Infrastructure

Just five years after Lubbock’s city council voted to establish roadway impact fees for developers, an all new council has reduced them to nothing. Developers argue the costs passed down to new homes and businesses were inhibiting new growth, but former city leaders say they enacted impact fees to make sure Old Lubbock isn't left behind.

Gaps in natural gas regulation could leave the state vulnerable to another winter storm related blackout.

Lubbock City Council has set aside 20 acres at Bill McAlister Park for a proposed $50 million indoor sports complex. The nonprofit Lubbock Game Changers plans to build the 140,000-square-foot facility with volleyball and basketball courts, a championship arena, and other amenities — without using city funds.

The Mesquite Mile project began in 2020, combining regional plants and human infrastructure to mitigate flooding in the Heart of Lubbock neighborhood. The city has seen streets flood this summer with severe weather and storms across the state. But in May 2025, the Mesquite Mile’s NEA grant was withdrawn.

Gov. Greg Abbott has made water a priority for this legislative session. Lawmakers will debate whether to invest more into new water supplies or repairing old, leaking pipes around Texas.

Petroleum theft is a persistent problem in the state.

Republican state Rep. Brooks Landgraf has filed a bill that would ban the outdoor storage of hazardous chemicals within 2,000 feet of homes. The proposal is a response to a large chemical fire at an Odessa-area facility last summer.

Among the proposals is a bill that would force more inspections of power lines, which a committee concluded ignited a blaze that burned more than 1 million acres last year.

The state is aggressively pushing to deploy the next generation of atomic energy that would power big industrial operations.

Temperatures across the state should rise into the 70s by next week.