Texas Standard for May 21, 2024: Domestic production of EV batteries is ramping up – but is there demand in the US?

Automakers and other manufacturers are investing $100 billion to build batteries for electric vehicles in the U.S. But EV sales have been down in recent months.

By Texas StandardMay 21, 2024 9:07 am,

Here are the stories on Texas Standard for Tuesday, May 21, 2024:

Texas is looking to buy out flood-prone homes – but things aren’t always that easy

Back-to-back storms drenched Southeast Texas in late April and early May, causing flash flooding and pushing rivers out of their banks and into low-lying neighborhoods. Now the state is offering to buy some residents’ homes so they can relocate to a safer area.

But recent disasters and their aftermath also illustrate why buyouts are complicated to carry out even in Harris County, which has one of the most robust buyout programs in the country. And not all residents are interested in selling. Texas Tribune environmental reporter Emily Foxhall joins the Standard with more.

The Army has stepped up its training for tunnel warfare, a dangerous – and growing – form of combat

The U.S. military has been increasing its focus on training for tunnel warfare. Underground fighting goes back centuries, but it’s become more common in recent years, with the elaborate tunnels Hamas built in Gaza bringing new attention to one of the most dangerous forms of combat.

Jay Price reports for the American Homefront Project.

Who pays for Texas highways?

Texas has a sprawling highway network with more than 200,00 miles of lanes – almost the distance from Earth to the moon. Those roads don’t come cheap. The Texas Department of Transportation outspends every other state, devoting about $18 billion a year to highways.

Ever wonder who foots the bill? KUT News’ Nathan Bernier takes a look at who pays for highways in Texas.

A fight for accountability animates these Robb Elementary parents

Nikki and Brett Cross have been among the most outspoken members of the Uvalde community since the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting. Their 10-year-old, Uziyah, was one of the 19 kids killed alongside their two teachers.

Brett has demonstrated with sit-ins at the Uvalde school district offices and the city’s police department. They shared their story about why they’re not backing down.

New documentary shows how Johnson family adviser Liz Carpenter shook things up

A film about a powerhouse Texas woman is getting a public screening today at the LBJ Library. It’s an apt place for a screening considering the documentary’s star: Liz Carpenter, a longtime adviser for both LBJ and Lady Bird Johnson.

Hear from “Shaking it Up: The Life and Times of Liz Carpenter” co-directors/producers Christy Carpenter and Abby Ginzberg.

Abbott targets anti-school choice incumbent in Texas House District 33 Republican primary runoff

Gov. Greg Abbott didn’t get a so-called school choice measure through the Texas Legislature last session – so he took the fight to the voting booth instead.

Abbott campaigned during the March primary for several candidates who beat Republican statehouse incumbents who opposed school vouchers. KERA’s Caroline Love reports that the battle continues for other incumbents who ended up in runoffs.

Domestic production of EV batteries is ramping up – but is there demand in the US?

Automakers and other manufacturers are investing $100 billion to build batteries for electric vehicles in the U.S.

But EV sales in the U.S. have been down in recent months, as consumers opt for hybrids or gas-powered cars that often cost less and offer more choices. Automotive business journalist Micheline Maynard joins the Standard with more:

All this, plus the Texas Newsroom’s state roundup and Wells Dunbar with the Talk of Texas.

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