Without public hearings, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is proposing to adopt its 17-year-old standard that scientists and public health officials say fails to account for cumulative air pollution.
Environment
Coverage of climate, conservation, natural resources, and environmental policy shaping the state, from The Texas Tribune.
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Energy
Oilfield companies helped to craft Texas’ new waste rules for 2 years before the public got to see them
The effort to update the state’s oilfield waste disposal rules was initiated by Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright, one of the state’s top oil and gas regulators who has investments in the industry.
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Economy
Texas drought has deepened amid this year’s brutal heat
After a long summer of extreme heat, Texas has been battered by a lingering drought that’s damaging crops, drying up water supplies and causing wildfires.
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Climate Change in Texas
No water, roads or emergency services: How climate change left a rural neighborhood nearly uninhabitable
In Liberty County, one neighborhood has been slowly abandoned as years of flooding and intense rains prompted a spiral of decline. A struggling buyout program shows the complexities and limitations of “managed retreat” from disaster-prone areas.
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Environment
Texas “Ike Dike” coastal barrier project could cost $57 billion with inflation, Army Corps says
The latest figure is 68% higher than an earlier estimate of $34 billion, and it’s unclear when — or whether — Congress will appropriate the money to build the massive system of gates intended to protect the Houston region from storm surge.
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The 2023 Texas Tribune Festival
The 2023 Texas Tribune Festival in photos
Here’s a look back at the 2023 Texas Tribune Festival through the eyes of Tribune photographers.
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Environment
Toxic red tide algae, last seen in 2018, returns to Texas coast
Areas of the Texas Gulf Coast are seeing blooms of the algae, which can make people sick and kill fish.
Sponsor Post
How bp is growing its Permian Basin production—and reducing emissions
bp’s transformation can serve as a model for how Texas, the US and the world can achieve energy security while also meeting the challenge of climate change.
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Energy
As federal money flows to carbon capture and storage, Texas bets on an undersea bonanza
The state is awarding offshore leases to oil and gas companies that hope to bury heat-trapping carbon dioxide deep beneath the seafloor. But critics worry about leakage and the lackluster record of carbon capture facilities onshore.
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Environment
Texas enlists out-of-state volunteers to combat wildfires
As the state’s wildfire season continues, rural fire departments and their volunteers are strained to keep up with hundreds of fires.