KTBB News, Weather, Talk

TEXAS – Patrick De Haan, chief petroleum analyst for Gasbuddy.com, says gasoline prices are set to rise for the next few weeks, even in Texas. The nation’s average price of gasoline has risen for the second straight week, increasing 2.7 cents compared to a week ago and stands at $3.11 per gallon, according to GasBuddy® data compiled from more than 12 million individual price reports covering over 150,000 gas stations across the country. The national average is up 2.2 cents from a month ago and is 39.7 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has increased 0.9 cents in the last week and stands at $3.558 per gallon.

“We’ve seen the national average inch up for the second straight week, but with renewed refinery issues on the West Coast, gas prices there are likely to jump 10-35 cents per gallon over the next couple weeks. Meanwhile, motorists in the Northeast should consider filling up soon, as the final step in the transition to summer gasoline is just a couple of weeks away— and with it, a likely increase in prices,” said De Haan.

“As we head into April, Americans should expect gas prices to rise, with a peak that could occur in mid-to-late April. While average prices remain well below last year’s levels, we’ll likely begin to catch up, with prices expected to increase in most — if not all —states over the next few weeks. Continued uncertainty around whether tariffs will be implemented on April 2 could also impact pump prices, setting the stage for a volatile period for American drivers.”

The most common U.S. gas price encountered by motorists stood at $2.99 per gallon, unchanged from last week, followed by $2.89, $3.09, $2.79, and $3.19, rounding out the top five most common prices.

The median U.S. gas price is $2.99 per gallon, up 3 cents from last week and about 12 cents lower than the national average.

The top 10% of stations in the country average $4.46 per gallon, while the bottom 10% average $2.58 per gallon.

The states with the lowest average prices: Oklahoma ($2.64), Mississippi ($2.66), Tennessee ($2.70).

The states with the highest average prices: California ($4.71), Hawaii ($4.41), and Washington ($4.10).

FORT BEND COUNTY – The Houston Chronicle reports that Fort Bend County officials on Sunday confirmed that a woman has contracted measles, the first confirmed case in the county following outbreaks in West Texas and the Panhandle. The woman, who officials did not identify, likely contracted the disease during recent international travel, county officials said. The case is being investigated by Fort Bend health officials who were conducting contact tracing to identify possible exposures and limit further spread of the disease, according to a county news release. “I want to reassure our community that we are working closely with Health and Human Services to keep everyone informed,” Fort Bend County Judge KP George said in a statement. “Your safety and well-being remain my top priority. I urge all residents to check their immunization records, get vaccinated if necessary and stay vigilant for symptoms. Together, we can protect our families, neighbors and the greater Fort Bend community.”

AUSTIN – KXAN reports that legislation to mandate Texas sheriffs participate in immigration law enforcement is moving closer to a vote at the Texas Capitol. Senate Bill 8 is on the chamber’s intent calendar for Monday. The bill filed by State Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, would require all Texas counties with 100,000 or more people to join Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) 287(g) program. Schwertner described the program as a partnership between local law enforcement and federal ICE in the identification and detainment of criminal aliens. “People overwhelmingly saw the policies of an open border and how it affects communities, and they overwhelmingly warrant stronger enforcement of criminal aliens to make sure they are identified, detained, prosecuted and deported,” Schwertner said.

Senator Schwertner has discussed the ideas in Senate Bill 8 in previous sessions. He said this year, the ideas are getting more traction at the Capitol. The current genesis of the bill is the people overwhelmingly voicing their opinion last November, on November 5, that we need stronger border enforcement and enforcement of our immigration laws,” Schwertner said. Some opponents of the legislation have raised concern that it could create discourage some people from reporting crimes, potentially putting public safety at risk. “As SB 8 is discussed, it is my sincere hope that public safety is carefully considered. When people are afraid, they hide in the shadows. Victims don’t report crime and witnesses don’t come forward with information. Criminals win as they take advantage of the vulnerable among us,” Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez wrote in a statement on SB 8. “The impact of that reaches beyond immigration to our humanity. I want victims of crime to run to law enforcement, not away from us,” Hernandez added.

AUSTIN – Inside Climate News reports that in Central Texas, a bitter fight over a $1 billion water project offers a preview of the future for much of the state as decades of rapid growth push past the local limits of its most vital natural resource. On one side: Georgetown, the fastest growing city in America for three years straight, which in 2023 signed a contract with an investor-funded enterprise to quickly begin importing vast volumes of water from the Simsboro Formation of the Carrizo Wilcox Aquifer, 80 miles to the east. On the other side: the cities atop the Simsboro that rely on its water. Bryan, College Station and the Texas A&M University System, a metro area with almost 300,000 people, have sued the developer to stop the project. A trial is set for the first week of May.

“We’re going to fight this thing until the end,” said Bobby Gutierrez, the mayor of Bryan. “It effectively drains the water source of the cities.” The pump and pipeline project to Georgetown, developed by California-based Upwell Water, is the largest of at least a half dozen similar projects recently completed, under construction or proposed to bring rural Carrizo Wilcox aquifer water into the booming urban corridor that follows Interstate 35 through Central Texas. It would eventually pump up to 89 million gallons per day, three times the usage of the city of Bryan, to Georgetown and its neighboring cities. “That basically stops all the economic development we have,” Gutierrez said. “We’re talking about our survival.” The fight over the Upwell project could well be a prelude for the broader battles to come as cities across Texas outgrow their water supplies. Lawmakers in the state Capitol are pushing to avert a broad scarcity crisis with funding to desalinate seawater, purify salty groundwater and treat oilfield wastewater to add to the supply. But all of these solutions remain years from realization. In the near term, only import projects from freshwater aquifers will continue to meet the growing water demands of thirsty Texas cities. Regulation of such projects falls to a patchwork of small, rural agencies called groundwater conservation districts, which might not be fully equipped or empowered to manage plans for competing regional water needs that can affect entire cities for generations to come.