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 April 26, 2022, in Houston.]()
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.]()
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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 Eastland Complex Fire in Eastland County, on March 18, 2022 in this still image obtained from social media video.]()
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 briefing at Texas DPS regional headquarters in Weslaco on Jan. 27, 2022.]()
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.]()
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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 plant is transformed into usable energy.]()
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]()
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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 millions of Texans without water or electricity.]()
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 located less than two miles from a new suburban development north of Odessa.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
Texans’ trauma from 2021 power grid failure provoked by another winter storm
This week’s freezing weather isn’t expected to be as severe as last year’s storm. But Texans remain anxious about the electricity grid. Full Story
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![A woman browses the meat department of a HEB in Round Rock on Feb. 2, 2022. Though predicted to be less severe than the winter storm of 2021, Texans have stocked up on supplies, and emptied shelves of bread, toilet paper, and dairy products.]()
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Live winter storm updates: City of Austin issues boil water notice
Texas faces a new winter storm a year after a deadly freeze left millions without power. Here’s the latest. Full Story
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![A power substation in Northwest Austin during a winter storm on Feb. 3, 2022.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
EPA rejects Texas’ more lenient standard for highly toxic air pollutant
In the wake of an investigation by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune into the widely used chemical ethylene oxide, the EPA has moved to reject a less protective standard crafted by Texas regulators and backed by the chemical industry. Full Story
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Credit: Kathleen Flynn, special to ProPublica -
State report shows how Texas environmental agency misses industrial pollution spikes during and after storms
A more than 200-page report by Texas’ environmental agency found that the majority of pollution emitted by industrial facilities during storms occurs at a time when the state’s air monitors are offline. Full Story
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![The flooded plant of French chemical maker Arkema SA, which produces organic peroxides, is seen after fires were reported at the facility after Hurricane Harvey passed in Crosby on August 31, 2017.]()
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Analysis: Crime pays, politically speaking, for Texas AGs
A Texas attorney general is a civil lawyer, mostly concerned with regulatory, tax and administrative law. But to listen to the candidates, you’d think the state’s top lawyer was some kind of cop. Full Story
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![Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at a border security briefing at Texas DPS regional headquarters in Weslaco on Jan. 27, 2022. Paxton said the reason for the border security briefing is to take legal action against the Biden administration regarding border policy.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez for The Texas Tribune