ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy spoke during the West press conference at West High School and announced that the cause of the explosion is still undetermined.
Enlarge photo by: Matt Hellman | Lariat Photo Editor
State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy spoke during the West press conference at West High School and announced that the cause of the explosion is still undetermined.

Cause of West Explosion Remains Unclear

The cause of the West fertilizer plant explosion that killed 15 people on April 17 has been ruled “undetermined,” officials announced at a press conference in the town's high school parking lot on Thursday. While an investigation into what triggered the blaze is ongoing, investigators’ examination of the scene has concluded. Because they cannot rule out an intentionally set fire, the matter is still considered a criminal investigation.

 

 

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Interactive: Texas Ammonium Nitrate Facilities

Enlarge graphic by: Todd Wiseman

After West Explosion, Other Chemical Stockpiles Come Under Scrutiny

  • by Chris Hooks and Maurice Chammah
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The Gavilon facility in Amarillo sits near residences. Officials say that the ammonium nitrate on site is stored safely, so that it cannot explode.
Enlarge photo by: David Bowser
The Gavilon facility in Amarillo sits near residences. Officials say that the ammonium nitrate on site is stored safely, so that it cannot explode.

As state and federal regulators analyze the patchwork of policies governing the fertilizer plant that exploded in West, the incident has prompted a closer look at communities that lie near stockpiles of chemicals.

Lawmakers Want Answers on West Explosion

Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd testified before the House Homeland Security & Public Safety Committee Wednesday about the response to the deadly April 17 fertilizer plant explosion in West, TX.
Enlarge photo illustration by: Marjorie Cotera
Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd testified before the House Homeland Security & Public Safety Committee Wednesday about the response to the deadly April 17 fertilizer plant explosion in West, TX.

While not downplaying the devastation of the deadly fertilizer plant explosion in the town of West, the head of the state's emergency management operations told lawmakers on Wednesday that "the system worked."

 

Straus: House Will Find Way to Fund Water

Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, says his 83rd session priorities will be education and water while speaking at TribLive on Feb. 6, 2013.
Enlarge credit: Bob Daemmrich
Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, says his 83rd session priorities will be education and water while speaking at TribLive on Feb. 6, 2013.

UPDATED: The morning after a major bill to authorize spending billions of dollars on state water projects faltered in the House, Speaker Joe Straus' office released a statement saying he wouldn't "let a technicality seal the debate."

State's Shale Boom Has Major Impact on Budget

A worker waits to load a piece of pipe, or casing, that will be lowered into the well at a Chesapeake Energy drill site in Dimmit County, Texas in the Eagle Ford Shale.
Enlarge graphic by: Tamir Kalifa
A worker waits to load a piece of pipe, or casing, that will be lowered into the well at a Chesapeake Energy drill site in Dimmit County, Texas in the Eagle Ford Shale.

Besides boosting the economies of remote towns, the shale boom has big implications for the Texas economy and budget. Already, taxes on oil and gas production have soared above the comptroller’s estimates. 

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TribLive: Tea Party Freshmen on the Rainy Day Fund

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With Disposal Wells in High Demand, One County Pushes Back

  • by Dave Fehling, KUHF/StateImpact Texas
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Texas Railroad Commission lead engineering technician for districts 1 and 2, Michael Polasek, inspects a salt water disposal injection well at a Heckman Water Resources commercial disposal facility on the LAMZA lease near Highway 80, January 22, 2012.
Enlarge photo by: Jennifer Whitney
Texas Railroad Commission lead engineering technician for districts 1 and 2, Michael Polasek, inspects a salt water disposal injection well at a Heckman Water Resources commercial disposal facility on the LAMZA lease near Highway 80, January 22, 2012.

Texas' fracking boom has given rise to an influx of wells used to dispose of drilling wastewater. But the proliferation of disposal wells is raising environmental and safety concerns, as one South Texas county has discovered.

Sale of Longhorns Sparks Debate on Breed's Future

A longhorn stops at a water source on the 311,000-acre Big Bend State Park Ranch in the Chihuahuan Desert of West Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has recently sold off about two-thirds of the herd to build a smaller pasture to display the remaining animals.
Enlarge photo by: Mary Lou Saxon
A longhorn stops at a water source on the 311,000-acre Big Bend State Park Ranch in the Chihuahuan Desert of West Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has recently sold off about two-thirds of the herd to build a smaller pasture to display the remaining animals.

The recent sale of about 100 longhorns by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has triggered a debate on how to best protect the future of a breed that has stood as a symbol of the state.