energy

A process tower flies through air after exploding at the TPC Group Petrochemical Plant in Port Neches. An earlier massive explosion sparked a blaze at the plant on Nov. 27, 2019.

County ends voluntary evacuation of Port Neches, the second since last week's plant explosion

by Kiah Collier and Jolie McCullough

After recommending Wednesday night that residents leave the area, Jefferson County officials have told residents it's safe to return home.

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Fog in a low lying area where pumpjacks and powerlines populate the range along SW 5000 in Andrews County northeast of Kermit, Texas.

Report: Texas ranks second in budget cuts for environmental protection

by Kiah Collier

An analysis by the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Integrity Project found that 30 states have cut funding to environmental agencies over the past decade. In Texas, lawmakers slashed spending by more than a third between 2008 and 2018.

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Diane Wilson organizes bags of that contain plastic pellet samples she's collected over the past three years. Seadrift, Texas. March 20, 2019.

Retired Texas shrimper wins record-breaking $50 million settlement from plastics manufacturing giant

by Kiah Collier

U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt approved the settlement agreement between a scrappy environmental coalition and plastics giant Formosa. The settlement is the largest in U.S. history resulting from a citizen environmental suit.

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Sign indicating the presence of poison gas in Pecos County, Texas.

Pipeline giant sues Railroad Commission, alleging lax oversight of natural gas flaring

by Kiah Collier

A subsidiary of Tulsa-based Williams Cos. is suing Texas' oil and gas regulatory agency after it approved a request from Dallas-based Exco Operating Co. to burn off natural gas from wells in South Texas while they were hooked up to Williams' pipeline system.

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A vehicle near the remains of a fertilizer plant burning after an explosion in West, Texas, near Waco.

Trump EPA eases safety requirements enacted after West explosion

by Kiah Collier

Attorney General Ken Paxton applauded the new rules, saying they would make Texans safer. The Obama-era regulation was meant to improve chemical safety practices and prevent tragedies like the deadly 2013 fertilizer plant explosion in the tiny Central Texas town of West.

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U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry at a news conference in Baghdad, Iraq on Dec. 11, 2018.

Two of U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry's political supporters won "potentially lucrative" Ukraine energy deal, report says

by Brandon Formby

The Associated Press reports that the oil and gas exploration contract was awarded after Perry recommended one of his backers as an energy adviser to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky.

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Chrysta Castañeda is a Democratic candidate for the Texas Railroad commission.

Dallas attorney Chrysta Castañeda to challenge Railroad Commissioner Ryan Sitton

by Patrick Svitek

Castañeda, a Democrat, is centering her 2020 campaign on the issue of flaring, or the burning of natural gas that companies do not move to market.

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President Donald Trump talks with Energy Secretary Rick Perry after delivering remarks during an "Unleashing American Energy" event at the Department of Energy in Washington, D.C. on June 29, 2017.

What role did Rick Perry play in the Trump-Ukraine incidents at the heart of the impeachment inquiry?

by Abby Livingston

The president said his energy secretary suggested he talk to the Ukrainian president. Perry, once Texas' governor, said his prodding was about energy and the economy — not the Bidens.

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T. Boone Pickens speaks at the Texas Book Festival on Nov. 2, 2008

T. Boone Pickens, famed Texas oilman, dies at 91

by Kiah Collier and Carrington Tatum

The energy pioneer and philanthropist died of natural causes at his home in Dallas surrounded by friends and family, a spokesman said Wednesday

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Democratic Presidential Candidate Julián Castro speaks at a presidential candidate forum in Houston on Aug. 31, 2019. The forum is part of the annual Islamic Society of North America convention.

Julián Castro unveils climate plan centered on Green New Deal principles

by Alex Samuels

The plan carries a $10 trillion price tag and calls on the country to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045.

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A gas flare burns bright on a production site northeast of Andrews, Texas.

Trump administration announces rollback of Obama-era methane regulations

by Kiah Collier

The unwinding of requirements that oil and gas companies tamp down on climate-warming methane leaks has big implications for Texas, the nation's petroleum king.

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Rig workers inspect casings that will be loaded into the well in preparation for the hydraulic fracturing process at a Chesapeake Energy drill site in Dimmit.

Texas unemployment rate drops to lowest level since feds began tracking it in 1976

by Troy Closson

The state's unemployment rate for May dropped to 3.5%, an all-time low. That breaks the record low of 3.7% reached in April.

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Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, at a state Senate Committee on Nominations hearing for Texas Secretary of State David Whitley on Feb. 7, 2019. Whitley was appointed to the job by Gov. Greg Abbott, but Whitley must first clear the committee, then win a two-thirds vote in the full Texas Senate.

An amendment about waste facility fees was added to a widely supported domestic violence bill. Will it stick?

by Shannon Najmabadi

Sen. Lois Kolkhorst's office said Saturday that she "is still evaluating all options available to save SB 1804."

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Renewable energy proponents brace for last-minute attack on tax breaks for wind and solar

by Kiah Collier

For the past year, an influential conservative think tank has lobbied to make wind and solar projects ineligible for a popular local property tax abatement program. A measure to do that has stalled, but renewable advocates are watching for last-minute changes to other legislation.

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An aerial photograph of the Stolthaven Oil Tanking facility along the Houston Ship Channel on Nov. 10, 2015. Shell's Deer Park facility can be seen in the upper right.

In wake of Houston-area chemical fires, Texas Senate panel weighs input on stronger storage tank regulations

by Kiah Collier

The Senate Committee on Water and Rural Affairs took public testimony on a bill that would strengthen state oversight of above-ground tanks that hold hazardous hydrocarbons.

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Presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke speaks at a rally in El Paso on March 30, 2019, his first in Texas since announcing his bid on March 13.

Beto O'Rourke unveils plan to fight climate change

by Patrick Svitek

In the first major policy rollout of his presidential campaign, O'Rourke focuses on one of the most dominant issues in his party.

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A sign opposing the Trans-Pecos pipeline is shown outside the home of Suzanne Bailey and Tom Short in Alpine in June 2015. Their house sits a few feet from one of the first visible signs that the pipeline is coming: a 23-acre lot that's set to be a staging area for segments of the pipeline. The couple complained of frequent loud noise and shaking of their home as heavy machinery works to smooth the land.

Oil or property rights: House panel clashes over which to favor as it weighs eminent domain reforms

by Kiah Collier

Several bills meant to protect Texas landowners facing condemnation for oil pipeline construction and electric transmission projects generated heated debate on Thursday at a Capitol committee hearing.

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Point of Order: Crude awakening

by Evan Smith and Michael Rey de Leon

In the latest episode of our podcast about the 86th Legislature, Evan Smith talks to state Rep. Chris Paddie, who chairs the House Energy Resources Committee, about the impact of oil and gas activity on the Texas economy, the downside of the upside, and what the future holds.

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President Donald Trump signs an executive order on energy and infrastructure during a campaign event at the International Union of Operating Engineers International Training and Education Center in Crosby on April 10, 2019.

Trump issues executive orders seeking to speed up oil and gas pipeline projects

by Steven Mufson and Toluse Olorunnipa, The Washington Post

Oil and gas companies have complained that protests and court cases have slowed construction of pipelines needed as U.S. fossil fuel production expands.

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Smoke rises from a fire burning at the Intercontinental Terminals Company in Deer Park, east of Houston on March 18, 2019.

Why has Texas suddenly decided to immediately sue industrial polluters?

by Kiah Collier

In recent weeks, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has swiftly sued two companies over major fires at their Houston-area plants. It's a dramatic departure from the state's usual approach to environmental enforcement.

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