The latest energy news from The Texas Tribune.
A Texas environmental protection group said it is "reckless" for the Environmental Protection Agency to waive enforcement of many protections. The federal agency said companies could have trouble complying due to the new coronavirus. Full Story
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A Texas Railroad Commission official said no decision has been made yet and the agency is looking into options. Full Story
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The state's oil and gas industry has cratered. Major events have been called off, and tourism across Texas has dipped. It is too soon to tell the statewide economic impact from COVID-19, but Texans are already feeling a pinch. Full Story
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The idea could face resistance from those who support direct aid to workers. One critic called the idea ‘absurd.' Full Story
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A dramatic drop in oil prices over the weekend could harm Texas' oil and gas industry and economy, but experts say it all depends on how long they remain low — and how the COVID-19 epidemic plays out. Full Story
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The Dow plunges more than 1,900 points in a brutal global sell-off, and treasury yields dive to new lows, amplifying recession fears. Full Story
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"It looks more like a political manifesto to me," a Texas A&M professor said about a report from the Railroad Commission of Texas. Full Story
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An environmental nonprofit has released an analysis of first-of-its-kind air monitoring data that shows benzene levels at 10 U.S. petroleum refineries exceeded limits established in an Obama-era environmental regulation. Six are in Texas. Full Story
President Donald Trump touted economic and military successes. U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett of Austin was among Democrats who walked out. Afterwards, U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar rebutted Trump's speech from El Paso. Full Story
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After the federal government required TPC Group to install air monitors at its Port Neches plant, the company detected a significant increase in the number and size of butadiene emissions in the months leading up to multiple blasts at the plant on Nov. 27. Full Story
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The Texas Oil and Gas Association reported that companies paid a record level of taxes and state royalties last year amid a historic oil boom. But association President Todd Staples said that continued growth is not guaranteed. Full Story
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In a surprising vote, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality rejected a staff-proposed penalty against TPC Group's Port Neches chemical plant — which was rocked by explosions last month — for a slew of 2018 pollution violations and asked that they be referred to the Texas Attorney General's Office. Full Story
After recommending Wednesday night that residents leave the area, Jefferson County officials have told residents it's safe to return home. Full Story
An analysis by the Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Integrity Project found that 30 states have cut funding to environmental agencies over the past decade. In Texas, lawmakers slashed spending by more than a third between 2008 and 2018. Full Story
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U.S. District Judge Kenneth M. Hoyt approved the settlement agreement between a scrappy environmental coalition and plastics giant Formosa. The settlement is the largest in U.S. history resulting from a citizen environmental suit. Full Story
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A subsidiary of Tulsa-based Williams Cos. is suing Texas' oil and gas regulatory agency after it approved a request from Dallas-based Exco Operating Co. to burn off natural gas from wells in South Texas while they were hooked up to Williams' pipeline system. Full Story
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Attorney General Ken Paxton applauded the new rules, saying they would make Texans safer. The Obama-era regulation was meant to improve chemical safety practices and prevent tragedies like the deadly 2013 fertilizer plant explosion in the tiny Central Texas town of West. Full Story
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The Associated Press reports that the oil and gas exploration contract was awarded after Perry recommended one of his backers as an energy adviser to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky. Full Story
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Castañeda, a Democrat, is centering her 2020 campaign on the issue of flaring, or the burning of natural gas that companies do not move to market. Full Story
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