST%2020.jpg)
Beekeepers Kasey Needham and Gary Barber review the delivery route to property owners who have purchased their bees.
Credit:
Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune
First: Gary Barber transports hives under red lights that help calm the bees during the move. Middle: Beekeeper Kasey Needham prepares for deliveries that can last until nearly dawn. Last: Honey Bees Unlimited hives are delivered to a property in Pilot Point.
Barber didn't go to sleep until maybe 4 a.m.
When Barber and his brother first started their company, he thought beekeeping for others who wanted the tax break would be a quarter of their work. He tried to sell people their own bees, believing the state needed more beekeepers. He was a relative newbie to the business himself. He got curious about the insects after a career in photography, including at The Dallas Morning News.
Now the background image of Barber's iPhone is bees. The phone autocorrects his spelling of “be” to “bee.” He got a bee tattoo inked on his left shoulder, and another on his left leg. He notices what's blooming, like purple flowering vitex trees and red blooming yuccas. He calls himself a beek — a bee geek.
After lunch, he drove to his bee yard north of Denton to get more pallets to prep more spots for night-time deliveries. He navigated bumpy roads around the pastel-colored bee hives, hopping out to pick up the pallets where he found them, unfazed by threat of a bee sting. He likes to work without gloves; his hands are peppered with small bee stingers.
Barber went next to pick up an employee, 29-year-old Kasey Needham, and drove to meet their third coworker at a subdivision around Denton. Needham dusted sulfur powder on their legs to fight chiggers. The group dropped two pallets in the grass behind a white fence. They reminisced about past encounters at other spots with horses, donkeys and a llama. Then they were on their way to the next subdivision site.
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/3c848cd21df68f897f20b5a9a3b20cf9/0524%20Bees%20Delivery%20ST%2026.jpg)
Gary Barber scans bee hives after dropping them off at a property in Aubrey.
Credit:
Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune
Beekeeping on other peoples' land is now a majority of Barber's business. Sometimes he has to deal with kerfuffles: Bees might flock to a dog's water bowl. One time a client spilled tea on the porch and complained that it was attracting the bees. But Barber believes the state tax break is helping to restore habitat and build up both beekeepers and bees.
“We love this law,” Barber said. “It's a gift from the state of Texas. It does so much for the bees. It's like other ag (reductions); it allows people to invest in the bees just like it has always allowed them to invest in cattle and invest in goats, other livestock.”
Disclosure: Texas A&M AgriLife, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M University and Texas Farm Bureau have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
We've added new speakers to the stellar lineup of leaders, lawmakers and newsmakers hitting the stage at The Texas Tribune Festival, happening Sept. 5–7 in downtown Austin. Get an up-close look at today's biggest issues at Texas' breakout politics and policy event!
The post How the “bee bill” made Texas the queen of U.S. beekeeping appeared first on TexasTribune.org.
The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
by By Asad Jung, The Texas Tribune – 2024-07-05 17:44:44
SUMMARY: The University of Texas at Austin is disciplining students arrested during pro-Palestinian protests in April by offering “deferred suspension,” allowing students to avoid suspension by proving educational growth. Deferred suspension requires students to take an exam on university rules and avoid appealing the decision. Some students, like Ari Lenahan, see this as a relief compared to harsher penalties faced by peers at other universities. Over 130 protesters were arrested, but Travis County Attorney Delia Garza declined to pursue criminal trespassing charges. The university's heavy-handed response has sparked criticism from students, faculty, and free speech advocates.
—————-
FULL ARTICLE:
Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune's daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
The University of Texas at Austin has begun disciplining students who were arrested in pro-Palestinian demonstrations in April, scolding them for their actions but offering them a path to avoid suspension.
In letters sent out to students this week, first reported by KUT, university officials said it would be appropriate to suspend them for their actions during the protests but would give them the option to take “deferred suspension” instead, a form of probation that would allow students to remain in class and keep the disciplinary action from appearing on their final transcripts.
“Recognizing our commitment to educational growth, we want to offer you an alternative path to avoid suspension by proving that you have learned from this experience,” reads one of the letters obtained by The Texas Tribune.
Students who choose deferred suspension must agree to take an exam testing their knowledge of the university's rules and agree not to appeal the decision. The status would be active until July 7, 2025.
