“Should we be worried?”: Another well blowout in West Texas has a town smelling of rotten eggs
Experts warn that more blowouts should be expected unless oil and gas companies change their methods. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/fb2dd27dd09b2d5ac08c2e218a212872/1004%20Toyah%20Blowout%20JH%20TT%20143.jpg)
-
![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 -
Fight over West Texas nuclear waste plan to hit U.S. Supreme Court
A company has long pursued the plan to move “high-level” nuclear waste from power plants across the nation to a storage facility in Andrews County. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/33a4799d0973f46715512cbb850df80d/Andrews%20Waste%20ELH%20TT%2019.jpg)
![The entrance to the Waste Control Specialists site where radioactive and hazardous waste is being stored on Jan. 17, 2021.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
Texas overrides local lawsuits to negotiate smaller settlements with polluters, Harris County officials claim
A 2017 law lets the state block local governments, individuals and nonprofits from suing polluters and pursue the cases itself. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/3aa7225cb7c6bceeb2e6e8e43d148651/040422%20Channelview%20Fire%20REUTERS%20TT%2001.jpg)
![Smoke from the K-Solv Chemicals and Maritime Services fire in Channelview rises above the Battleship Texas and the Houston Ship Channel on April 7, 2021. The chemical facility erupted in flames after an explosion, with a large plume of black smoke that could be seen for miles.]()
Credit: Jennifer Lake/Sipa USA via REUTERS -
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says Legislature will review Deloitte’s contracts after public loan project scandal
The examination of Deloitte’s existing contracts comes after it failed to catch red flags in a company’s application for a loan to build or upgrade power plants in the state. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e26d36d93b6933a5068702863e50de20/0914%20Paxton%20Trial%20Day%208%20EG%20TT%2076.jpg)
![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick adjourns for the day on the eighth day of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial on Sept. 14, 2023. Paxton’s defense attorneys rested their case that evening.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
How Texas’ environmental agency weakened a once-rigorous air pollution monitoring team
Former employees say the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality gutted the unit soon after the fracking boom swept the state oil industry. The operation never returned to what it was before. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/c44852963a74397c76ea7d8cd7478ce9/0226%20ITC%20Scene%20Setters%20MF%20TT%2014.jpg)
![Deer Park Stadium with refineries in the background on Feb. 26, 2023 in Deer Park.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune -
West Texans split on proposed direct air capture project that could be largest in U.S.
Residents were worried about the impact on their drinking water while business leaders were excited for the new jobs. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/68a5f6abe580757b177512c08ec44e2d/1003%20Ector%20Carbon%20VB%2007%20TT.jpg)
![From left, EPA officials Ken Johnson, Sona Chaudhary, Thomas Rucki and Scott Ellinger listen to testimony from West Texas residents during a public engagement hearing about the proposed construction of a series of carbon capture plants by Occidental Petroleum October 3, 2024, in Odessa.]()
Credit: Vincent Bao for The Texas Tribune -
The largest carbon capture project in the U.S. could be in West Texas. Do residents want it?
If approved, the Oxy carbon capture plant will be the largest in Texas. Critics worry the technology is not enough to beat back climate change. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/dbe9a8b26e913e3397e196ba64d5cc60/Petra%20Nova%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg)
![Petra Nova CCS Facility at NRG Power Plant in Richmond, Texas, on May 18, 2018.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Trish Badger -
Texas’ economy could take a hit if Houston dockworkers’ strike persists
Workers who load and unload shipping containers from cargo ships are at an impasse in labor contract negotiations. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/9dca50fe336ff448ee6b6ccd9deaf08d/Port%20of%20Houston%20MS%20TT%2003.jpg)
![Refinery complexes along the Houston Ship Channel on Sept. 7, 2016.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Fourteen years after BP oil spill, Galveston scientists are striving to save the Gulf’s deep-sea coral
The massive 2010 oil spill damaged or killed coral in the Gulf of Mexico. Now some of the $20 billion settlement is helping researchers learn how to help the coral recover. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/8c122bf82a849e3bed34f71d45a1ebe3/HL%20Coral%20Story%20TT%2005.jpg)
![Muricea pendula coral at NOAA Southeast Fisheries Science Center Wet Lab, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in Galveston. (Antranik Tavitian / Houston Landing)]()
Credit: Antranik Tavitian/Houston Landing -
Ken Paxton sues Biden administration over listing Texas lizard as endangered
The lawsuit claims federal regulators have undermined the Texas oil and gas industry by misusing environmental law, negatively impacting drilling and production. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/aaff4d69284c6b4c22ef4037503a3aab/Dunes%20Sagebrush-Lizard%20Ryan%20Hagerty%20USFWSFPWC.jpg)
![Dunes Sagebrush Lizard.]()
Credit: Ryan Hagerty/USFWS -
Study finds levels of a dangerous gas “off the scales” in Central Texas oilfield
The smell of oil wells has long permeated Caldwell County, near Austin and San Antonio. Now researchers have documented wells releasing dangerous amounts of hydrogen sulfide gas. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/588ab84117b68509b8d35ce653abda3b/0919%20Luling%20H2S%20MP%2001.jpg)
![A cow next to a non-producing oil well in Caldwell County. Gas was venting out of the well even though oil is not being produced.]()
Credit: Courtesy of Abigail Edgar -
Texas lawmakers question agency's ability to oversee $5 billion energy loan program after initial glitch
Lawmakers tasked the Public Utility Commission with overseeing the Texas Energy Fund, though the agency has no experience running a loan program. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/777a6dc5011006b5e2a70f1e94b0a3bb/0711%20PUC%20Hearing%20SF%2001.jpg)
![Public Utilities Commission Chairman Thomas Gleeson speaks during a meeting on Thursday, July 11, 2024. Leaders of various energy companies spoke to the committee about the status of their companies in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl. (Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune)]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Power plant expansion tied to Bitcoin mining faces backlash in rural Hood County
Granbury residents say a noisy Bitcoin mine keeps them up at night. Now a plan to expand the power plant that fuels the mine is drawing opposition over pollution concerns. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0c803076807322a979825654336bc56a/0611%20Granbury%20Bitcoin%20KP%20TT%2007.jpg)
![A view of the Wolf Hollow II power plant, owned by Constellation Energy, in Granbury, Texas.]()
Credit: Keaton Peters/Inside Climate News -
Abbott says potential power outages from Tropical Storm Francine will be restored within hours
Texas isn’t expected to take a direct hit when the storm makes landfall as a hurricane. But storm surge and dangerous winds are possible. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/6053109dab87eae386938a9c5eb58888/0910%20Abbott%20Francine%20Prep%20LW%2007.jpg)
![Governor Greg Abbott hosts a press conference about Tropical Storm Francine at the Texas Division of Emergency Management on Sept. 10, 2024 in Austin.]()
Credit: Lorianne Willett/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
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/887b6fdf9f50fbc2062cff47f29ad552/0224%20Martin%20Produced%20Water%20JM%20TT%2020.jpg)
![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 -
Startup wants to use fracking tech to create renewable energy in South Texas
A Houston company plans to create storage caverns for pressurized water, which when released drives a turbine to send power to the grid. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/6acab29fa657901623c91688a3605d13/0322%20Renewable%20Energy%20VC%20TT%2014.jpg)
![Cindy D. Taff, CEO of Sage Geosystems, explains how they use wells to store energy at a site near Santa Elena in Starr County on March 22, 2023. The startup is testing storing energy in the ground.]()
Credit: Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
In regulating AI, Texas lawmakers face balancing act between its benefits and harms
A Senate committee discussed the potential pitfalls of artificial intelligence — and overregulating it. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/33dae37c94fa4acada05de4bb212c131/0624%20Capitol-Austin%20File%20OA%20TT%2003.jpg)
![The Capitol Dome overlooks the city on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at the Texas Capitol Building in Austin.]()
Credit: Olivia Anderson/The Texas Tribune -
The oil industry is booming. This West Texas small business worries it’s been left behind.
Before the pandemic, Ben Bilbrey worked with some of the largest oil companies. Now he’s waiting for the phone to ring. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/804f6d926f596605708bb92774d8a7fa/0814%20Goldsmith%20EH%20TT%2034.jpg)
![Benny Ford drives back to Benro Pump and Supply after picking up a downhole pumping unit from a well site Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2024, near Goldsmith.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Donald Trump’s promise to “drill, baby, drill” probably won’t change much — least of all in Texas
Texas is producing so much natural gas right now companies are losing money. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/6bfa5693ea28690198425f44aa2486b9/0915%20Rig%20Tour%20EH%2073.jpg)
![A series of four drilling rigs operate in a row outside of Tarzan Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Martin County.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Federal court orders regulators to fix process, reconsider gas export projects in South Texas
This week’s ruling was the latest twist since cities and groups in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley sued to block the projects. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/0a73b82c90448015194a9307c772465e/0222%20RGV%20LNG%20DB%2001.JPG)
![Construction crews work at the 750-acre site of the proposed Rio Grande LNG facility Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024 in Brownsville.]()
Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News