South Texas farmers are in peril as the Rio Grande Valley runs dry — again
With the hottest days still ahead, local leaders have declared emergencies. And farmers are lobbying for the U.S. government to pressure Mexico to release water. Full Story
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![Mike England surveys a field on his farm near Mercedes on April 18, 2024. England had to destroy 500 acres worth of sugar cane he'd grown because of drought in the Rio Grande Valley.]()
Credit: Ben Lowy for The Texas Tribune -
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick asks state to halt new cement plant permits until 2025
Citing community concerns about a planned cement plant in Grayson County, Patrick’s letter asks TCEQ to reject the permit and halt permit approvals statewide. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick speaks during a keynote lunch at the Texas Public Policy Foundation Texas Policy Summit 2024 at the AT&T Hotel & Conference Center in Austin, TX on Mar. 21, 2024. Lt. Gov. Patrick spoke on policies regarding energy, border control, school choice and taxes.]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Dozens of Texas water systems exceed new federal limits on “forever chemicals”
The EPA set its first-ever drinking water limits for five types of PFAS chemicals, and nearly 50 Texas public water systems have reported exceeding the new limits for at least one. Full Story
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![A cascade aerator on the site of the Twin Oaks Valley Water Treatment Plant outside of San Antonio, where the San Antonio Water System maintains an underground storage reservoir.]()
Credit: Gabriel Cristóver Pérez for The Texas Tribune -
As climate change intensifies wildfire risk, prescribed burns prove their worth in the heat-stressed Panhandle
In Borger, officials say a prescribed burn stopped the Windy Deuce Fire from entering neighborhoods. But the practice has faced opposition from some landowners. Full Story
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![A structure damaged by the flames of the Smokehouse Creek Fire in Stinnet, Texas.]()
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Valley activists wage transatlantic battle to stop natural gas exports from South Texas
As legal efforts fall short, Rio Grande Valley residents are pursuing a novel strategy to halt export terminals on wetlands: Lobby Europeans to reject gas from the U.S. Full Story
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![The Port of Brownsville Shrimp Basin, about 4.8 miles away from the Rio Grande LNG terminal.]()
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Water scarcity and clean energy collide in South Texas
A high-tech chemical company has purchased the last available water in the Nueces River to make hydrogen and ammonia for export. Full Story
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![The sun sets over the Port of Corpus Christi in March 2018.]()
Credit: Eddie Seal for The Texas Tribune -
After Texas’ largest wildfire is contained, a rancher moves on with a single calf
In testimony to state lawmakers, Dale Jenkins and his Panhandle peers shared the “hidden cost” of the wildfires. Full Story
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![Dale Jenkins poses for a photo inside a cattle pen where he left his livestock prior to the Smokehouse Creek fires on Wednesday, April 3, 2024 in Canadian. “You'd be out there fighting this fire and you're all by yourself,” Jenkins said. “There's not a soul round. But you've got light from the fire line. And you're working at it and concentrating so hard and finally you get to the end you finally put up the last flames and then it's just totally dark and totally quiet is a really it's an interesting feeling.”]()
Credit: Maria Crane/The Texas Tribune -
Amid fears of arsenic in private water wells, Texas A&M is offering low-cost tests in Ector and Midland counties
Officials are worried that there’s arsenic in some of the estimated 13,500 private water wells in Ector and Midland counties. Full Story
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![A water faucet drips on Feb. 5, 2022.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
South Texas groups trying to stop state’s land swap with SpaceX
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is negotiating a land trade involving part of Boca Chica State Park. Full Story
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![SpaceX rockets at the launch pad at the Brownsville facility on Oct. 20, 2021. On Oct. 22, Elon Musk said via Twitter the Starship rocket would be ready for an orbital launch by next month.]()
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EPA rule to slash toxic pollution will affect 80 Texas plants
The new federal limits target six cancer-causing chemicals and aim to reduce the cancer risk of cancer for nearby communities. Full Story
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![Flint Hills Resources, a manufacturer of fuels and chemicals, site in Corpus on Nov. 11, 2021.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune -
PHOTOS: Clouds break just in time for many in Texas to view eclipse
In some parts of the state, the skies cleared enough for people to see the total solar eclipse. Full Story
