The recommendations for legislative action amount to a striking call for industry regulation by the Republican governor in a state that has long prided itself on being a favorable environment for business.
Alejandra Martinez
Alejandra Martinez is a Fort Worth-based environmental reporter. She’s covered the impacts of petrochemical facilities on Black and brown communities, including investigating a chemical fire at an industrial complex and how the state's air monitoring system has failed Latino communities. Her work on climate change includes exploring the health effects of extreme heat and how extended droughts affect water resources. Before joining the Tribune in 2022, Alejandra was an accountability reporter at KERA, where she began as a Report for America Corps Member and then covered Dallas City Hall. She also has worked as an associate producer at WLRN in South Florida. A Houston native, Alejandra studied journalism at the University of Texas at Austin and speaks fluent Spanish.
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Data Centers in Texas
Eight data centers threaten to transform this small Texas county. Local officials say they have no power to stop them.
At least 248 data centers are planned to be built in Texas. Of those, nearly half will be built in unincorporated areas, where county officials are limited in their ability to regulate development, according to a Texas Tribune analysis.
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Environment
Hill Country ranch with caves, cliffs and lake will become Texas’ second-largest state park
The 54,000-acre Silver Lake Ranch, straddling Kinney and Edwards counties, has a 30-acre spring-fed lake. An opening date hasn’t been determined.
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2026 Texas Elections
Ken Paxton defeats John Cornyn for U.S. Senate GOP nomination
The attorney general’s victory is a crushing blow to the Texas GOP’s old guard, which has faltered in recent years against the Paxton-led insurgent wing.
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Environment
Hurricane season expected to be mild in 2026, but officials urge Texans to stay prepared
A strong El Niño weather pattern is expected to develop and intensify during the 2026 hurricane season, which could suppress the formation of tropical storms and hurricanes.
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Economy
Texas county pauses data center construction in rural areas for a year
Hill County commissioners’ split vote to issue a moratorium appears to be a first in Texas.
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Environment
Corpus Christi is scrambling to ward off a water crisis. Here’s a guide to its water projects.
From drilling groundwater wells to recycling wastewater, Corpus Christi has launched a host of projects as it races against the clock to find more water.
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Environment
Corpus Christi water emergency may be just two months away, city leaders say
Two out of the five projections city leaders presented Tuesday showed water shortages beginning in May. The city has yet to detail plans for how to reduce water use for residents and businesses.
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Environment
As Corpus Christi water shortage worsens, residents and businesses may soon have to cut their usage 25%
The City Council will discuss the looming crisis Tuesday. One model predicted a water emergency in November. Other scenarios show that happening in May.
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Environment
Why an East Texas rancher donated part of his water rights to the state
As Texas faces growing water challenges, the donation to the Texas Water Trust — a little-known conservation tool created nearly 30 years ago — was the first in two decades.
