The latest environment news from The Texas Tribune.
Three years after a West, Texas, fertilizer plant explosion killed 15 people, including 12 firefighters and first responders, state and federal officials said Wednesday that someone set that fire, committing a criminal act. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/04/18/West-TX-1.jpg)
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission signed off on a stretch of the Trans-Pecos Pipeline that would cross below the Rio Grande, handing a setback to a coalition of ranchers, environmentalists and landowners that sought to thwart the project. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/07/13/TT-TransPecosPipeline-012.JPG)
A new poll shows most Texans believe state leaders should draw up a plan to shift from coal-fired power to natural gas and renewables — even if the state defeats the Obama administration in a high-profile court battle. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/12/04/SmokeStack.jpg)
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: Threats to water supplies may be the most damaging effect of climate change, three compounds often found in wells in rural agricultural areas may be linked to birth defects and evidence is found of earlier human habitation at Spring Lake. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/04/08/Tribwater.jpg)
The Texas Railroad Commission approved a permit for a huge oil and gas waste facility outside of tiny Nordheim, ending one of the first organized protests against industry activity in South Texas’ Eagle Ford Shale. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/05/03/TXT-Nordheim-Richmond008.jpg)
Energy Future Holdings, Texas’ largest power company, is going back to the drawing board in its efforts to emerge from one of the largest corporate bankruptcies in American history. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Powerlines_1.jpg)
A Texas state senator is redefining scorched-earth politics, trying to make sure Americans — and Texans — are prepared for electromagnetic pulses from space that could spell the end of civilization. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/04/29/BobHall84TT.jpg)
The Texas Railroad Commission should beef up its oversight of oil and gas drilling, pipeline safety and abandoned wells and change its name to reflect what it actually does, the latest sunset review recommends. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2013/06/21/RRC-Seal.jpg)
Two days after U.S. Sen. John Cornyn filed legislation seeking to expedite a hurricane protection plan for Texas, U.S. Rep. Randy Weber said he expects to introduce a companion bill in the U.S. House in the coming weeks. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/03/09/SHIPCHANNEL_SEAWALL1176.jpg)
In a victory for a coalition of large industrial facilities, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that the city of Houston illegally subverted state law by passing two ordinances designed to regulate air pollution. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Houston-flue-gas-scrubber01.jpg)
The company operating a low-level nuclear waste dump in West Texas on Thursday applied for a license to begin accepting highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/Waste-Canisters.jpg)
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has filed legislation to expedite a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study that will determine how best to protect the Houston region from a devastating hurricane. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2014/09/20/TribFest_Cornyn0164.jpg)
Sixteen years ago, CPS staffers accused Gary and Melissa Gates of abuse and removed their 13 children from their home. That case fizzled quickly, but the allegations and ensuing legal fight continue to provide fodder for Gates' political opponents. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/TxTrib-NoWayOff-TS001.JPG)
A smorgasbord of big-name Dallasites — including a Hall-of-Fame Dallas Cowboy quarterback — is supporting a Ray L. Hunt-led investment group’s request that Texas regulators reopen proceedings in its bid to buy the state’s largest electric utility. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/ONCOR.jpg)
Hundreds of industrial facilities across Texas are illegally spewing millions of pounds of toxic pollutants into the air each year when they break down or perform maintenance, according to a new report. Full Story
For more than two decades, federal and state health officials have known that residents of a poor community in the Rio Grande Valley are eating fish laced with unsafe levels of toxic chemicals, but they haven't found a way to stop it. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/04/21/04_13_2016_Donna_Lake_-_dy-9.jpg)
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: State lawmakers vow to champion a hurricane protection system for the Texas coast, Vista Ridge pipeline opponents win a small victory and an interview with water rights expert Charles Porter. Full Story
Nearly one month after Texas regulators approved — with major stipulations — Ray L. Hunt’s plan to buy Oncor and reshape it into a real estate investment trust, the Dallas oilman and his investors want a do-over. Full Story
Texas announced in 2013 it was giving Chevron millions of dollars toward building a new office tower and creating 1,752 jobs. More than two years later, the site of the building remains a grassy lot and Chevron has laid off hundreds of workers. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/04/11/2016-04-08_CHEVRONBUILDING_8976.jpg){kind=icon}
With a price tag sure to reach into the billions, building seawalls and floodgates to protect Houston and Galveston from a killer storm will almost certainly require a massive infusion of federal money, state officials agree. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2015/05/12/Cornyn.jpg)