Commenting on the EPA’s proposed new rule to reduce methane leaks nationally, environmentalists said Texas regulators are hesitant to address emissions of the climate super-pollutant.
Environment
Coverage of climate, conservation, natural resources, and environmental policy shaping the state, from The Texas Tribune.
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Demographics
“Who ever thought I would be chief?” Texas’ Alabama-Coushatta tribe elects first female chief
Millie Thompson Williams was elected the tribe’s first female second chief, a lifetime appointment, last year. For the first time, her accession comes as women make up the majority of the tribe’s council.
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Environment
Environmentalists push for tougher oil and gas restrictions to protect rare whale in Gulf of Mexico
Environmental scientists say Rice’s whale, discovered in 2021, faces extinction unless the federal government sets tougher restrictions on oil and gas activities in the gulf.
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Texas Legislature 2023
A new bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers wants to highlight the state’s fragile water infrastructure
So far there has been an average of six boil-water notices a day across Texas in 2023.
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Energy
EPA moves away from Permian Basin air pollution crackdown
The oil industry pushed hard against the proposal to issue an ozone nonattainment designation, which would have required that companies reduce oilfield emissions.
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Economy
Farmers face a higher risk of suicide. The Texas Agriculture Department wants $500,000 a year to change that.
The department’s helpline is less than a year old. But advocates hope state lawmakers fully fund it as farmers and ranchers continue to face hard economic times and isolation.
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Energy
A Texas project hopes to turn water into fuel for cars, planes, ships and trains — using wind
New subsidies from the Inflation Reduction Act are powering the race to build the country’s first large-scale producer of “green hydrogen.”
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Environment
Midland is the latest Texas city to issue a boil-water notice
Officials said the water levels at the local reservoir were too low to meet safety standards.
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Environment
Texas ag agency says climate change threatens state’s food supply
A new Texas Department of Agriculture report also points to other factors that are making it harder for Texans to access and afford food, including wages falling behind rising costs of living.
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Energy
After underestimating power demand, Texas electric grid operator gets federal permission to exceed air quality limits
The U.S. Department of Energy granted permission for power plants to release more pollution than is normally allowed — if grid conditions worsen.