Texas Standard

The Environmental Protection Agency says it will reconsider air quality rules at a time when Texas is dealing with sharply elevated diesel prices, which officials are calling a disaster. The move raises questions about whether federal emissions standards could be eased to help lower fuel and transport costs, and it is drawing attention from industry and environmental groups alike.

An opinion piece in the Austin American-Statesman argues that Texas should reinstate climate change as part of the core school curriculum. The author's claim is that state science education standards have moved away from teaching climate change, and that restoring it would better prepare Texas students. The piece has so far drawn little visible engagement, and the specific policy change it calls for is not detailed in available reporting.

The US federal government has made changes that narrow protections under the Endangered Species Act, according to reporting covered by Texas Standard on September 29, 2026. The revisions reduce the scope of safeguards for threatened and endangered wildlife, a shift that has drawn attention from conservation advocates and land-use stakeholders in Texas and beyond.

Federal regulatory changes are narrowing protections under the Endangered Species Act, and the shift is being examined on Texas Standard, the statewide public radio news program. The rollback could affect how species in Texas and across the country are classified and safeguarded, raising concerns among conservationists while being welcomed by some landowners and industry groups who have long criticized the law's reach.