Those who decline that option would be suspended, the letter says. Students may also appeal the disciplinary sanctions through a university hearing.
Ari Lenahan, a UT-Austin student set to graduate in December, said he was relieved the university offered him deferred suspension since students at other universities across the country are facing harsher punishments after participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. He said it may be the best choice for him since he aims to graduate this year.
“It's a lot clearer where I stand now, at least in the university's eyes,” he said.
Lenahan still has a hold on his account preventing him from registering for classes in the fall but said the letter he received Wednesday states any holds will be removed once his case is resolved.
Anne-Marie Jardine, a recent graduate, received a sanction letter concerning her involvement in an April 24 pro-Palestinian demonstration. Jardine was told she would be under deferred suspension for one year if she were to re-enroll at UT-Austin. Jardine said she hasn't received her official diploma from the university yet.
Many other students under investigation have not yet been informed about how the university plans to move forward with their cases. Sam Law, a PhD candidate who was arrested on April 29, said that he expects the university will contact him soon.
More than 130 protesters were arrested at pro-Palestinian demonstrations on UT-Austin's campus in late April. In resolute efforts to dispel the protesters, law enforcement at the time deployed pepper spray and flash-bang explosives and charged students with horses. State troopers were deployed by Gov. Greg Abbott to help quash the protests and had a hand in the arrests.
Those arrested were charged with criminal trespassing but Travis County Attorney Delia Garza declined to pursue those charges.
In the aftermath of the protest, many students, faculty and free speech advocates questioned UT-Austin's heavy-handed response to the protests and criticized state GOP leaders' support of the arrests. Just a few years ago, Abbott had championed state legislation that protected free speech on college campuses, leading free speech advocates to ask who gets to enjoy free speech protections in Texas.
UT-Austin leaders, meanwhile, have vowed to carry out discipline against students who violated campus policies. Seniors in the class of 2024 were afraid their diplomas would be withheld, though they were permitted to join graduation ceremonies in the spring.
Sneha Dey contributed to this story.
Disclosure: University of Texas at Austin has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
Just in: Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming; U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania; and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt will take the stage at The Texas Tribune Festival, Sept. 5–7 in downtown Austin. Buy tickets today!
The post UT-Austin offers probation to students arrested in protests appeared first on TexasTribune.org.
The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
by By Emily Foxhall, Berenice Garcia and Stephen Simpson, The Texas Tribune – 2024-07-05 16:47:07
SUMMARY: Texans are being urged to prepare for Hurricane Beryl, expected to make landfall as a Category 1 or 2 storm along the Texas coast on Monday. Currently crossing Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, Beryl could hit anywhere from northern Mexico to the mid-Texas coast. Officials stress vigilance and preparation, especially for those along the Gulf coast, and advise stocking up on essentials like food and water. Emergency measures include distributing sandbags and readying evacuation plans. Beryl, an unusually strong early-season storm, has already caused significant Caribbean damage, with forecasters predicting a highly active hurricane season exacerbated by climate change.
—————-
FULL ARTICLE:
Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune's daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
Texans need to prepare for Hurricane Beryl, which is likely to make landfall on the state's coast as a Category 1 or 2 storm on Monday, state emergency officials said.
The record-setting storm was moving across Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Friday, leaving forecasters still unsure exactly where along the Texas coast will see the worst rainfall and wind.
As Beryl left behind a trail of destruction across Caribbean islands, state officials urged Texans along the entire Gulf coast to pay close attention and prepare for a dangerous storm, particularly people vacationing during the July 4 holiday weekend.
“Everyone along the coast should be paying attention to this storm,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said at a news conference in Austin. Patrick is serving as acting governor as Gov. Greg Abbott travels in Asia on an economic development trip.
Residents should be gassing up their vehicles and making sure they have food and water for themselves and their pets, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said.
“A lot of people are out having fun right now, and that's a good thing, and we want them to continue to do that, but we also want them to prepare,” Kidd said. “We need a prepared community, not a panicked community.”
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/61656af5bef2c07fed0e961f3b297bde/Brownsville%20Hurricane%20Beryl%20Prep%20MG%20TT%2003.jpg)
Boarded windows at the H-E-B Plus! grocery store in Brownsville on July 5, 2024.
Credit:
Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune
Officials in the Rio Grande Valley and Corpus Christi have been distributing thousands of sandbags to help people prepare for potential flooding. South Texans have been eager for rain because the two major reservoirs on the Rio Grande have reached near or record lows in June.
