Barge hits, damages bridge in Galveston, causing an oil spill
The damaged bridge connects Pelican Island, where the Texas A&M Galveston campus is located, to Galveston Island. Full Story
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![A barge collides with the Pelican Island Bridge, spilling oil into the bay, on May 15, 2024.]()
Credit: KTRK via REUTERS -
El Paso residents rally to protect a Rio Grande wetland from possible highway project
Potential routes for a highway in El Paso’s Mission Valley run alongside a restored wetland called Rio Bosque. Environmental advocates are urging TxDOT to scrap the idea. Full Story
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![Dozens of people attend TxDOT’s public hearing on expanding the Loop 375 Border Highway through the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park in Soccorro, Texas on May 2, 2024.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for The Texas Tribune/Inside Climate News -
North Texas landowners trying to stop a reservoir that Wichita Falls calls crucial
State regulators face a critical decision this week on whether to approve a permit for a new reservoir that the city of Wichita Falls says is vital for ensuring enough water for the region. But some locals are fighting the project. Full Story
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![Deborah Clark, left, points to land that she says will be inundated if the permit to build Lake Ringgold is approved on Monday, May 6, 2024 in Henrietta, Texas. The city of Wichita Falls is seeking a permit to construct Lake Ringgold in Clay County, a reservoir the city says will help with future water needs. Residents and ranchers of Clay County say they will lose acres of their property and claim the project is unnecessary.]()
Credit: Desiree Rios for The Texas Tribune -
See the scope of flooding in East Texas
These graphics show how widespread flooding was in East Texas in late April and early May. Full Story
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![Residents’ homes and possessions are submerged in floodwater following significant rainstorms in Coldspring on May 4, 2024.]()
Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune -
Texas, federal government will begin tallying damage from spring storms, Gov. Greg Abbott says
Abbott confirmed three deaths from the storms, none were recorded from flooded areas. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott makes an economic deveoplemt announcement on Mar. 1, 2024. Gov. Abbott was surounded by the previous Governor Trophies he had earned in previous years.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Storms in Southeast Texas ease but risks remain
Forecasters expect storms to begin tapering off but some roads remain closed due to flooding. Full Story
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![A school bus drives through floodwater to survey the damage as peoples’ homes and possessions are submerged in floodwater following significant rainstorms in Coldspring, Texas, US, on Saturday May 4, 2024.]()
Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune -
Mangroves, expanding with the warming climate, are re-shaping the Texas coast
The tropical shrubs have been spreading north and growing more abundantly as climate change makes temperatures warmer. Scientists are unravelling what that means for coastal habitats. Full Story
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![Ed Proffitt, a professor of marine ecology at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and Max Portmann, right, a PhD student with the Proffitt-Delvin Lab of Coastal Ecology and Genetics, look at a young black mangrove tree near Oso Bay on April 18, 2024, in Corpus Christi, Texas. They can determine the age of the pant by the distance between leaf pairs, which indicates growth between seasons and years, Proffitt said.]()
Credit: Angela Piazza for The Texas Tribune -
Recovery a faraway thought for East Texas flood evacuees as more rain is expected
East Texans tried to reach their homes by boat and kayaks Saturday. Others remained pessimistic that the water would recede soon. Full Story
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![An airboat returns with rescued pets in tow as a group of people launch kayaks into floodwaters following significant rainstorms in Coldspring on May 4, 2024.]()
Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune -
“We lost everything”: East Texas residents confront their future after flooding
Dozens of evacuees, including the elderly and barefoot children, crowded in an old school building Friday, praying for clear skies on Monday. Full Story
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![Flooding in downtown Livingston on May 2, 2024. Thousands fled their Southeast Texas homes as heavy rains saturated land in multiple counties.]()
Credit: Drone Bros LLC -
How the flooding in Southeast Texas got so dire
Since Sunday, multiple rounds of rainfall have soaked the region, causing rivers and creeks to swell and rise out of their banks. Full Story
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![The Lake Livingston Dam is seen releasing water on May 3, 2024, in Livingston. The Southeast Texas reservoir reached capacity during several days of intense rainstorms this week.]()
Credit: Drone Bros LLC -
Rain eases in Southeast Texas but flooding will take time to recede
Thousands of residents have either evacuated or are now under shelter orders. Full Story
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![Emergency personnel respond to flooding on FM 1988 on May 2, 2024, in Livingston.]()
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Harris, Montgomery counties declare emergencies as East Texas region floods
Parts of Harris County, including The Woodlands, were under flood warnings Thursday. Full Story
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Decayed power pole sparked the largest wildfire in state history, Texas House committee confirms
A lack of air support and ineffective coordination hurt efforts to contain this year's Panhandle fires, the committee said. Full Story
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![A building destroyed by fire sits in ashes in the Texas R.V. Park in Fritch, TX. Snow and rainfall on Thursday offered temporary relief to firefighters battling the blaze but weather conditions this weekend may cause the fire to spread again.]()
Credit: Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribune -
East Texans brace for prolonged evacuation orders after rainfall drenches Polk County
East Texas has been hit by several severe rainstorms this spring, and several counties have declared disasters. Full Story
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![Recent flooding in Polk County has led to evacuations.]()
Credit: TxDOT Lufkin social media -
Companies aim to release more treated oilfield wastewater into rivers and streams
Texas regulators are issuing permits to discharge large volumes of treated “produced water” into some waterways. Questions remain about the toxic pollutants found in the wastewater. Full Story
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![An oil well adjacent to the Red Bluff Reservoir in Reeves County, Texas on February 24, 2020. NGL Water Solutions Permian has proposed to discharge treated produced water into the reservoir.]()
Credit: Justin Hamel for Inside Climate News -
Coal power plants must reduce pollution under new federal rules
The rules will require coal-fueled plants, including Texas plants that produced about 12% of power on the state’s grid this year, to reduce carbon emissions and mercury pollution and handle disposed coal ash more safely. Full Story
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![The entrance to the San Miguel Electric Cooperative coal-burning power plant on April 26, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Is the ocelot, the endangered South Texas wildcat, making a comeback?
Conservation groups found a sign of hope, but scientists say it's too soon to celebrate. Full Story
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![The ocelot subspecies Leopardus pardalis albescens, found in South Texas, is classified as endangered.]()
Credit: Photo courtesy Texas Parks and Wildlife Department 2022, ©Chase Fountain -
Oil and gas leaders at Tribune panel say the industry’s crucial to West Texas but pollution must be addressed
Panelists discussed how the industry has changed Midland and Odessa and how to confront environmental concerns. Full Story
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What you need to know about toxic “forever chemicals” the EPA is restricting
The EPA recently set new limits on the toxic chemicals used to make everything from nonstick pans to firefighting foam. Here’s how to protect yourself and your family. Full Story
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![3M’s Cordova chemical plant in Illinois on the Mississippi River upstream from the Quad Cities on Dec. 7, 2022. The company said it will stop making PFAS chemicals in 2025.]()
Credit: E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune/TNS/ABACA via Reuters Connect -
Rural Texas towns report cyberattacks that caused one water system to overflow
Local officials said the public was not put in any danger and the attempts were reported to federal authorities. Full Story
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![The view into Muleshoe, Texas along Highway 84 on March. 6, 2023, in Muleshoe.]()
Credit: Justin Rex for The Texas Tribune