Has the Oil Downturn Affected You or Someone You Know?
Has the oil downturn impacted you or someone you know? Share your story with our reporters. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Jennifer Whitney -
In Texas Drilling Country, Oil Plunge Means Too Many Rooms at the Inn
Cotulla, population 4,000, built 20 hotels during a yearslong oil boom, calling itself the "Hotel Capital" of the Eagle Ford Shale. A plunge in oil prices has prompted questions about whether that was a good idea. Full Story
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![Cotulla Motel employee Jared Ramirez bags ice on April 7, 2016. Ramirez began working at the motel after work in the oil fields dried up.]()
Credit: Todd Wiseman -
Take In a View of the New Texas Space Race
SpaceX recently achieved a milestone when it successfully landed an unmanned rocket on a floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean. Revisit our interactive project on the plans for commercial space flight in Texas, including SpaceX’s controversial facility in the southernmost part of the state. Full Story
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Credit: Graphic by Spencer Selvidge and Ben Hasson -
Study: Oil Activity May Be Cause of East Texas Quakes
University of Texas at Austin researchers call it “plausible” that underground injections of oil and gas waste triggered a series of temblors that rattled Timpson residents in 2012. Full Story
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![Each day, dozens of trucks hook up to the Gulf Coast-run fracking fluid disposal well site near Gonzales, Texas.]()
Credit: Jennifer Whitney -
Lawmakers Probe Pension Fund's Interest In Hunt's Oncor Bid
Texas lawmakers raised tough questions Wednesday about a plan to invest up to $250 million of teacher retirement funds in the Ray L. Hunt family’s bid to buy and reshape Oncor, the mammoth electric utility. Full Story
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Lawmakers Pledge Support for Hurricane Plan
Meeting for only the second time in two years, a panel of Texas lawmakers pledged financial and political support to efforts at developing a plan to protect the Houston-Galveston region from a devastating storm surge. Full Story
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![The beginning of the seawall on the western edge of Galveston, Feb 14, 2016.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Vista Ridge Pipeline Opponents Win Small Victory
A controversial plan for a 142-mile pipeline to carry water to San Antonio suffered a small defeat this week when the state water development agency staff said it wasn't eligible for an $885 million low-interest construction loan. Full Story
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![A map of the proposed pipeline that will deliver 16 billion gallons of water annually from underneath Burleson County to San Antonio, about 140 miles away.]()
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New in Trib+Water: Explore the Texas Water Explorer
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: A new online tool provides a comprehensive look at the state's 23 river basins, a deal is made to move forward the Vista Ridge pipeline project and an interview with Steve Young of Intera. Full Story
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Years After Landmark Ruling, Court To Rehear "Bizarre" Pipeline Case
Nearly five years after issuing a ruling cheered by property rights advocates, the Texas Supreme Court is set to rehear a case pitting two Texas brothers against a pipeline company that seized their land through eminent domain. Full Story
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![David Holland walks among the dozens of pipeline markers scattered across his Beaumont-area farm.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato -
New Effort to Wipe Out Carrizo Cane Reignites Environmental Debate
A state plan to eradicate invasive Carrizo cane along the Rio Grande — cited by Gov. Greg Abbott as a border security priority — is finally getting some funding after sitting dormant for almost a year. Full Story
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![Border Patrol Agent Isaac Villegas makes his way through Carrizo cane, an invasive plant species that lines the banks of the Rio Grande in Roma, TX. while searching for a group of undocumented immigrants reported to have crossed the river on Mar. 8, 2016.]()
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Federal Judge Approves $20.8 Billion BP Spill Settlement
A federal judge on Monday approved a $20.8 billion settlement between a group of five Gulf Coast states — including Texas — and BP stemming from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. Full Story
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![The Deepwater Horizon fire in 2010.]()
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In South Texas County, an Investment in Survival as Oil Boom Stalls
Thanks to a surge in drilling, La Salle County was able to finance a multi-million upgrade to its emergency response capabilities. While the oil boom has stalled, the dramatic improvements are here to stay, officials say. Full Story
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![La Salle County, about 90 miles southwest of San Antonio, has professionalized its once all-volunteer firefighting force and invested in new trucks and equipment. The overhaul has slashed response times and spurred more residents to trust first responders, officials say.]()
Credit: Jim Malewitz / Billy Hathorn -
Texas Lawmakers Mull Boosting Eminent Domain Protections
State lawmakers are considering whether to tighten eminent domain laws to help landowners battling pipeline companies, electric utilities, public agencies or other entities seeking to condemn land their land for public use. Full Story
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Deal Struck to Move Forward with Pipeline
The financial troubles of a Spanish company hired to build San Antonio's $884 million Vista Ridge water pipeline won't drag down the project, utility and city officials contend. Full Story
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![Bastrop County resident Charlotte Gilman protests the Vista Ridge Water Supply Project with other Lee and Bastrop County residents.]()
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Texas Regulators Approve Oncor Deal, But Uncertainty Persists
Texas regulators on Thursday approved the Ray L. Hunt family’s high-stakes plan to purchase and reshape the state's largest electric utility. But they added major revisions, prolonging the battle to own Oncor. Full Story
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New in Trib+Water: Arsenic in the Drinking Water
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: A new report points to high levels of arsenic in many Texans' drinking water, El Niño wreaks havoc globally and an interview with Laura Huffman of the Nature Conservancy. Full Story
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Houston-area Residents Protest Hurricane Plan
A public meeting to gather input from Houston-area residents on various hurricane protection plans turned into a mini protest Tuesday with several attendees challenging a levee proposal that would leave some communities around Galveston Bay unprotected. Full Story
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![Joint Task Force-129 crew, Jolly 92, flies over the storm surge that overtook the Bolivar Peninsula bridge near Galveston, Texas, Sept. 12, 2008.]()
Credit: U.S. Air Force / Master Sgt. Wally Bacio -
Roundup: Cruz Among Last Standing, Contaminated Water, Ballpark Figures
In the Roundup: Ted Cruz still thinks he can surpass frontrunner Donald Trump to secure the GOP presidential nomination. Plus, a new report on arsenic in Texans’ drinking water and a look at which sports make money for state universities. Full Story
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In Texas Obama's Supreme Court Nominee May Draw Attention for EPA Rulings
D.C. Circuit Chief Judge Merrick Garland has a history with cases involving the Environmental Protection Agency, which Texas has sued 24 times since Obama took office. Full Story
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As Oil Prices Fell, Texas Campaign Donations Followed
For decades, the petroleum industry has largely fueled Texas' influence in national Republican politics. But operatives are seeing early signs that the current oil bust has depressed the sector’s political giving. Full Story
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Credit: Illustration by Todd Wiseman