Toxic Landfill Plan Near Colonia Raises Racism Charges
Laredo residents are protesting a proposed landfill that they say will make their community a dumping ground for toxic waste from across the United States and Mexico. Full Story
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![Alejandro Obregon and his wife, Rocio, stand in front of their home near the site of a landfill proposed by developer C. Y. Benavides, about 20 miles east of Laredo. Their daughter, Abigail, is at right.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Challenges EPA's Crackdown on Oilfield Methane
Texas is again taking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to court, this time challenging new rules aimed at slashing methane emissions in the oil patch. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman -
NextEra Would Own Oncor in $18.4 Billion Deal
Florida-based NextEra Energy has unveiled an $18.4 billion deal to buy Oncor, Texas' largest electric transmission company. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Camil Tulcan / Todd Wiseman -
New in Trib+Water: Paved-Over Wetlands and Flooding
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: Paving over wetlands around Houston raise risk of flooding, more worries about contaminated water sources and an interview with David Todd of the Conservation History Association of Texas. Full Story
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Texas Gets Boost in New Mexico Water Fight
Three years after Texas filed a complaint in the U.S. Supreme Court alleging that New Mexican farmers were illegally curbing the Rio Grande's flow into Texas, the justices appear closer to taking up the challenge. Full Story
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![The Rio Grande at the New Mexico-Texas border on Monday, Dec. 9, 2013, in El Paso.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre -
New in Trib+Water: El Paso Water Buy Stirs Concern
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: An El Paso Water Utilities purchase of a ranch stirs concerns about water exports, algae blooms hint at systems out of balance across the globe and an interview with Greg Story of the National Weather Service West Gulf River Forecast Center. Full Story
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Sinkhole Warnings Don't Faze West Texas
A recent study has thrust the Wink Sinks — two breathtaking sinkholes in Winkler County which have long been objects of fear and fascination — into the national spotlight. Full Story
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![Wink Sink No. 2 formed in 2002 around a well that once supplied water for drillers on the the Hendrick Oilfield. The larger of Winkler County's two sinkholes, it measures 900 feet across at its widest point.]()
Credit: Rafael Aguilera for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Regulator Wants to Make Shopping for Electricity Easier
Donna Nelson, who chairs the Texas Public Utility Commission, is trying to crack down on deceptive electricity providers and make it easier for Texans to shop for electricity. Full Story
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![Texas Public Utility Commissioner, Donna Nelson on Jan. 11, 2016]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Texas Agency Votes to Expand Controversial Coal Mine Near Border
The state’s environmental regulatory agency on Wednesday rebuffed a coalition of border residents and environmental activists who hoped to halt a coal mine from expanding its operations near the Rio Grande. Full Story
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Credit: Julián Aguilar -
Oil Patch Schools Facing Budget Nightmare
The oil bust is threatening to deal a serious financial blow to schools in oil-producing regions across the state — particularly if it lingers. Full Story
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![During the oil boom, Cuero voters approved a $76 million bond to construct a performing arts center and two elementary schools that are still under construction. The facilities are expected to open this fall.]()
Credit: Robin Jerstad for The Texas Tribune -
Paxton Drops Challenge as Exxon Mobil Probe Shifts
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his Alabama counterpart have dropped their legal bid to squelch a U.S. Virgin Islands investigation of Exxon Mobil after the U.S. territory agreed to with draw a subpoena for company documents. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during a May 25, 2016, press conference.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
New in Trib+Water: Utilities and Water Conservation
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: New opportunities for water utilities to promote conservation, a new water quality study of the Pedernales River and an interview with Chelsea A.J. Hawkins of the Alliance for Water Efficiency. Full Story
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Laredo's Bag Ban Becomes Flashpoint in Debate Over Local Control
On Tuesday, lawyers for Laredo merchants argued the city's plastic bag ban conflicts with state law. The case has become a flashpoint in a roiling debate over the limits of local control, and the ruling could strike bag bans across Texas. Full Story
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Texas Awarded $50 Million in Massive Volkswagen Settlement
Volkswagen has agreed to pay Texas $50 million as part of what is being described as the largest auto-related class-action settlement in U.S. history. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is shown at a news conference in Austin on Jan. 13, 2016, to announce a new unit of the attorney general’s office dedicated to combating human trafficking.]()
Credit: Shelby Knowles/ Texas Tribune -
A Closer Look at the Texas Twist in Fight Between Exxon, Virgin Islands
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is trying to intervene in an effort to thwart an investigation into whether Exxon Mobil misled investors about the risks of climate change. Here’s a guide to Paxton’s effort and how it fits into the much broader climate change battle in the United States. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton testifies how his faith is getting him through his recent legal woes during a speech to a gathering at the Republican Party of Texas gathering in Dallas May 14, 2016.]()
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Texas Budget Spared in Court Ruling on Drilling Tax Case
A Texas Supreme Court ruling has spared the state from having to issue billions of dollars in tax refunds to oil and gas drillers — a prospect that had threatened to shake up the next legislative session. Full Story
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![An oil driller had filed a lawsuit over sales tax refunds. Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar's office warned that a Texas loss could have spurred up to $4.4 billion in refund filings for 2017 alone.]()
Credit: Illustration by Shelby Knowles / Ed Schipul -
New in Trib+Water: Ranchers Frustrated by Frack Ponds
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: Ranchers have a new problem in frack ponds, water utilities find possible vulnerability to cyberattack and an interview with Tim Loftus of Texas State University and the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment. Full Story
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Texas Lawmaker's Startup Sells Help Shaping Local Policy
Rep. Jason Villalba, a Dallas Republican, is helping launch LightSwitch Solutions, an Austin-based public relations and consulting firm with plans to shape opinion about local policy. Full Story
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![Rep. Jason Villalba, R-Dallas, takes questions from reporters after filing the Protection of Texas Children Act on Feb. 6, 2013.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera -
Former Mayor's "Clean Coal" Effort Struggles
Since leaving office in 2007, former Dallas Mayor Laura Miller has been championing "clean coal" technology, but these days plans for a West Texas gasification plant appear to be on life support. Full Story
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![A pump at an Alvin, Texas oilfield uses carbon dioxide, piped in from Mississippi, to help extract oil.]()
Credit: Wenjing Zhang -
Report: Texans Finding Better Deals on the Electricity Market
Texans who shopped for electricity in 2014 paid more on average than folks who only had one power option — but the difference was smaller than in years past. Full Story
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Credit: Dan Atrill