The state comptroller’s office went back to the drawing board after the failure of a 6-year-old plan to protect the dunes sagebrush lizard that relied on voluntary participation by the oil and gas industry.
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
Immigration
Amid immigration debate, feds moving ahead with land seizures for South Texas border wall
At a briefing in McAllen earlier this week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection told a group of South Texas officials the federal government plans to move forward with private land seizures in the Rio Grande Valley to build sections of President Trump’s border wall.
Posted in
Energy
Environmental groups ask feds to protect threatened West Texas lizard
Two environmental groups asked the federal government on Tuesday to list the dunes sagebrush lizard as threatened or endangered.
Posted in
In Harvey's Wake
New health survey aims to quantify Hurricane Harvey’s physical, mental toll
Rice University, the Environmental Defense Fund and the Houston Health Department announced an information-gathering initiative on Wednesday that seeks to better understand the impact of the historic storm on Houston-area residents, including by linking health problems to environmental exposures.
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Energy
Texas regulator says “misunderstanding” is making millennials shun oilfield jobs
Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian told House lawmakers on Wednesday that the biggest threat to a burgeoning oil boom is “the acceptance of the politically-correct-driven environmental anti-oil and gas science.”
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In Harvey's Wake
Houston-area toxic waste site removed from priority cleanup list
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday that the San Jacinto Waste Pits are no longer on its “Emphasis List” of Superfund sites following a $115 million agreement to remove toxic sludge from the site.
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In Harvey's Wake
Report: Solving Houston flooding woes will require wholesale strategy overhaul
Limiting development and telling buyers about a home’s true flood risk are among the recommendations by the Greater Houston Flood Mitigation Consortium.
Posted in
Environment
Report: Major Texas industrial facilities rank first nationally in illegal water pollution
A study by a Texas environmental group and a California think tank found that about half of Texas’ major industrial facilities released illegal levels of pollution into rivers, lakes and other waterways over the past two years.
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Energy
At Houston energy conference, Texas is the focus of American oil optimism as the last bust fades
The Permian Basin in West Texas is the driving force behind what some key energy players say is a coming milestone: The United States passing Russia as the world’s top oil producer.
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State Government
Sid Miller prevails in three-way GOP race for Texas agriculture commissioner
The Republican from Stephenville — known for his social media bluster and omnipresent cowboy hat — bested his two challengers, avoiding a runoff.