Forecasters on Friday expected Beryl to make landfall anywhere from northern Mexico to the mid-Texas coast. The storm appeared likely aimed for South Texas but experts warned its path could shift north to Corpus Christi or Matagorda Bay.
Tropical storm-level winds would likely arrive Sunday night, according to the National Hurricane Center. Areas from Brownsville to Corpus Christi faced the greatest wind threat under the current forecast.
Heavy rain could begin Sunday and last through Tuesday. The National Hurricane Center predicted four to eight inches to fall along the South Texas coastline, with higher amounts in some spots, and up to six inches from Corpus Christi to Matagorda Bay. Forecasters expected the storm to slow over land, which would increase the risk of flooding.
Rip currents and high seas starting late Friday will make coastal conditions dangerous.
In the Rio Grande Valley, officials were preparing for possible flooding.
The eastern part of Hidalgo County tends to be hit the hardest during heavy rains, but the county was taking steps to mitigate flooding there, said Ricardo Saldaña, Hidalgo County's emergency management coordinator. Officials have placed water pumps near flood-prone areas and worked with contractors to prevent flooding at drainage project sites by covering up excavation holes.
Saldaña warned residents to make their own preparations by stocking up on food and water, preparing an emergency kit, and making arrangements with friends and family to relocate if necessary.
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b72243b518bcbef8f34a3da002ea47b2/Brownsville%20Hurricane%20Beryl%20Prep%20MG%20TT%2001.jpg)
Sandbags at a county facility in Brownsville on July 5, 2024.
Credit:
Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune
Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, Jr. recommended that people in recreational vehicles leave county parks.
“If you don't feel safe, evacuate,” said Tom Hushen, Cameron County's emergency management coordinator.
If there is flooding, Hushen said they were prepared to mobilize fire trucks and ambulances to help people evacuate. But high winds could pose another threat. Winds of more than 90 miles per hour could cause those vehicles to topple over. In that scenario, county officials would have to deploy larger vehicles like dump trucks.
Hushen said any power outages would prompt the opening of emergency shelters. He also advised residents to tie down any loose items in their yards and to bring in all patio furniture because high winds could turn those objects into projectiles.
“Listen to the warnings,” Hushen advised residents. “Things could change at a moment's notice.”
Beryl has astounded meteorologists with its strength so early in the summer. Warmer-than-normal ocean temperatures helped Beryl rapidly strengthen into a Category 4 storm in late June — becoming the first recorded Category 4 storm to form in June, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Beryl strengthened into a Category 5 and tore across the Caribbean, causing devastation in Grenada and Jamaica. It pushed onto the Yucatan Peninsula early Friday as a Category 2 storm.
“Beryl is so out of place historically given how early in the season it is and how strong it got,” said Houston-based meteorologist Matt Lanza, who helps write a blog on tropical weather called The Eyewall. “Typically you don't see that sort of thing until August — not the end of June, beginning of July.”
Federal forecasters expect this hurricane season, which began June 1, to be a bad one. They predicted to see 17 to 25 named storms form, which was more than they had ever forecast before a season's start. They believed four to seven of those would be Category 3 storms or stronger.
Climate change driven by people burning fossil fuels is causing oceans to warm and makes hurricanes more likely to be stronger. Scientists also say climate change may make rapid intensification of storms more likely — as happened with Beryl.
“To look at a satellite on June the 30th or July the 1st and to see a storm of Beryl's magnitude is almost unbelievable,” said Michael Lowry, a hurricane expert for WPLG TV in Miami.
Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.
Just in: Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming; U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania; and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt will take the stage at The Texas Tribune Festival, Sept. 5–7 in downtown Austin. Buy tickets today!
The post Hurricane Beryl likely to hit Texas coast Monday appeared first on TexasTribune.org.
The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
by By Isaac Yu, The Texas Tribune – 2024-07-05 05:00:00
SUMMARY: U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul seeks a waiver to extend his chairmanship of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. During his term, McCaul, a Republican from Austin, led efforts to ban TikTok, supported Tibetan self-determination, and condemned the Chinese spy balloon. He also played a crucial role in passing a bipartisan Ukraine aid bill and has been active on global issues, including Ukraine and Taiwan. McCaul aims to maintain U.S. strength abroad amid growing isolationism in his party. Facing a six-year term limit, he needs special permission to continue, with several colleagues aiming for his position. His leadership's fate will be decided by the Republican Steering Committee.
