In Episode 27, Tonya talks with Amarillo's own Timothy Ingalls about land regeneration, holistic range management, his deep family history in the Texas Panhandle, his work with the Tecovas Foundation, and so much more.

Tim is fourth-generation owner and manager of the Frying Pan Ranch (Bush-Emeny Properties) in the Texas Panhandle, as well as a philanthropist. He is proud to have been born and raised in Amarillo, and he has spent his life working to make the city more efficient with its resources. Following high school, he spent five years traveling globally. When he returned to the United States, he attended college at Washington University in St. Louis, earning his degree in Economics. He later moved around a bit, trying out different lifestyles and regions -- but the call to home was strong, so he's been in the Yellow City ever since. Tim is an advocate for land rehydration, bike-friendly infrastructure, environmental management for range land, and conservation-minded municipal management. We had a lively discussion about Amarillo, our resources, and how best to protect them.

In Episode 26, Tonya Kleuskens talks with John Umphress about the 89th Texas Legislature passing HB14, which allows for $350 million to be used to increase nuclear power in Texas. About $120 million of this funding is earmarked for both Texas Tech University and Abilene Christian University (for research on a molten salt reactor). The bill also establishes the Texas Advanced Nuclear Energy Office to oversee this support.

John Umphress is a life-long resident of Texas with more than four decades of experience in public policy, mostly in the fields of water and energy resources. Prior to his retirement, John spent 14 years at Austin Energy, where he developed the residential energy code for the city of Austin. His goal for the code was to encourage the design and construction of net-zero energy homes. He is currently an apiarist, or beekeeper, running 240 colonies and building a net-zero home in Burnet County.

DIVE DEEPER!

Learn more about HB14, including written text and sponsors.

In Episode 25, we continue our updates with Dr. Evgenia Spears, by exploring the changes enacted by the 89th Texas Legislature. Dr. Spears will explain to us about the shift in oversight for produced water and desalination discharge.

Evgenia Spears is the Water Program Coordinator at the Sierra Club's Lone Star Chapter, where she leads advocacy efforts to protect access to clean water resources in Texas. Through grassroots organizing, water education, and legislative advocacy at the Texas capitol, she works to ensure that communities across the state have a voice in shaping a sustainable water future.

Having lived in rural Ukraine, suburban Russia, and now in the U.S., Evgenia brings a unique perspective on water management, viewing water not simply as a resource to manage but as a relationship to nurture. Guided by this philosophy, one of the new initiatives Evgenia is leading is the Sierras Club Water for People & the Environment Committee, created to educate Texans about water issues across the state and empower them to become stronger advocates in their communities. Through her leadership, this committee brings together Texans from diverse backgrounds and geographic regions, united by a shared commitment to protecting our water resources.

Prior to joining Sierra Club, Evgenia spent several years at Texas A&M University in College Station where she earned a doctorate with a focus on natural resource management, taught undergraduate courses on natural resource policy, served as a watershed coordinator with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, and collaborated with Texas A&M and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to develop strategic natural resource planning documents for the state.

Outside of her work, Evgenia enjoys being with her family, spending time in nature, and traveling.

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Desalination study done by the Texas GLO and TPWD.

Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter

Sierra Club's action alert and petition to TCEQ to strengthen the surface water quality standards in Texas.