State and local officials are adjusting their plans during the coronavirus outbreak to inform residents in the Houston area and along the Gulf Coast of safe steps they could take in advance of the year’s first storm. Full Story
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Acting Executive Commissioner Phil Wilson chose not to accept salary and benefits for a temporary position leading one of Texas’ largest and most high-profile agencies. Instead, he continues to earn $636,694 from the Lower Colorado River Authority, more than double what the previous health commissioner made. Full Story
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A Texas environmental protection group said it is "reckless" for the Environmental Protection Agency to waive enforcement of many protections. The federal agency said companies could have trouble complying due to the new coronavirus. Full Story
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A study by five Aggie scientists indicates Texas should prepare for more extreme weather in the coming years — though it offers some glimmers of hope. Full Story
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The main break caused some early voting locations to close. All Houston ISD schools were closed Friday and set to reopen Monday, the school district announced. Full Story
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"It looks more like a political manifesto to me," a Texas A&M professor said about a report from the Railroad Commission of Texas. Full Story
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued TPC Group on Friday, citing a slew of environmental violations at its Port Neches facility, including ones connected to a Nov. 27 explosion. Full Story
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U.S. Judge Loren A. Smith threw out a case brought by Houstonians whose properties flooded as a result of releases from Addicks and Barker dams. Full Story
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An environmental nonprofit has released an analysis of first-of-its-kind air monitoring data that shows benzene levels at 10 U.S. petroleum refineries exceeded limits established in an Obama-era environmental regulation. Six are in Texas. Full Story
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After the federal government required TPC Group to install air monitors at its Port Neches plant, the company detected a significant increase in the number and size of butadiene emissions in the months leading up to multiple blasts at the plant on Nov. 27. Full Story
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The Texas Oil and Gas Association reported that companies paid a record level of taxes and state royalties last year amid a historic oil boom. But association President Todd Staples said that continued growth is not guaranteed. Full Story
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In parts of Texas experiencing severe droughts, some ranchers are finding there is practically no grass left for cattle to graze on. Full Story
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Our reporters crisscrossed the Texas Capitol and traveled to the Panhandle and East Texas — as well as the Netherlands and Honduras — to tell stories about the state's politics, people and places. From a story on a migrant's desperate journey to a look at how coal companies are leaving behind contaminated land, here is a selection of their best work of the year. Full Story
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The environmental group is trying to obtain documents showing how the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality arrived at a decision on increasing emissions limits for a toxic chemical. Full Story
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In a surprising vote, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality rejected a staff-proposed penalty against TPC Group's Port Neches chemical plant — which was rocked by explosions last month — for a slew of 2018 pollution violations and asked that they be referred to the Texas Attorney General's Office. Full Story
During Hurricane Harvey, thousands of properties behind two federally owned reservoirs flooded. On Tuesday, the United States Court of Federal Claims ruled that the government was liable for the flooding and that property owners are eligible for damages. Full Story
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Inspector General found that state and federal environmental regulators didn't start monitoring air quality soon enough during the monster storm, which brought a spike in hazardous emissions from industrial facilities. Full Story
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After recommending Wednesday night that residents leave the area, Jefferson County officials have told residents it's safe to return home. Full Story
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. Full Story
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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. Full Story
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