—————-
FULL ARTICLE:
Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune's daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul isn't quite ready to give up his gavel.
In his two years as chair of the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Austin Republican has been busy; he spearheaded the charge to ban TikTok, authored one resolution on Tibetan self-determination and led another condemning the infamous Chinese spy balloon. Just last month, he helped shoulder a bipartisan Ukraine aid bill through Congress over many colleagues' loud objections. He's also traveled the globe, shaking hands with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ukraine, receiving a blessing from the Dalai Lama in India, and gifting Taiwan President Lai Ching Te with a cowboy hat.
To keep his leadership post on one of the most coveted committees in Washington, he'll need special permission, having hit his six-year term limit. Several colleagues are already gunning to replace him.
McCaul confirmed last week that he would indeed seek a waiver to serve another term as top Republican on his committee, which would need approval from a steering committee and then the full House Republican caucus.
“It's not time to change horses right now,” McCaul said in an interview. “It's a dangerous time where the world is on fire.”
If his quest is successful, McCaul pledges to keep supporting key allies around the globe and stay aggressive on adversaries like Russia and China. If not, defense hawks in Washington could lose a powerful voice in charge just as the GOP prepares to redefine its approach to foreign policy under a potential second Trump administration.
Closing out his twentieth year in Congress, McCaul is well-connected and one of the most experienced members of the Texas delegation, having chaired the Homeland Security Committee from 2013 to 2019. The Foreign Affairs Committee under his leadership has been the most productive House committee this term, his office said, with 67 measures and 18 bills passed by the full chamber.
McCaul is making the case that his relationships on the Hill — including a friendship with Speaker Mike Johnson that helped push Ukraine aid over the finish line — justify him staying on an extra term.
Johnson had voted against sending aid to Ukraine before becoming speaker, part of a growing wing of conservatives who believed foreign aid came at the expense of funding for border security. McCaul, a steadfast supporter of Ukraine, helped sway Johnson's thinking and the speaker ultimately threw his support behind a package to send $60 billion in aid to boost Ukraine's arsenal against Russia.
The decision was opposed by a majority of Republicans and drew the ire of hardline conservatives, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green of Georgia, who filed a motion to vacate the speaker, which failed.
“I think I feel compelled to do it not for myself, but I don't think anyone would be able to do what I do or shepherd the [Ukraine] supplemental the way I was able to,” McCaul said.
McCaul has also been a leading China antagonist this term, leading an effort to force the sale of TikTok to an American company. His visits with Taiwanese leaders and the Dalai Lama, who China views as a separatist threat, have drawn strong condemnation and sanctions from Beijing.
His efforts on Ukraine, Taiwan and elsewhere are linked by a desire to project U.S. strength abroad, even as the isolationist wing of his party grows.
“If we abandoned Ukraine and allowed [Vladimir] Putin to take over Ukraine and threaten Eastern Europe, that would be a big mistake, and it would send a message to Chairman Xi [Jinping] that Taiwan's fair game,” McCaul said.
House Republicans set six-year term limits for committee chairs, including years spent as ranking member when the party is the minority. The GOP last voted to keep the term limits at the beginning of the current term.
Waivers are rare. Only one was granted last session, to Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, who stayed an extra term chairing the House Education and Workforce Committee. Before Foxx, the last waiver was granted in 2012, to former Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin.
McCaul's fight comes as Texan influence in the House is on the decline. The state delegation, which includes more Republicans than any other state, will see the retirements of Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, who stepped down from her powerful perch as Appropriations chair, and Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Denton, who will give up the Rules Committee gavel less than a year after gaining it.
Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Lubbock, will remain the top Republican on the Budget Committee. And Rep. Brian Babin, R-Woodville, is currently the only Republican running for the top spot on the Science, Space and Technology Committee.
Committee assignments are determined by the Republican Steering Committee, made up of party leadership and regional representatives, and then approved by the full conference. The 36-member Steering Committee, which always includes at least two Texans, has been stingy with waivers in the past, even when considering chairs like McCaul who have spent most of their time in the minority.
