“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
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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 -
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
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![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
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![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 -
How Texas weakened its own 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
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![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
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![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
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![Petra Nova CCS Facility at NRG Power Plant in Richmond, Texas, on May 18, 2018.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Trish Badger -
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
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![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
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![Dunes Sagebrush Lizard.]()
Credit: Ryan Hagerty/USFWS -
Cards Against Humanity says in new lawsuit that SpaceX has destroyed some of its South Texas property
The card game company crowd-funded money to buy the land in an attempt to block a portion of Donald Trump’s border wall. Full Story
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![SpaceX rockets at the launch pad at the Brownsville facility on Oct. 20, 2021. On Oct. 22, Elon Musk said via Twitter the Starship rocket would be ready for an orbital launch by next month.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune -
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
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![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 -
Democrats hope campaign against school vouchers will help retake South Texas House seat
The first-term Republican defending her seat said a private school voucher program will help her community, especially students from low-income families. Full Story
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![From left: Democrat Jonathan Gracia is challenging Republican incumbent Janie Lopez in state House District 37, which covers part of the Rio Grande Valley, which includes Harlingen and part of Brownsville.]()
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Texas’ battle against deer disease threatens breeding industry
Texas has seen a record number of chronic wasting disease cases this year. The state is looking for new ways to contain the spread without driving deer breeders out of business. Full Story
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![Does at John True's breeding facility in Terrell, Texas on Sept. 9, 2024.]()
Credit: Azul Sordo 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
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![A view of the Wolf Hollow II power plant, owned by Constellation Energy, in Granbury, Texas.]()
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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
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![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
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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 -
How we assisted Houston residents in monitoring air quality and reporting pollution
After identifying flaws in the state’s air monitoring, the Tribune hosted workshops to inform Houston Ship Channel communities. Full Story
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![On August 10, 2024, participants listen to a presentation at the Galena Park Library where Texas Tribune hosts a community workshop event in English and Spanish on how to monitor air quality, how to protect yourself during chemical events, and how to voice concerns.]()
Credit: Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune -
In South Texas, SpaceX faces skepticism over environmental damage
A federal agency has paused some of SpaceX's plans amid concerns over the environment. Full Story
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![Members of the ENTRE Film Center, a local film center and regional archive, hosted the gathering at Boca Chica to celebrate the beach and motivate people to fight for its preservation, which they view as being in jeopardy since the arrival of Elon Musk's SpaceX. Aug. 8, 2024.]()
Credit: Ben Lowy for The Texas Tribune -
Texas takes its first steps to protect its mountain lions
While many other states limit hunting of the apex predator, Texas is only now introducing rules to ban canned hunts and require regular checking of traps. Full Story
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![Mountain lions generally are found in remote mountains, canyonlands, or hilly areas with good cover. In Texas, they are found throughout the Trans-Pecos region, the brushlands of South Texas and parts of the Hill Country.]()
Credit: Courtesy of Texas Parks and Wildlife -
Group sues Texas over law banning state business with firms “boycotting” fossil fuels
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, argues that the 2021 so-called “anti-ESG” law discriminates against specific political views. Full Story
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![Wind turbines are seen Monday, March 4, 2024 outside of Sweetwater.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
A West Texas ranch and resort will limit water amid fears its wells will run dry
Residents at the sprawling Terlingua Ranch near Big Bend National Park will limit residents to 1,000 gallons of nondrinking water per month. Full Story
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![Marcos Carley checks the water level of his portable tote as he and his wife purchase non-potable water from the Terlingua Ranch property owners association. Carley said he and his wife have to fill up their tote with nonpotable water every couple of weeks and must purchase drinking water from either Terlingua or Alpine, the latter being a nearly three-hour round trip.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune