5 Houstonians to know, plus one for those emerging from a coma

I had energy and food on my mind this week in considering five Houstonians to know. Three of my choices stand behind many of Houston’s best-known restaurants, and two lead Houston energy companies. The other one is busy trying to find their fast-growing companies some office space.

Click through the slideshow at right to see this week’s 5 Houstonians to Know.

Jonathan Horowitz, partner at Lasco Enterprises LLC — One of the brains behind The Tasting Room, Max’s Wine Dive and more, Horowitz…

Colorado AG says feds went too far with new fracking regs

Colorado is joining two other states in a lawsuit to protect the state’s authority to regulate hydraulic fracturing.

Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman announced Friday that the state would join a lawsuit challenging hydraulic fracturing regulations recently issued by the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

The BLM, which oversees federally owned land and mineral rights, issued its rules on fracking in March. But the new federal regulations may not have much affect in Colorado.

Energy…

Alliant Energy proposes $750M natural gas-fueled power plant near Beloit

Alliant Energy Corp. is proposing construction of a $750 million combined-cycle, natural gas-fueled power plant near Beloit that will be powered, in part, by solar energy.

The Madison-based energy company said it is seeking approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to build the generating station at its Riverside Energy Center. The expansion would include advanced technology to enhance performance and, as part of Alliant Energy’s plan to expand its renewable energy portfolio, the…

Reporter's Notebook: Dipping my finger in liquefied natural gas (slideshow)

I’ve done some pretty weird things in the name of journalism. Harlingen police once tased me in a demonstration to prove how effective their tasers are at taking down criminals.

I’ve flown 5,000 feet in the sky to get a bird’s eye view of the Eagle Ford Shale in Pleasanton. To get a tour of an oil rig, I even shaved off my beard. But for this week’s cover story, I dipped my finger into a beaker of liquefied natural gas, or LNG as it’s known in the industry. It was all part of a demonstration about…