Taylor County wildfire prompts evacuations as dry conditions raise risk in West Texas
Texas A&M Forest Service has responded to nine fires across the state this week, saying they “have the potential to exhaust state and local resources.” Full Story
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![Aerial view of the Mesquite Heat Fire in Taylor Co. on Wednesday, May 22, 2022.]()
Credit: Texas A&M Forest Service -
Help us show how climate change is impacting Texans
Climate change is here. We want to document where its effects are being felt in Texas, how communities are adapting and what government officials should do to help. Full Story
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![A firefighter with Nueces County Fire Rescue surveys the burnt brush on March 31, 2022. According to the Texas A&M Forest Se…]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Seven ways climate change is already hitting Texans
Extreme weather events, water scarcity, risks of illness: Climate change is here, and it’s already affecting Texans. Full Story
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![Residents used boats to evacuate floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey along Tidwell Road in Houston on Aug. 28, 2017.]()
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Texans asked to limit electricity use after six power plants go down ahead of a hot weekend
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is asking electricity consumers to keep their thermostats at 78 degrees or above and avoid using large appliances between 3 and 8 p.m. from Friday through Sunday. Full Story
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![A boat traveled along Lake Travis during a drought in the summer of 2011. Drier than normal weather in Texas with no precipi…]()
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Five Texas refineries polluted above federal limit on cancer-causing benzene last year, report found
Benzene is a known human carcinogen, according to the EPA. The Texas refineries were among a dozen industrial plants in the U.S. that emitted the highest levels of the chemical in 2021. Full Story
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![A house in the Hillcrest neighborhood in Corpus on Feb. 7, 2022. Houses in this neighborhood have co-existed with oil refine…]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Texas is great — and ought to be better
Texas is a great state, but there’s a lot of work to do, and it starts with the public — and what Texans really want. The political class isn’t going to do this on its own. Full Story
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![An aerial view of the Capitol in Austin on Jan. 6, 2022.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
New “resiliency center” at Houston Community College aims to prepare Texas’ largest city for disasters
After back-to-back major flooding events devastated Houston, the community college is launching a new program to ensure that citizens, businesses and emergency responders are better equipped to respond to catastrophic events. Full Story
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![Houston Community College Chancellor Cesar Maldonado speaks at a press conference after his state of the college address on …]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune -
In Texas, thousands in fines paid by oil and gas polluters benefit the fossil fuel industry
The state allows a portion of fines to be directed to projects that remediate environmental harm. Some of those projects benefit the companies that are being penalized. Full Story
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![Refinery complexes along the Houston Ship Channel on Sept. 7, 2016.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
EPA seeks more smog controls in Houston, Dallas after they fail to meet standards
The Houston and Dallas regions may soon be designated as “severe” violators of federal smog rules, which would prompt more aggressive regulations. Full Story
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![The Houston Ship Channel and Houston in 2018.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang/The Texas Tribune -
T-Squared: The Texas Tribune and ProPublica share IRE Award for coverage of 2021 winter storm
“The team’s coverage of a large winter storm was not just hard-hitting accountability journalism, it was public service at its best,” judges for the Investigative Reporters and Editors award wrote. Full Story
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![An eastbound view of East Stassney Lane in south Austin on Feb. 15, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Wildfire risk remains high for much of Texas in the days ahead, fire officials say
Climate change has made the Texas heat hotter and longer-lasting, enhancing drought conditions that set the stage for intense fires. More than 40% of the state is in an extreme drought. Full Story
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![A Texas Army National Guard CH-47 chinook helicopter passes after unloading water onto a burning field as crews battle the E…]()
Credit: Larry Sunde via REUTERS -
After deadly tornadoes tear through Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott declares disaster for 16 counties
At least 20 tornadoes tore through homes and buildings in Texas and Oklahoma on Monday. At least two dozen people were injured and a woman died, authorities said. Full Story
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![A man inspects the damage to his home after a tornado moved through Round Rock on March 21, 2022.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott declares disaster as wildfires rage in several Texas counties
Wildfires have burned more than 58,000 acres across the state. At least one person has died and dozens of homes have burned down. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton hosted 12 attorneys general from around the U.S. for a border security brie…]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Texas environment agency’s plan to remedy language discrimination allegations leaves advocates frustrated
A civil rights complaint prompted the state’s environmental agency to guarantee interpretation and translation services at public meetings for people who don’t speak English. But the rollout has been plagued by confusing procedures and little clarity on how interpreters will be selected. Full Story
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![A house stands in the Manchester neighborhood while refineries are visible in the background in Houston on Sept. 8, 2018.]()
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Carbon monoxide killed a Texas mother and daughter. A firefighter was reprimanded after a delayed 911 response.
After half of a Houston family was found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning, reporting by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and NBC News revealed that a fire crew had failed to enter the house to check on them. A firefighter has now been disciplined. Full Story
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Feds seek to protect rare Texas plant in the path of border wall construction
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a rule earlier this week to list the prostrate milkweed, which lives along the Texas-Mexico border, as an endangered species. The rare plant is threatened in part by border security activities, scientists say. Full Story
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![The view of the Rio Grande River from Gerardo Vargas' property on June 23, 2021.]()
Credit: Jessica Nicole Rodriguez for The Texas Tribune -
Texas could connect to national power grids without losing autonomy, former grid regulator says
Texas has long refused to connect its decentralized grid to two national power networks, but Hunt Energy Network CEO Pat Wood said the state could do so without additional oversight — and without state Legislature approval. Full Story
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![The main switchyard at Vistra Corp.’s Midlothian Power Plant on October 15, 2021. This is where the power produced at this p…]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
How Texas’ power grid failed in 2021 — and who’s responsible for preventing a repeat
In the state’s power grid, electricity and natural gas are co-dependent. Here’s how the winter storm last year broke the system. Full Story
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![Diagram of how the Texas power grid works and the role of natural gas]()
Credit: Illustration by Emily Albracht -
Unhoused Texans weather another winter storm with little aid
Advocates say emergency communications have not improved much since last year, and people experiencing homelessness were less likely to seek help this year because of new state and local policies targeting them. Full Story
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![Tents along the Interstate 35 frontage road on Feb. 16, 2021, in Austin. A winter storm has caused icy roads and left millio…]()
Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune -
Earthquakes in Texas doubled in 2021. Scientists cite years of oil companies injecting sludgy water underground.
The surge in seismic activity from increased underground pressure is shaking the West Texas ground and rattling longtime residents. Full Story
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![An injection well site sits just outside of the town outskirts Monday, Jan. 31, 2022 in Odessa. The injection facility is lo…]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune