Rural Texas is the state’s foundation. And it’s in jeopardy.
Downtowns are deserted, hospitals are closing, teachers are leaving. Every part of life in rural Texas is harder — but it’s worth saving. Full Story
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![Vehicles pass through Dublin in Central Texas on March 25, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Corpus Christi sold its water to Exxon, gambling on desalination. So far, it is losing the bet.
Concerns over ecological damage to Corpus Christi Bay have delayed plans to convert sea water to drinking water for years in this booming Gulf Coast city, where environmentalists see water supply as a “chokehold” to block new fossil fuel infrastructure. Full Story
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![A seabird on the shore of Nueces Bay showing Corpus Christi's refinery row. Plans to open plants that will turn seawater into fresh water have sparked concerns that their discharge will cause the bay's salinity to rise and devastate its ecosystem.]()
Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News -
Port Arthur pollution fight shows how Texas blocks citizen protests
A local activist went before a judge, arguing for lower pollution limits on two new liquified natural gas facilities. The judge sided with him, but the state environmental agency sided with the companies. Full Story
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![John Beard, an environmental advocate who grew up in Port Arthur and worked in local refineries, on July 2, 2018.]()
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Texas’ plan to provide water for a growing population virtually ignores climate change
Texas’ biggest single solution to providing enough water for its soaring population in the coming decades is using more surface water, including about two dozen new large reservoirs. But climate change has made damming rivers a riskier bet. Full Story
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![Concerned residents Lindy Guest, 68, left, John Brooks, 74, center, and Jim Vignali, 70, far-right, look at a map of Red River County where the Marvin Nichols Reservoir will be located, at Cuthand United Methodist Church in Bogata, Texas, on July 26, 2022. The reservoir has been in the works for decades, but never gained momentum to start. Residents now fear a starting date is near as Texas droughts worsen, and water supply needs in the DFW metro area rapidly increase. Thousands of acres will be flooded and an estimated 60 homes will be lost.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
Black residents in Corpus Christi file a civil rights complaint to stop Texas’ first desalination plant
Since 2007, Hillcrest residents have sued to challenge plans for a sewage treatment plant in their neighborhood, and then bridge construction. Full Story
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![Adam Carrington, pastor at Brooks AME Worship Center, said the city is “sacrificing Hillcrest yet again to support industry’s need.”]()
Credit: Dylan Baddour/Inside Climate News -
Abandoned “dry hole” oil wells are polluting Texas farms, ranches and groundwater. The state won’t fix them.
Wildcatters drilled thousands of wells looking for oil and abandoned the dry holes. Some are spewing contaminated water. Full Story
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![Schuyler Wight at his property near the former sulfur well he's working on getting the state to plug.]()
Credit: Mitch Borden/Marfa Public Radio -
EPA will center climate change response in Texas on sea level rise, floods, drought and severe storms
The federal agency plans to increase efforts to help states adapt to the effects of climate change most damaging to each region. Full Story
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![A dry boat ramp at Falcon State Park on Aug. 18, 2022. Water levels usually come up to the pier but drought conditions have caused the water level to leave the boat ramp dry for almost a year.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
Texas will build more than 50 new electric car charging locations along major highways
The $408 million approved Tuesday by the Federal Highway Administration will help build a network of charging facilities every 50-70 miles along certain major Texas highways. Full Story
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![A Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV plug in hybrid vehicle is charged at a public charging station in Brooklyn, New York on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022.]()
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They saved to buy their own mobile homes. Then the land beneath them was sold to an investor.
