The Brief: Nov. 26, 2014
Rapidly falling oil prices might have drivers grateful at the gas pump, but indicators continue to grow that this lower price per barrel will soon have a significant impact on oil production. Full Story
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The latest environment news from The Texas Tribune.
Rapidly falling oil prices might have drivers grateful at the gas pump, but indicators continue to grow that this lower price per barrel will soon have a significant impact on oil production. Full Story
Gov.-elect Greg Abbott indicated on Monday that Texas could soon file suit over the Obama administration's executive order intended to protect up to 5 million undocumented immigrants from the threat of immediate deportation. Full Story
Over the last two weeks, we've shared our 15-part multimedia series on how the state's explosive oil and gas growth is changing lives and fortunes across Texas. Take a look back at the Shale Life project in its entirety. Full Story
While drilling for oil and gas has exploded across Texas, residents and environmental advocates allege that state regulators haven't kept up with complaints about negative health effects. This story is part of our Shale Life project. Full Story
Texas will feel more of the effects of Obama's action while a proposed overhaul of the Secure Communities programs draws bipartisan criticism. Full Story
Want an oil and gas job? Head to West Texas. Energy companies are sending recruiters to weekly job fairs, in search of qualified workers to fill a seemingly endless list of positions. This video is part of our Shale Life project. Full Story
Since 2009, Texas manufacturers have reported at least 19 other unauthorized releases of methyl mercaptan, the lethal chemical that killed four at a Port Arthur DuPont plant, according to a Tribune analysis of state data. Full Story
State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte will run for mayor of her hometown of San Antonio, she confirmed Wednesday night. Full Story
As state regulators fret about how President Obama’s effort to combat climate change would affect the Texas power grid, a new study says the rules would save the state billions of gallons of water annually. Full Story
What's it like to live in Texas’ biggest oil-producing county? We attended a football game to find out how life has changed for a once-sleepy and impoverished county that has exploded with growth and wealth. This slideshow is part of our Shale Life project. Full Story
In this week's edition of the Trib+Water newsletter: farmers are getting more efficient with water use, Odessa looks beyond lakes with water planning and an interview with Ken Kramer, former director of the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. Full Story
The smallest county in Texas may not hold that distinction for much longer. Loving County has about 90 people but swells by hundreds each day due to a flood of oil workers. This video is part of our Shale Life project. Full Story
A new controversy could crop up this week as the State Board of Education is expected to adopt new social studies textbooks. Full Story
As Texas regulators weigh a response to President Obama’s proposal to combat climate change, the operator of the state’s main electric grid says the plan would raise energy costs and threaten reliability – particularly in the next few years. Full Story
How many people have moved to the Eagle Ford Shale as a result of its energy boom? That’s a tough question to answer — but we give it a shot in this animation, which is part of our Shale Life project. Full Story
As authorities arrive in LaPorte to find what caused the methyl mercaptan gas leak that killed four DuPont plant workers on Saturday, information is emerging about the safety record of the plant. Full Story
A plant where four workers died early Saturday after a chemical leak has a record of safety violations that dates back several years, a Texas Tribune review of state records shows. Full Story
With the energy boom creating an explosion of high-wage job growth in oil-rich parts of the state, finding and keeping prison employees has become difficult in those regions. This story is part of our Shale Life project. Full Story
Across West Texas, wages are soaring for oil and gas industry workers — but so is the cost of living. For those who don’t hold top-dollar energy jobs, just paying the rent has gotten tough. This video is part of our Shale Life project. Full Story
Legal wrangling over Denton's fracking ban will give Texans a free course on the widely mischaracterized oilfield technique that put Texas at the forefront a national energy boom. Full Story