Texas Environment: Climate, conservation & Policy

A barge struck a bridge connecting Pelican Island and Galveston Island on Wednesday, damaging the bridge and spilling oil into Galveston Bay.

Environment

Barge hits, damages bridge in Galveston, causing an oil spill

By Juan A. Lozano and LEKAN OYEKANMI, Associated PressMay 15, 2024May 15, 2024

The damaged bridge connects Pelican Island, where the Texas A&M Galveston campus is located, to Galveston Island.

Dozens of people attend TxDOT’s public meeting on possible highway expansion near the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park in El Paso on May 2, 2024.

Environment

El Paso residents rally to protect a Rio Grande wetland from possible highway project

By Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate NewsMay 13, 2024

Potential routes for a highway in El Paso’s Mission Valley run alongside a restored wetland called Rio Bosque. Environmental advocates are urging TxDOT to scrap the idea.

Deborah Clark, left, points to land that she says will be inundated if the permit to build Lake Ringgold is approved, on Monday in Henrietta. The city of Wichita Falls is seeking a permit to construct Lake Ringgold in Clay County, a reservoir the city says will help with future water needs.

Environment

North Texas landowners trying to stop a reservoir that Wichita Falls calls crucial

By Alejandra MartinezMay 9, 2024May 10, 2024

State regulators face a critical decision this week on whether to approve a permit for a new reservoir that the city of Wichita Falls says is vital for ensuring enough water for the region. But some locals are fighting the project.

Residents’ homes and possessions are submerged in floodwater following significant rainstorms in Coldspring on May 4, 2024.

East Texas Floods

See the scope of flooding in East Texas

By Yuriko SchumacherMay 7, 2024

These graphics show how widespread flooding was in East Texas in late April and early May.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday confirmed three deaths from a rash of spring storms. None of the deaths were in the region hardest hit by flooding.

East Texas Floods

Texas, federal government will begin tallying damage from spring storms, Gov. Greg Abbott says

By Carlos Nogueras RamosMay 6, 2024

Abbott confirmed three deaths from the storms, none were recorded from flooded areas.

A school bus drives through floodwater to survey the damage as peoples’ homes and possessions are submerged in floodwater following significant rainstorms in Coldspring May 4.

East Texas Floods

Storms in Southeast Texas ease but risks remain

By Juan A. Lozano, Associated PressMay 6, 2024May 6, 2024

Forecasters expect storms to begin tapering off but some roads remain closed due to flooding.

Ed Proffitt, a professor of marine ecology at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, left, and Max Portmann, a PhD student with the Proffitt-Delvin Lab of Coastal Ecology and Genetics, look at a young black mangrove near Oso Bay in Corpus Christi on April 18, 2024.

Climate Change in Texas

Mangroves, expanding with the warming climate, are re-shaping the Texas coast

By Emily FoxhallMay 6, 2024

The tropical shrubs have been spreading north and growing more abundantly as climate change makes temperatures warmer. Scientists are unravelling what that means for coastal habitats.