Mobile homes are a vital source of affordable housing for around 2 million Texans. But as Texas cities grow, many mobile home parks are being closed and redeveloped, pushing out longtime residents. Full Story
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![Sisters Edith, Carolina, and Maribel Velarde watch as workers from Magnolia Movers struggle to fit their fridge through the front door of their home at Congress Mobile Home Park in Austin on Aug. 29, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
To save water in Texas, these nonprofits are paying farmers to leave it in reservoirs
As Texas continues to battle drought, groups are trying a market-based solution to help farmers and protect what little water is left. Full Story
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![Water marks are seen on the dam gates and concrete at the Falcon Dam in Starr County on Aug. 18, 2022. This area of the reservoir is normally under water, but because of an extended drought, water levels have been below 20% full since earlier this year. The Falcon Dam was dedicated by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Mexican President Adolfo Ruiz Cortines in 1953.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune -
After cancer-causing chemicals were found in Fifth Ward soil, Houston mayor says cleanup plans are inadequate
The city’s health department found dioxins in soil samples along the fence line of a Union Pacific rail yard. Mayor Sylvester Turner said during the 2022 Texas Tribune Festival that plans to clean up the contamination should now include relocating residents. Full Story
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![Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner speaks at a panel moderated by Anna Palmer, CEO and co-founder of Punchbowl News, at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 24, 2022.]()
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EPA may try to block what could be the first seawater desalination plant built in Texas
Citing water quality concerns, the Environmental Protection Agency may refuse to recognize a permit that Texas approved Thursday for a marine desalination plant at the Port of Corpus Christi. Full Story
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![The inside of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant in El Paso on April 16, 2012.]()
Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The Texas Tribune -
Mandatory home buyouts are dismantling a flood-prone Houston community
Harris County’s mandatory program to buy homes in six neighborhoods that have found themselves under flood waters over and over is quickly tearing apart the community fabric of Allen Field. Full Story
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![A flooded neighborhood near the Buffalo Bayou and the Barker Reservoir dam on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
A shut-off switch was supposed to prevent 99% of generator-related deaths. It failed a family of three.
The generator industry has touted automatic shut-off switches as a lifesaving fix for carbon monoxide poisoning. But the voluntary standard falls short of what federal regulators say is necessary to eliminate deaths. Full Story
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![An automatic shut-off switch on a 6,250-watt Briggs & Stratton Storm Responder generator was not enough to prevent the carbon monoxide poisoning of a family of three.]()
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Website aims to make pollution permit information more accessible in Houston
Texas’ environmental regulators make it tricky for residents to track, or speak out against, industrial projects proposed near their homes. Advocates in Houston built a high-tech workaround. Full Story
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![An aerial photograph of the Stolthaven Oil Tanking facility along the Houston Ship Channel on Nov. 10, 2015. Shell's Deer Park facility can be seen in the upper right.]()
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T-Squared: Three reporters are joining us to cover law, democracy and environment
Roxanna Asgarian will cover law and courts, Robert Downen will cover challenges to democracy and Alejandra Martinez will cover the environment. Full Story
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![Roxanna Asgarian, Robert Downen and Alejandra Martinez.]()
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TribCast: The enduring mental health toll of Texas natural disasters
On this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Erin about how climate change is affecting Texans’ mental health and Kate about a proposal to overhaul how the state funds community colleges. Full Story
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![Dana Jones, who has been a victim of many floods, looks out from her porch in Houston on Aug. 1, 2022.]()
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“It’s destroying me”: Storm after storm, climate change increases strain on Texans’ mental health
Tens of thousands of coastal Texas residents have survived repeated extreme weather events including Hurricane Harvey. For many, it has taken an emotional toll, and researchers warn that climate change could be “catastrophic” for our mental health. Full Story
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![Dana Jones, who has been a victim of many floods, holds her head in her hand as she recounts her experiences at her home in Houston on August 1, 2022.]()
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How to care for your mental health in the age of climate change and worsening natural disasters
Call or text 800-985-5990 to reach the national Disaster Distress Helpline, or dial 211 to find local mental health resources in Texas. Full Story
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![Barbara Edmonds, right, practices applying pressure on a wound on Deborah Berry during a CERT training at Felix Cook, Jr. Elementary School in Houston on August 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Kylie Cooper/The Texas Tribune -
Hemp was supposed to save Texas farmers during a drought. It hasn’t yet.
Hemp advocates promised the Texas Legislature the crop was drought resistant. The 2022 drought has proven otherwise. And farmers are abandoning the nascent market. Full Story
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![Kyle Bingham in his hemp crop at Bingham Family Vineyards on Aug. 29, 2022, in Terry County.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune