A wild flock of whooping cranes flies each year from Canada to the Aransas marshes of the Texas Gulf Coast. As Erika Aguilar of KUT News reports, the fate of the endangered birds has spurred a federal court case in Corpus Christi set to begin next week.
Environment
Coverage of climate, conservation, natural resources, and environmental policy shaping the state, from The Texas Tribune.
Experts: Texas Drought to Continue Through Spring
The drought that has plagued Texas is virtually certain to continue at least until early summer, climate experts said on Tuesday at a conference in Fort Worth. But what happens after that is anyone’s guess.
In Houston, Injection Wells Fuel Fears of Poisoned Drinking Water
Water remains a precious commodity thanks to Texas’ record drought. But in Montgomery County in Houston, as Dave Fehling of KUHF News and NPR’s StateImpact Texas reports, residents are concerned about a different threat to the water supply: wells used to dispose of toxic waste.
Military Bases Battle Encroachment of Cities
The ever-expanding suburbs of San Antonio have created light, noise and endangered species challenges for Camp Bullis, where all military medics train. Other bases around Texas are also facing an array of encroachment issues.
Houston’s Energy Dominance May Be in Jeopardy
Natural gas booms are under way in places like Pennsylvania, where the governor has said he wants to make his state the “Texas of the natural gas boom.” As Dave Fehling of KUHF News and StateImpact Texas reports, such efforts could lure energy giants from Houston, jeopardizing the city’s status as the so-called “energy capital of the world.”
Despite Keystone Delay, Oil Still Likely to Flow to Gulf Coast
The Obama administration has halted construction on parts of the Keystone XL pipeline, which would have transported oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast. But the delay, as Mose Buchele of KUT News and NPR’s StateImpact Texas reports, isn’t likely to stop crude oil from reaching the Gulf Coast.
Groesbeck, Nearly Out of Water, Hopes to Build Pipeline
City officials in Groesbeck โ facing a water shortage that could leave the town completely dry by Thanksgiving โ are scrambling to build a new pipeline, after their last effort to pump water from a nearby rock quarry failed.
Residents Counting the Days in Groesbeck Until the Tap Runs Dry
Groesbeck, which has received no measurable rainfall since April, ranks near the top of the stateโs list of communities in danger of running out of water. Local leaders are attempting a quick fix, lest the town run out of water by Thanksgiving.
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Ramshaw and Root on the debate that dominated the nation’s political news, Tan and Ramshaw on how it will affect Rick Perry’s campaign, Philpott on what “oops” might mean for Perry in South Carolina, Root on what it means in Iowa, Dehn with the latest Weekend Insider video, Galbraith on the split fates of water-related constitutional amendments, Grissom on an arrest in a 1986 murder case, Hamilton on UT-Arlington’s efforts to control tuition costs and M. Smith, Murphy and Gerdau on West Texas schools raising money with wind farms: The best of our best content from November 7 to 11, 2011.
On Refinery Row, an Effort to Expose Health Problems
Terrence Henry of KUT News and NPR’s StateImpact Texas spoke with one longtime resident of Corpus Christi trying to get families to speak out about the health problems they’ve faced living on what some call Refinery Row.


