The Texas Legislature has also invested millions in research to clean the fracking wastewater. Critics say it’s not a viable solution to the state’s water crisis.
Texas Railroad Commission
Posted in
Energy
Bill would stop Texas oil drillers from secretly burying toxic waste on private property
House Bill 4572 would introduce new requirements for pits where drillers bury oil and gas waste.
Posted in
Energy
Texas energy company wins first-of-its-kind permit to suck carbon out of air, store underground
Environmental groups worry direct carbon capture is not the silver bullet to curb climate change many energy companies purport it to be.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2025
Renewable energy companies face little regulation in Texas. A state lawmaker wants to change that.
The legislation would put new requirements on wind and solar companies that oil and gas companies in Texas do not face.
Posted in
Panhandle Wildfires
Legislation creating statewide emergency communication system advances in Texas House
The legislation was written after the state’s largest wildfire scorched more than 1 million acres in the Panhandle last year.
Posted in
Politics
Carole Keeton Strayhorn, first woman to serve as Texas comptroller, dies at 85
She served on the Texas Railroad Commission, and was the first woman elected Austin mayor.
Posted in
Energy
An abandoned West Texas oil well has created a 200-foot-wide sinkhole
The rapidly-growing sinkhole in Upton County is the latest of many problems caused by old wells in the Permian Basin.
Posted in
Texas Legislature 2025
A Republican effort to set deadlines to plug orphan wells in Texas hits resistance
The bill would have set deadlines for the oil and gas industry to plug inactive wells, which can pose a danger to the environment.
Posted in
Energy
Why oil and gas companies want state oversight for carbon dioxide injection
Environmentalists are worried the state — known for a lax approach to regulation — is not prepared for the added responsibility of regulating certain carbon capture projects.
Posted in
Energy
Texas regulators grapple with a growing problem: old oil wells leaking polluted water
Two years after lawmakers created a $10 million program to address leaking wells in rural counties, none of the money has been distributed.
