Sulphur Springs leaders say they want Luminant — Texas’ largest electricity generator — to leave in place a 120-foot-tall mound of excavated dirt at the site of a shuttered coal mine so they can build an amphitheater. But the soil contains potentially dangerous materials, according to state regulators.
Environment
Coverage of climate, conservation, natural resources, and environmental policy shaping the state, from The Texas Tribune.
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Captured by Coal
Texas coal companies are leaving behind contaminated land. The state is letting them.
An investigation by The Texas Tribune and Grist shows that regulators in the Lone Star State have given a hand up to struggling coal companies as they face millions of dollars in mandated land restoration costs.
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Environment
West Texas detention facility enacting water conservation measures after depletion of local water tanks
The Sierra Blanca facility, which houses ICE detainees, shuts down its water supply at 11 p.m. daily to allow its on-site water tanks to replenish overnight.
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2019 Texas Constitutional Amendment Election
Texas voters could stabilize funding for state parks with Proposition 5
Decades ago, lawmakers passed a law that was meant to fully fund Texas Parks and Wildlife, but the money never seemed to make it to the parks. Now they’re asking voters to create a constitutional mandate that parks get more money.
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Environment
Plastic company set to pay $50 million settlement in water pollution suit brought on by Texas residents
A judge had ruled that the company illegally dumped billions of plastic pellets and other pollutants into Lavaca Bay and other waterways.
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Environment
Imelda victims will receive federal assistance after disaster declaration
Nearly 900 homes sustained major damage or were destroyed and uninsured in six affected counties, according to a preliminary assessment.
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Environment
Texans still don’t know if they qualify for FEMA aid after Imelda. But some say the potential help may not be worth the wait.
For people affected by Imelda to get FEMA aid, there have to be at least 800 flooded homes that weren’t insured — and it could be weeks before Texans know if that threshold is met.
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Environment
Tropical Storm Imelda left 5 dead in Texas and many flooded. Will FEMA aid come next?
While Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency for Tropical Storm Imelda, it does not qualify individuals for financial assistance. That will have to come from FEMA.
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The 2019 Texas Tribune Festival
Watch a Texas Tribune Festival conversation about the state of agriculture
This panel features state officials and a former U.S. agriculture secretary talking about the state of agriculture in 2020 and beyond.
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Environment
Two people dead, others left stranded and trapped in the wake of Tropical Storm Imelda
Both deaths were related to flooding from the storm. More than a thousand others needed to be rescued and evacuated.