The decision could depend in part on how McCaul's committee feels about his leadership. Foxx had the support of every Republican on her committee in seeking a waiver, including from the next-highest ranking Republican who would have replaced her.
None of McCaul's 26 Republican colleagues on Foreign Affairs have made endorsements yet, but at least three members — Ann Wagner of Missouri, the committee's vice chair, Darrell Issa of California and Joe Wilson of South Carolina — have already confirmed they are running against McCaul for the top spot. The committee includes three fellow Texans: Reps. Nathaniel Moran of Tyler, Keith Self of McKinney and Ronny Jackson of Amarillo, none of whom responded to requests for comment.
It's not immediately clear whether any of McCaul's announced rivals would diverge greatly from his policy positions, and all three supported foreign aid packages for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan earlier this year.
Matthew Choi contributed to this report.
Just in: Former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyoming; U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania; and Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt will take the stage at The Texas Tribune Festival, Sept. 5–7 in downtown Austin. Buy tickets today!
The post Michael McCaul seeks waiver to stay Foreign Affairs chair appeared first on TexasTribune.org.
The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
North Galveston jetty crash: 3 hospitalized, 2 missing, family fears Beryl’s impact on Coast Guard search
July 4th celebration and fireworks show in Austin 7/24 | FOX 7 Austin
Tracking the tropics: Latest on Tropical Storm Beryl
Flies in Texas: Are there more right now and why?
Suspect arrested after 10-year-old boy was hit and killed riding bike in northwest Harris County on July 4th, authorities say
Preparing for Beryl: Live from Corpus Christi with KPRC 2’s Gage Goulding
Storm preparation: Beryl expected to strengthen to hurricane as Texas braces for impact
Memorial Villages police manhunt: Potentially armed suspect wanted after fleeing traffic stop on River Bend Drive
Acting Governor Dan Patrick warns Texans upon Hurricane Beryl’s landfall
Heat expected to shatter records from East Coast to West Coast – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
I-10 westbound from Beaumont to Houston reopens day after large crack prompted closure at Washington Boulevard
Body found below North State Highway 3 bridge, family used Find My Friends app to find him, League City PD says
CHAD MAULDIN on Being A Talent Cultivator
Train collides with car carrying grandfather, 2 grandchildren on County 236 in Brazoria County, police say
U.S. Supreme Court declines to rule whether social media feeds are free speech | National
Tomball’s Asher Hong representing USA Men’s Gymnastics Team in 2024 Olympic Games
Too many passwords to remember? Here’s what you can do
Hurricane Beryl forecast to become a Category 4 storm – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
Man recalls moment he was hit by Galveston PD officer in pool party brawl video
Talkin’ Texas | Texans at the Olympics, Fresh Water Sharks, and Bats!
July 4th celebration and fireworks show in Austin 7/24 | FOX 7 Austin
Tracking the tropics: Latest on Tropical Storm Beryl
Preparing for Beryl: Live from Corpus Christi with KPRC 2’s Gage Goulding
Tropical Storm Beryl: Latest projected path, possible impact to Texas
Hays County district clerk resigns | FOX 7 Austin
KPRC 2′s Gage Goulding is LIVE in Corpus Christi, Texas as the community prepares for Beryl
North Texas woman attacked by shark in South Padre: ‘I thought it was a big fish’
Austin police investigating after body was found near Rainey Street | FOX 7 Austin
Anthony Yanez concerned as Hurricane Beryl keeps moving right
‘It’s a huge risk to the public’: Sinkhole grows near church in Livingston
-
Texas News4 days agoI-10 westbound from Beaumont to Houston reopens day after large crack prompted closure at Washington Boulevard
-
Texas News6 days ago
Body found below North State Highway 3 bridge, family used Find My Friends app to find him, League City PD says
-
Podcasts5 days ago
CHAD MAULDIN on Being A Talent Cultivator
-
Texas News6 days ago
Train collides with car carrying grandfather, 2 grandchildren on County 236 in Brazoria County, police say
-
The Center Square5 days ago
U.S. Supreme Court declines to rule whether social media feeds are free speech | National
-
Videos7 days ago
Tomball’s Asher Hong representing USA Men’s Gymnastics Team in 2024 Olympic Games
-
Texas News7 days ago
Too many passwords to remember? Here’s what you can do
-
Texas News7 days ago
Hurricane Beryl forecast to become a Category 4 storm – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth
