How we assisted Houston residents in monitoring air quality and reporting pollution
After identifying flaws in the state’s air monitoring, the Tribune hosted workshops to inform Houston Ship Channel communities. Full Story
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![On August 10, 2024, participants listen to a presentation at the Galena Park Library where Texas Tribune hosts a community workshop event in English and Spanish on how to monitor air quality, how to protect yourself during chemical events, and how to voice concerns.]()
Credit: Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune -
In South Texas, SpaceX faces skepticism over environmental damage
A federal agency has paused some of SpaceX's plans amid concerns over the environment. Full Story
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![Members of the ENTRE Film Center, a local film center and regional archive, hosted the gathering at Boca Chica to celebrate the beach and motivate people to fight for its preservation, which they view as being in jeopardy since the arrival of Elon Musk's SpaceX. Aug. 8, 2024.]()
Credit: Ben Lowy for The Texas Tribune -
Texas takes its first steps to protect its mountain lions
While many other states limit hunting of the apex predator, Texas is only now introducing rules to ban canned hunts and require regular checking of traps. Full Story
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![Mountain lions generally are found in remote mountains, canyonlands, or hilly areas with good cover. In Texas, they are found throughout the Trans-Pecos region, the brushlands of South Texas and parts of the Hill Country.]()
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Group sues Texas over law banning state business with firms “boycotting” fossil fuels
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, argues that the 2021 so-called “anti-ESG” law discriminates against specific political views. Full Story
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![Wind turbines are seen Monday, March 4, 2024 outside of Sweetwater.]()
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A West Texas ranch and resort will limit water amid fears its wells will run dry
Residents at the sprawling Terlingua Ranch near Big Bend National Park will limit residents to 1,000 gallons of nondrinking water per month. Full Story
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![Marcos Carley checks the water level of his portable tote as he and his wife purchase non-potable water from the Terlingua Ranch property owners association. Carley said he and his wife have to fill up their tote with nonpotable water every couple of weeks and must purchase drinking water from either Terlingua or Alpine, the latter being a nearly three-hour round trip.]()
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Donald Trump’s promise to “drill, baby, drill” probably won’t change much — least of all in Texas
Texas is producing so much natural gas right now companies are losing money. Full Story
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![A series of four drilling rigs operate in a row outside of Tarzan Friday, Sept. 15, 2023, in Martin County.]()
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Texas likely undercounting heat-related deaths
Deaths from heat are notoriously difficult to quantify because of how complex and subjective the process is. It leaves officials with an incomplete picture of who heat kills. Full Story
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![Robert Shipp, 75, of Bastrop, sweats while receiving treatment from Austin-Travis County EMS first responders inside an ambulance during a 102 degree summer day outside Austin Wrench-A-Part in Del Valle on July 7, 2023. According to the EMS crew, he passed out while searching for car parts under the hot sun.]()
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After six years, a Texas town’s boil-water notice has been lifted, but residents are still concerned
The town’s troubles started in 2018, when its water tested positive for the dangerous E.coli bacteria. Full Story
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![Toyah's water treatment facility appears cleaner than it has in the past.]()
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Federal court orders regulators to fix process, reconsider gas export projects in South Texas
This week’s ruling was the latest twist since cities and groups in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley sued to block the projects. Full Story
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![Construction crews work at the 750-acre site of the proposed Rio Grande LNG facility Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024 in Brownsville.]()
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Ranchers reported abandoned oil wells spewing wastewater. A new study blames fracking.
An SMU study is the first scientific proof of a phenomenon local landowners have long warned was occurring. Full Story
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![Brandon Horton, a driver for Allied Eagle Transports, monitors the transfer of a load of salt water, a byproduct of fracking, to a salt water disposal site Tuesday, June 25, 2024, south of Midland.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Data shows Rio Grande water shortage is not just due to Mexico’s lack of water deliveries
Water levels at the Amistad and Falcon international reservoirs are currently at 19% and 12% of capacity, respectively. Some of the decrease is from lower inflows from the U.S. side of the river. Full Story
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![The U.S. 90 bridge crosses the Amistad Reservoir near Del Rio on Thursday, June 6, 2024. Water deliveries from Mexico are stored at the reservoir, where water levels have dropped in recent months.]()
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Chevron to move its headquarters from California to Texas
The oil giant said it will relocate to Houston. It’s the latest company seeking a laxer, more business-friendly regulatory environment in Texas. Full Story
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![A Chevron oil exploration drilling site near Midland, Texas, on Aug. 22, 2019.]()
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Rural Texas officials and civic leaders discuss economic development, health care and water supply in smaller communities
The Tribune’s rural symposium highlighted the challenges the state’s far-flung regions face — and the opportunities they offer. Full Story
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Unregulated oilfield power lines are suspected of sparking Texas wildfires
No state agency is taking responsibility for making sure the privately built lines that power many oil and gas sites are safe. Such lines have been blamed for sparking two recent Panhandle fires. Full Story
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![Craig Cowden shows parts of his property that are negligent from oil companies using his land, Sunday, July 7, 2024, at Breezy Point Ranch in Pampa, Texas. Cowden has made numerous complaints about the live wires and trash on his property.]()
Credit: Annie Rice for The Texas Tribune -
Weak infrastructure, distrust make communication during natural disasters hard on rural Texas
When disaster strikes, Polk County Judge Sydney Murphy takes command of her county’s emergency communication channels, including a text service and Facebook page. Full Story
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![Floodwater accumulates in a residential area following significant rainstorms in Coldspring, on Saturday, May 4, 2024.]()
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Insurance rates could climb for some Texas coastal homeowners, businesses
Homeowners typically pay $2,300 a year for a Texas Windstorm Insurance Association policy. The rate increase would bump premiums by 10%. Full Story
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![Fallen tree branches obscure a house on Friday, July 12, 2024 in Houston's Fifth Ward. Power had only just returned to the area that day, after Hurricane Beryl caused multi-day long outages.]()
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Texas Water Board details how it will spend $1 billion for water infrastructure projects
About $45 million will go to Texas towns with fewer than 1,000 residents — a boon for municipalities without a viable tax base. Full Story
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![Director of the Program Administration and Reporting division of the Texas Water Development Board’s Water Supply and Infrastructure Department Marvin Cole-Chaney speaks to the water development board Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in Austin.]()
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CenterPoint CEO promises improvements as Texas scrutinizes company’s Beryl response
Jason Wells told regulators the company will launch a new outage tracker by Aug. 1. It will also trim more tree limbs near power lines and hire an executive to focus on emergency response. Full Story
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![CenterPoint President and CEO Jason Wells addresses the Public Utilities Commission
at a hearing in Austin on July 25, 2024. The energy company proposed action plans for improved customer communication and restoring power quickly in future outages.]()
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In Beryl’s wake, heat-related Texas deaths climb after millions left without power
So far, 23 people have died after Beryl made landfall on July 8. Full Story
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![Janet Jarrett holds a photograph of her sister, Pamela Jarrett, at the home they shared Friday, July 19, 2024, in Spring, Texas. Pamela Jarrett passed away after suffering heat related distress due to the power outage caused by hurricane Beryl. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)]()
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A federal utility assistance program favors cold-weather states, giving less money to hot places like Texas
The program helps low-income people with heating and cooling bills, but advocates say it disadvantages Texas and other warm-weather states, even though extreme heat is a key cause of weather-related deaths. Full Story
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![Workers remove an AC unit from Paola Valdez-Lopez's mobile home in order to tow it out of Congress Mobile Home Park in Austin on Aug. 29, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune