Explosive reactions to the proposal, which would limit drilling, show how the president’s climate policies are crashing into walls in some oil and gas states.
A conservation group acquired more than 1,500 acres just north of Yellowstone National Park to stop a gold mine that they say would have upset the habitat of bears and other wildlife.
The agreement could help speed up the development of large solar projects that are often bogged down by fights over land use and environmental concerns.
The development near Houston offers cheap land and unconventional financing to buyers, many of them undocumented immigrants. Gov. Greg Abbott has called for hearings.