The latest environment news from The Texas Tribune.
Water disruptions, patient logjams, overflowing emergency rooms, exhausted workers, staffing shortages and power outages created challenging conditions for health care workers across the state. Full Story
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Power and water outages have also hit many Texas lockups. Inmates have feared for their safety and officers were kept at their job for days. Full Story
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Millions of Texans were left in the dark for days after winter storms triggered power outages. But people in El Paso, the upper Panhandle and parts of East Texas kept their lights on — thanks to power drawn from other parts of the country. Full Story
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Dialysis patients need treatments for hours at a time, multiple times a week. Power and water outages forced local centers to shut down. Full Story
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Many people in the state still do not have power, and millions have had their water service disrupted. Full Story
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We’re tracking the fallout from the massive winter storm in Texas, which has brought widespread power outages and transportation problems. Full Story
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St. David’s South Austin Medical Center said a series of problems began after it lost water pressure from the city Wednesday. Seton hospitals in the area are also facing water problems. Full Story
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Texas officials knew winter storms could leave the state’s power grid vulnerable, but they left the choice to prepare for harsh weather up to the power companies — many of which opted against the costly upgrades. That, plus a deregulated energy market largely isolated from the rest of the country’s power grid, left the state alone to deal with the crisis, experts said. Full Story
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Green energy has been a political punching bag for Texas Republicans like Gov. Greg Abbott throughout the winter storm. Experts say that politicians never take responsibility for natural disasters when it comes to preparedness. Full Story
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We’re tracking the fallout from the massive winter storm in Texas, which has brought widespread power outages and transportation problems. Full Story
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Lost wind power was expected to be a fraction of winter generation. All sources — from natural gas, to nuclear, to coal, to solar — have struggled to generate power during the storm that has left millions of Texans in the dark. Full Story
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Texas largely relies on natural gas — especially during times of high demand — to power the state. Experts say natural gas infrastructure, from pumping it out of the ground to the plants in city centers, was unprepared for the plunging temperatures brought by the winter storm. Full Story
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Local organizations are providing warming shelters and resources, while nonprofits are asking for donations and volunteers. Full Story
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“The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has been anything but reliable over the past 48 hours,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. Full Story
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An arctic blast barreled though Texas over Valentines Day weekend. Temperatures plummeted and ice and snow blanketed the entire state, leaving millions of people without electricity. Texas Tribune photographers fanned out across the state to record the historic cold snap. Here's what they saw. Full Story
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In some areas of the West Texas city, the state found concentrations of benzene, a known carcinogen, to be 35 times the safe limit. For other chemicals identified in the water, no concentration is considered safe. Full Story
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The climate, environment and energy caucus aims to start a conversation in the Legislature on how Texas can prepare for climate change and take advantage of the transition to cleaner energy sources. Full Story
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A hazardous waste disposal company in Andrews County wants to handle more dangerous levels of nuclear waste. Federal agencies are pondering new rules that could allow more of it to come to Texas. Full Story
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Some areas of Texas could benefit from Biden’s federal directive to accelerate cleanups of legacy oil and gas, mining and hazardous waste contamination. Full Story
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An updated EPA rule requires drinking water in elementary schools be tested for lead and copper — a mandate that emerged from the Flint, Michigan, water crisis. Full Story
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