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![The Baressi family looks up at the sun Grenwelge Park, minutes before the total solar eclipse’s totality in Llano on April 8, 2024. The family traveled from across the United States to view the eclipse. The eclipse is expected to bring thousands of visitors to the area.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
To close or stay open? Ahead of the eclipse, Texas schools weighed logistical hurdles versus learning opportunities
Some districts will close for the day expecting traffic jams and busy city services. Others will stay open for parents who can’t find child care. Full Story
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![Perry Mason, left, points out the solar eclipse to her son Mason Shaddock, 9, during its annularity Oct. 14, 2023, in San Marcos,]()
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Public blasts Texas agencies, regulators for poor communication and oversight at wildfire hearings
Thursday’s hearing marked the end of the Legislature’s three-day marathon of public hearings. Full Story
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![Craig Cowden gives testimony to the house committee investigating the Panhandle wildfires Thursday, April 4, 2024 in Pampa.]()
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Utility pole inspection company declines to testify at Texas Panhandle wildfire investigation hearing
The Texas A&M Forest Service concluded that a fallen decayed utility pole caused the Smokehouse Creek fire. Full Story
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![State Rep Ken King, R-Canadian, speaks during an investigative house committee hearing on the Texas Panhandle wildfires Tuesday, April 2, 2024 in Pampa. In late February, the largest wildfire in Texas history raged across the panhandle, burning just over a million acres.]()
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Texas, U.S. reach $6.6 million settlement over 2019 Deer Park chemical fire
Attorney General Ken Paxton said the settlement will reimburse the state and feds for damages to natural resources. Full Story
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![Firefighters struggle to extinguish the towering flames pouring out of ITC’s tank 80-8 on the afternoon of March 17, 2019. The fire would blow through the entire “2nd 80’s” section of the facility.]()
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Eclipse fever hits Texas towns as residents and officials prepare for a crush of visitors
Llano residents are told to stock up on groceries. A Sulphur Springs church is renting its parking spots. And everyone’s watching the weather forecast ahead of Monday’s eclipse. Full Story
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![Hundreds flock to Mission San José in South San Antonio on Oct. 14, 2023, to witness the annular solar eclipse as the moon’s shadow swept across Central Texas.]()
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Texas emergency director calls for firefighting air force after historic Panhandle fires
A special legislative committee is investigating what caused the Smokehouse Creek fire, the largest in state history. Full Story
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![From left, Texas A&M Forest Service Fire Chief Wes Moorehead, Director of Texas A&M Forest Service, Al Davis, and Chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management Nim Kidd, sit before a House Committee investigating the Panhandle wildfires Tuesday, April 2, 2024 in Pampa. On Tuesday, testimony focused on topics relating to the largest wildfire in Texas history.]()
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Tainted water flowed to these Texans’ homes for three years. No one told them.
A new operator was assigned to fix the well in Midland County, which is still not compliant with state standards. Full Story
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![A playa (flood plain) borders a neighborhood in South Midland on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. For three years, residents from the neighborhood outside city limits consumed well water laced with traces of arsenic. The well can be seen in the bottom right of the flood plain.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune -
In Texas, ex-oil and gas workers champion geothermal energy as a replacement for fossil-fueled power plants
Texas has become an early hot spot for geothermal energy exploration as scores of former oil industry workers and executives are taking their knowledge to a new energy source. Full Story
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![Cindy D. Taff, Chief Executive Officer of Sage Geosystems, poses for a photo on March 22, 2023 in Starr County Santa Elena, Texas. The startup is testing storing energy in the ground. “There’s some people that believe that there’s a climate crisis, and some people don’t believe it. We want this to be the energy of choice whether you believe in it or not because it’s cost-effective as well.”
Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune]()
Credit: Verónica Gabriela Cárdenas for The Texas Tribune -
Texas energy companies are betting hydrogen can become a cleaner fuel for transportation
Supporters say developing hydrogen as a fuel is critical to slowing climate change. Critics are concerned that producing it with fossil fuels will prop up the oil and gas industry. Full Story
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![Air Liquide’s facility manager Craig Allen at the largest hydrogen storage facility, on Sept. 5, 2023 in Beaumont.]()
Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune