Recycled oilfield water could aid drought-stricken West Texas
Oilfield wastewater injected underground is causing earthquakes and blowouts. Now, pilot projects are exploring whether this water could be treated and used to grow crops. Full Story
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![Eric Selinger walks on his property near the Pecos River outside Imperial on Oct. 8. He previously farmed shrimp but now hopes that treated produced water could bring the land back to life.]()
Credit: Martha Pskowski/Inside Climate News -
A West Texas lawmaker wants to redirect millions of tax dollars to plug abandoned wells, curb emissions
The proposal comes after the state’s oil and gas regulatory agency said it needs more money to plug wells that are in some instances erupting. Full Story
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![State Rep. Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa, listens to Jazmin Cazares as she testifies before the House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety at the state capitol in Austin on June 23, 2022.]()
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Republican Christi Craddick reelected to Railroad Commission, the state’s oil and gas regulatory agency
The three-member board oversees Texas’ oil and gas industry. The agency has faced criticism over safety concerns linked to fracking, well blowouts and groundwater protection. Full Story
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![Christi Craddick, chair of the Texas Railroad Commission, speaks to delegates at the 2024 Texas GOP Convention in San Antonio on May 25, 2024.]()
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See final results from Texas for the November 2024 election
Texans voted in several races, including for the President, a U.S. Senator, U.S. House members and more. Full Story
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State oil regulator requests $100 million to tackle West Texas well blowouts
Abandoned wells in the Permian Basin are increasingly erupting with briney, polluted water. The Texas Railroad Commission says it needs emergency money to respond. Full Story
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![Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Christi Craddick, then-Chairman Wayne Christian, and Commissioner Jim Wright listen during an RRC hearing in Austin on Nov. 30, 2021.]()
Credit: Dimitri Staszewski for The Texas Tribune -
A West Texas well that exploded has been sealed, cleanup will take months
While residents smelled rotten eggs, the state’s environmental agency said it has not detected any air pollution. Full Story
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![An oil well blowout shooting a mixture of oil, water, and gas over 100 feet in the air west of Toyah on Oct. 4, 2024.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel courtesy of DeSmog -
Level of oil and gas regulation at heart of Texas Railroad Commission race
Incumbent Christi Craddick is touting the health of the Texas energy industry and its impact on the economy. Her top opponent says regulation on the commission is too lax. Full Story
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![From left: Commission Shift Executive Director Virginia Palacios moderates a Texas Railroad Commission candidate forum with Libertarian Hawk Dunlap, Democrat Katherine Culbert and Green Party candidate Eddie Espinoza in Austin on Oct. 16, 2024. Republican incumbent Christi Craddick did not attend.]()
Credit: Montinique Monroe for the Texas Tribune -
Texas proposes first new rules for oilfield waste in 40 years
While environmentalists say the new rules don’t do enough to protect groundwater, oil and gas operators are contesting stricter requirements for waste pits near wells. Full Story
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![Produced water ponds, constructed by Martin Water, and Circle 6 Baptist Camp, top, in Lenorah on Feb. 24, 2024. The Railroad Commission approved the construction of the ponds, used to treat and recycle produced water from fracking, next to the Circle 6 Baptist Camp in the Permian Basin.]()
Credit: Julian Mancha for The Texas Tribune/Inside Climate News -
Texas opens more coastal waters for carbon storage wells
The Gulf Coast is poised to be a major hub for underground disposal of greenhouse gas to mitigate climate change, but questions remain over who will fund it long-term. Full Story
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![Flint Hills Resources, a manufacturer of fuels and chemicals, site in Corpus on Nov. 11, 2021.]()
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Water is bursting from another abandoned West Texas oil well, continuing a troubling trend
Pecos County rancher Schuyler Wight says the Railroad Commission continues to plug wells. But each time they do, another one starts flowing. Full Story
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![Water flows from an orphaned oil well on Schuyler Wight’s ranch in Pecos County, Texas.]()
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Despite Texas’ “aggressive” well-plugging program, there’s still a backlog of orphaned oil and gas wells
No state has punched more holes in its bedrock than the Lone Star State. The environmental risks are staggering, and so are the clean up costs, especially in the Permian Basin. Full Story
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![The head of an abandoned well sprouts from the ground on Stuart Carter's cattle ranch in Luling. For years, he has pushed the operator who took over a mineral lease to plug the well. The operator refuses to do so, saying it's not his responsibility.]()
Credit: Tamir Kalifa for The Texas Tribune -
Texas energy companies are betting hydrogen can become a cleaner fuel for transportation
Supporters say developing hydrogen as a fuel is critical to slowing climate change. Critics are concerned that producing it with fossil fuels will prop up the oil and gas industry. Full Story
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![Air Liquide’s facility manager Craig Allen at the largest hydrogen storage facility, on Sept. 5, 2023 in Beaumont.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
Election results: How Texas voted in the 2024 primary
Get The Texas Tribune’s coverage of election results for the 2024 primary races for president, U.S. Senate, U.S. House and the Texas Legislature. Full Story
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![Voting stickers for 2024 primary election voter guide.]()
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“Nobody really knows what you’re supposed to do”: Leaking, exploding abandoned wells wreak havoc in West Texas
The Texas Railroad Commission is tasked with plugging wells. But the state regulators say their scope is limited. Full Story
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![Bill Wight looks at the well that was leaking high volumes of salt water on his land Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, in Crane County.]()
Credit: Sarah M. Vasquez for The Texas Tribune -
Midland settles with company to drill wastewater wells near the city’s drinking water supply
The city initially protested Pilot’s applications to drill the wells close to its water supply. Full Story
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![A water tower at the Midland International Air & Space Port on Jan. 28, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
Worried about safety, a small West Texas town challenges planned cross-border pipeline
Critics are calling on federal regulators to increase their scrutiny and oversight of the proposed pipeline, which would send gas from Texas to the Mexican coast for export to other countries. Full Story
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![The skyline of Van Horn, Texas, where residents are raising concerns about a proposed natural gas pipeline.]()
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Midland fights disposal of oilfield wastewater near its drinking supply
As oil and gas companies struggle to dispose of their wastewater in the Permian Basin, the city of Midland is challenging applications for disposal wells near one of its drinking water sources. Full Story
![A water tower at the Midland International Air & Space Port on Jan. 28, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
Oil and gas companies spill millions of gallons of wastewater in Texas
An exclusive Inside Climate News analysis found that companies have spilled nearly 150 million gallons of toxic, highly saline wastewater in Texas over the last decade. Full Story
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![Oil and gas lawyer Sarah Stogner visits Lake Boehmer in Pecos County where abandoned wells have brought produced water to the surface for decades. The Railroad Commission considers these water wells and therefore not under their jurisdiction.]()
Credit: Martha Pskowski/Inside Climate News -
Oilfield companies helped to craft Texas’ new waste rules for 2 years before the public got to see them
The effort to update the state’s oilfield waste disposal rules was initiated by Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright, one of the state’s top oil and gas regulators who has investments in the industry. Full Story
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![Christi Craddick, Commissioner of the Texas Railroad Commission, Chairman Wayne Christian, and Commissioner Jim Wright listen during an RRC hearing in the William B. Travis Building in Austin on Nov. 30, 2021.]()
Credit: Dimitri Staszewski for The Texas Tribune -
Sarah Stogner announces second campaign for the Texas Railroad Commission
After losing in a Republican runoff last year, Stogner said she plans to challenge incumbent Chair Christi Craddick as a member of the Forward Party. Full Story
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![Sarah Stogner of the newly-formed Texas Forward Party speaks during Open Congress at the Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 23, 2023.]()
Credit: Julius Shieh/The Texas Tribune