For Texas ports, the rise in oil and gas exports is a windfall. For some communities, it’s not so simple.
Kiah Collier
Kiah Collier was a reporter for the ProPublica-Texas Tribune investigative initiative from 2020 through 2023. She previously worked at the Tribune as a reporter and associate editor, covering energy and the environment through the lens of state government and politics. Kiah has reported for numerous other publications across Texas since 2010, including the Austin American-Statesman and the Houston Chronicle. Her beats also have included government and politics, public education and business. Kiah’s work has been honored with numerous prizes, including a George Foster Peabody Award, a Gerald Loeb Award, the Knight-Risser Prize for Western Environmental Journalism, the National Edward R. Murrow Award for best investigation and the AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award. A seventh-generation Texan, she grew up in the Austin area and graduated with high honors from the University of Texas at Austin with degrees in journalism and philosophy.
Posted in
Environment
Federal report: Hurricane Harvey was a climate change harbinger
A major scientific report released Friday by the Trump administration says Hurricane Harvey and other recent extreme weather events are a sign of things to come as the earth warms.
Posted in
The Taking
Hidalgo County sues former employee and engineering firm involved in border fence project
The South Texas county filed suit against Godfrey Garza Jr. and the high-profile Houston-based Dannenbaum Engineering on Wednesday.
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Texas Elections 2018
Gov. Greg Abbott clinches second term as GOP wins closest statewide races in 20 years
Abbott easily bested his Democratic opponent, Lupe Valdez. Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller faced rare single-digit contests before eventually besting Democratic challengers.
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Protecting the Coast
Army Corps, Texas officials propose sweeping hurricane protection plan
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Texas General Land Office have recommended a plan to shore up the Houston area and other parts of the Texas coast. It features a massive flood wall along Galveston Island and could cost as much as $31 billion.
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Texas Elections 2018
Three candidates vie for slot on Texas’ oil and gas regulatory agency
Railroad Commission Chairman Christi Craddick — a Republican whose relationship with the industry she regulates has been questioned — is seeking re-election to a second term. She faces challenges from Democrat Roman McAllen and Libertarian Mike Wright.
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Blowout: Inside America's energy gamble
As oil and gas exports surge, West Texas becomes the world’s “extraction colony”
An unprecedented drilling boom in the Permian Basin is great for business. But it’s polluting the air, overwhelming communities and threatening the planet.
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Criminal Justice
Five days to vacate: How a sudden setback can lead to an eviction
Since 2017, 12 families a day on average have been evicted from their homes in Travis County. Many people had lost a job, experienced a medical emergency or had a roommate leave without notice.
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Immigration
Homeland Security moves to plug gaps in Bush-era border fence
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security gave notice that it plans to waive environmental laws to install gates along a stretch of border fence in the Rio Grande Valley.
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Protecting the Coast
Army Corps set to propose hurricane protection plan for Houston
For years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has studied how best to protect Houston from deadly hurricane storm surge. It will announce which one it thinks is best later this month.
