Texas Environment: Climate, conservation & Policy

Matt Long in his backyard, which sits along the Brazos River, in the Pecan Plantation neighborhood of Hood County on May 28, 2026. His home is near a planned data center.

“A deal with the devil”: Religion motivates data center opponents in Texas

By Ellie Ashby, The Texas Tribune, and Chloe Landen, Religion News ServiceJuly 29, 2026

Some see the AI facilities as a sign of the apocalypse, others see an opportunity to advocate for environmental stewardship.

A portable boat ramp, the only one operational out of six at Lake Corpus Christi State Park, on Oct. 20, 2025. Water levels in the reservoirs serving Corpus Christi have been rising.

Environment

Floodwater delays Corpus Christi’s water emergency until fall 2028

by Alejandra Martinez July 27, 2026

A prolonged drought had put the Coastal Bend city months away from running short of water, but upstream storms have improved the outlook.

The Corpus Christi skyline along the north end of downtown includes city hall and the new Harbor Bridge over the Port of Corpus Christi.

Environment

Floodwater starts arriving in Corpus Christi reservoirs, sparking hope for a water crisis delay

By Alejandra Martinez
July 24, 2026July 25, 2026

Choke Canyon has almost doubled its supply of water this week, although the reservoir is still at 15% capacity.

Emergency vehicles cross the debris-covered San Antonio Street bridge in Center Point, on July 16, 2026, after floodwaters from the Guadalupe River overtook it that morning.

Environment

A third person has died in the Texas floods, Greg Abbott says

by Colleen DeGuzman July 24, 2026July 24, 2026

The victim was swept away while driving in Val Verde County, the governor said after assessing damage around Cotulla.

A view of Lake Palo Duro in Hansford County. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a 5.0 magnitude earthquake near Spearman, the county seat.

Environment

Texas Panhandle shaken by strongest earthquake to hit the region

by Jayme Lozano Carver July 23, 2026

The 5.0 magnitude earthquake was felt early Thursday morning and is said to be stronger than what the region typically experiences.

A heavily wooded property off of a country road near Athens in Henderson Co. on April 1, 2019. Diode Ventures has withdrawn plans for a data center in the East Texas county.

Data Centers in Texas

East Texas data center project pulled after facing community backlash

by Jess Huff July 23, 2026

Diode Ventures said Gov. Greg Abbott’s tougher stance on data center development in rural areas drove the decision to cancel the project

Gabby Perez in her childhood home in the Chula Vista neighborhood just outside Crystal City after the July 17 Zavala County flood, on July 20, 2026.

Environment

“We didn’t know it would end up this way”: South Texas community grapples with flood’s aftermath

by Carlos Nogueras Ramos July 23, 2026

In Chula Vista, south of Crystal City, residents of the Hispanic community searched through the debris after a flood caught them off-guard.

Razor Dobbs, a Center Point Volunteer Fire Department volunteer and public information officer, poses for a portrait inside the damaged fire station in Center Point on Friday, July 17, 2026, as cleanup operations continue. Floodwaters from the Guadalupe River inundated the station the previous Thursday.

Environment

Last year’s Hill Country floods traumatized Texas first responders. Then the skies opened again.

by Ellie Ashby July 22, 2026

“We were all thinking to ourselves, this is déjà vu. Is it really happening, and can I deal with it?” a Center Point Volunteer Fire Department chaplain said.

A woman at the Dallas Daughtry Memorial Pavilion in Kerrville takes a video of the Guadalupe River on July 16, 2026, after devastating rounds of flooding hit the Hill Country and South Texas.

TribCast

TribCast: The Hill Country floods again

by Eleanor Klibanoff July 21, 2026

A little more than a year after catastrophic floods devastated Central Texas, another deluge hit the area. How are residents and the state responding to this new tragedy?