Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, 22 other states sue to halt planned federal methane fines
The rule fines certain oil and gas facilities that exceed federal limits for methane emissions. Full Story
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![The Rebel Gas Plant vents off natural gas into two flare stacks Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, in Garden City.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
Texas has a big water problem. This state lawmaker hopes he has the solution.
Texas’ population is booming and there is not enough water for everyone. State Sen. Charles Perry hopes to fix that. Full Story
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![State Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, on the Senate floor on May 15, 2019.]()
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The air in 12 Texas counties exceeded federal soot rules. Only four may have to comply.
Critics say TCEQ is erroneously using a federal rule to exclude counties that are failing federal soot rules. Full Story
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![A view of charred grassland that was burned by the Smokehouse Creek wildfire, outside the Panhandle town of Canadian on Feb. 28, 2024.]()
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EPA report says “forever chemicals” in sewage-based fertilizer pose cancer risk
Fertilizers that contain treated sewage tainted with toxic PFAS chemicals can be spread on farmland and pose a health risk to people who consume milk, eggs and beef, the agency says. Full Story
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![Bar screens are used to remove large portions of solids and garbage during the wastewater treatment process at SAWS’ Steven M. Clouse Water Recycling Center in San Antonio on Aug. 23, 2024.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Mexican cattle banned from Texas due to screwworm threat
Since cattle imports were cut off in November, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and some ranchers worry about the ban’s economic impact on beef producers and consumers. Full Story
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![Forty to fifty head of cattle down from 5,000 due to restrictions on cattle imports from Mexico at the Vaquero Trading stockyard in Sunland Park, New Mexico on January 8, 2025.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune -
Will Republican control of Congress lead to updated ag laws? Texas farmers hope so.
The historical bipartisan legislation includes a bevy of policies from crop insurance to food stamps. Full Story
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![Cotton fields near the High Plains town of Ralls, about 30 miles east of Lubbock, on Wednesday, June 22, 2022. Like much of Texas, the High Plains and Panhandle are facing drought conditions and extraordinary heat.]()
Credit: Trace Thomas for The Texas Tribune -
A Texas teenager helped his border community win a $13 million grant to improve the environment
Presidio, northwest of Big Bend National Park, will get dedicated green spaces along bike lanes and pedestrian streets, plant thousands of native trees and establish a high-school run air quality monitoring program. Full Story
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![Ramon Rodriguez, Project Homeleaf Founder and Elvira Hermosillo, Big Bend Conservation Alliance Programs Director]()
Credit: Sarah M. Vasquez for The Texas Tribune -
Texan uses pollution settlement to help coastal community
Five years after Diane Wilson’s landmark settlement with Formosa Plastics, she’s directing the money toward reviving “the bay and the fishermen.” Full Story
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![Diane Wilson outside her home in Seadrift, Texas, in December 2024.]()
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Here are the biggest stories from our data visuals team in 2024
The Tribune’s data journalists helped visualize everything from voter participation and extreme weather to gaps in the state’s border wall. Here are some of the highlights. Full Story
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![Share art for the zoning regulations story for the affordable housing series.]()
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2024: The year in photos
A look at some of the best photos from the stories we published over the last year. Full Story
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![A look at some of the best photos from the stories we published over the last year.]()
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Look back at some of the best Texas Tribune reads of 2024
Our journalists brought life to the experiences of everyday Texans, held powerful institutions accountable and surfaced stories that went beyond the daily news cycles. Full Story
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![The dome of the Texas State Capitol on Thursday, April 24, 2014.]()
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South Texas coal-fired power plant to switch to clean energy after receiving more than $1 billion in federal money
San Miguel Electric Cooperative's plan to turn into a solar and battery plant will leave only 14 coal-fired power plants in the state. Full Story
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![The San Miguel Electric Cooperative power plant can be seen in the background of a sign for the Peeler Ranch on April 26, 2019.]()
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Texas lawmaker files bill to reduce “forever chemicals” in sewage-based fertilizer
The bill would require companies to test fertilizer made from sewage sludge for PFAS and meet limits before selling them to Texas farmers and ranchers. Full Story
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![Biosolids are collected at the SAWS’ Steven M. Clouse Water Recycling Center in San Antonio, Texas, Friday, Aug. 23, 2024.]()
Credit: Chris Stokes for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ citrus industry — once an agricultural powerhouse — is on the brink of disaster
A hurricane and winter freeze devastated the South Texas industry. A lack of water is preventing a full recovery. Full Story
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![Grapefruit trees at Lone Star Citrus Growers groves in Mission on Dec. 16, 2024.]()
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South Texas groups sue TCEQ for temporarily allowing SpaceX to discharge industrial water without a permit
In the lawsuit, the groups accuse TCEQ of exceeding its authority by allowing the discharges. Full Story
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![SpaceX's Starship lifts off from the company's Boca Chica launchpad on an uncrewed test flight before exploding, near Brownsville on April 20, 2023.]()
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Texas regulators report more than 250 new cases of groundwater contamination
An annual report documents 2,870 active cases of groundwater contamination around the state. Groundwater provides more than half of the state’s water supply. Full Story
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![Wells pump up groundwater at the North Alamo Water Supply Corporation water treatment facility in Edinburg, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024.]()
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Growing oil industry support for methane reduction rule could help it survive Trump’s return
Texas regulators are taking public comment about how they should implement an EPA rule to reduce methane leaks from the oil and gas industry. Full Story
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![ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 20, 2024: A wall containing Bruder drill site owned by Total in Arlington, Texas on Wednesday, November 20, 2024. The city of Arlington approved Total’s application to drill and frack 11 gas wells at this site, which sits over 300 feet away from residential homes. CREDIT: Desiree Rios for Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Desiree Rios for The Texas Tribune -
SpaceX wants to turn its Texas launch site into a city
Citing all the work the company has put into the region, employees are requesting a special election in Cameron County to incorporate a city. Full Story
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![The Starbase letters at SpaceX's Boca Chica Brownsville facility on Oct. 20, 2021. The SpaceX facility has become a popular destination for tourists.]()
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Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
A 2021 ruling found the oil giant committed more than 16,000 violations of the Clean Air Act at its Baytown refinery and plant. Full Story
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![Smoke rises from a fire at Exxon Mobil's refining and chemical plant complex in Baytown on July 31, 2019.]()
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Attorney General Ken Paxton sues companies over “forever chemicals”
Paxton’s office has accused 3M and DuPont of misrepresenting or concealing the health risks of PFAS, which have been sold for decades for use in consumer products. Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks at the 2024 Texas GOP Convention in San Antonio on May 23, 2024.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune