Environment

Touring North Texas’ Barnett Shale, EPA officials promise to pay more attention to the area

by Dylan Baddour, Inside Climate News March 17, 2023

The agency’s regional administrator toured the area with the head of a local nonprofit, who complained that when “severe emissions” from gas wells and tanks make people sick, “there are no real remedies.” Full Story 

Lawmakers propose energy bill relief for Texans with $4 billion legislation

by Emily Foxhall March 15, 2023

The allocation is part of a plan to add $12 billion to the current budget. It hasn’t been approved yet by the House. Full Story 

How a fading West Texas town has gone four years without safe drinking water

by Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate News, and Mitch Borden, Marfa Public Radio March 15, 2023

Some Toyah residents say state regulators at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality were “negligent” and want to know what took so long. The Texas attorney general has filed a lawsuit. Full Story 

Shuttered Fairfield Lake State Park will reopen temporarily starting Tuesday

by Emily Foxhall March 13, 2023

State officials plan to offer free day access to the property as they consider how to acquire the land before its sale. Full Story 

Landowners fear injection of fracking waste threatens West Texas aquifers

by Dylan Baddour, Inside Climate News, and Pu Ying Huang, The Texas Tribune Updated: March 10, 2023

Operators pump a sea of “produced water” underground for disposal. Intensifying tremors raise fears that the deep toxic waste pits could intermingle with water used for farming and drinking. Full Story 

Here comes the haboob: Texas High Plains getting walloped by dust storms

by Jayme Lozano Feb. 24, 2023

High Plains residents are used to wind and dust, but an ongoing drought and recent tropical-storm-level winds have brought some epic dust storms. Full Story 

Black and Hispanic Texans say they don’t trust the quality of their water

by Jayme Lozano and Pooja Salhotra Feb. 16, 2023

A survey was commissioned by the nonprofit organization Texas Water Trade and included responses from households in both rural border communities and in urban areas across Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth. Full Story 

A Texas park on leased land near Dallas must close because the state’s landlord is selling the property to a developer

by Raul Trey Lopez Updated: Feb. 17, 2023

After investing $72 million in improvements at Fairfield Lake State Park over three decades, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is out. The state has 120 days to vacate the property. Full Story 

Austin’s city manager fired over botched winter storm response

by Joshua Fechter Updated: Feb. 15, 2023

Spencer Cronk, who headed the city since 2018, fell out of favor with council members after communication failures that mirrored problems from the 2021 winter storm. Full Story 

In an age of repeated crises, these Texans are creating mutual aid networks to help neighbors in need

by Maia Spoto Feb. 13, 2023

Community organizations and individuals helped many Texans weather this month’s ice storm. Extreme weather heightens demand for their help — but it can also stress their resources. Full Story 

Austin shelters weren’t prepared for outages despite lessons from 2021 winter storm, advocates say

by Lucy Tompkins, The Texas Tribune and The New York Times Feb. 8, 2023

Activists who work with unhoused people noted improvements in the city’s planning and coordination, but said shelters were difficult to reach for some and couldn’t accommodate families with children. Full Story 

A new winter storm and old problems raise questions about Austin leaders’ response to crises

by Joshua Fechter Feb. 8, 2023

As newly elected Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and a City Council with an array of fresh faces review their first major crisis, the city’s top officials once again find themselves trying to figure out why the city botched its response to a significant weather event. Full Story 

Texas’ teacher pension fund divested from investment firms accused of “boycotting” oil and gas industry

by Erin Douglas Feb. 7, 2023

The Teacher Retirement System of Texas was following a new state law targeting investment firms that seek to invest in companies that don’t worsen climate change. Full Story 

Austin city manager’s job could be on the line after winter storm response

by Joshua Fechter and María Méndez Updated: Feb. 6, 2023

Austin City Council members will evaluate Spencer Cronk’s employment during their Thursday meeting. Cronk was hired in 2017. Full Story 

In South Texas, opponents say planned natural gas export facility’s carbon capture promises are “greenwashing”

by Matthew Green, Floodlight and DeSmog Feb. 6, 2023

A company planning to build a massive liquefied natural gas export facility near Brownsville says carbon capture technology will reduce its pollution, but some locals say it’s a “Band-Aid on a bullet hole.” Full Story 

Austin makes progress restoring power, but tens of thousands still without

by Alex Nguyen, Alejandro Serrano and Samantha Aguilar Updated: Feb. 4, 2023

The city originally said it would restore all power by 6 p.m. Friday. But more than 57,000 customers are still without electricity Saturday night. Full Story 

Texas cities debate costly infrastructure investments in age of extreme weather

by Pooja Salhotra, Joshua Fechter, Erin Douglas, Jayme Lozano and Emily Foxhall Feb. 3, 2023

Experts say local governments should prioritize extreme weather preparedness. Cost can be a deterring factor. Full Story 

Chainsaws and dry socks: Austinites step up for neighbors during ice storm

by William Melhado Feb. 3, 2023

Friends in North Austin removed downed trees from neighbors’ roofs, while closer to the city core, volunteers rushed to meet the immediate needs of people without homes — those most severely impacted by the freezing temperatures. Full Story 

For many Central Texans, latest bout of cold weather and outages reopens old wounds

by Stephen Simpson, Samantha Aguilar, Brian Lopez and Kate McGee Feb. 2, 2023

Severe weather this week is confronting Texans with old problems and stirring up memories of previous crises. Experts say this can be a detriment to mental health. Full Story 

In Central Texas, an urban tree canopy bends to the ice

by Erin Douglas, Emily Foxhall and Pooja Salhotra Feb. 2, 2023

The Hill Country loves its trees. But improper pruning and a drought earlier in the year may have contributed to the huge number of downed branches this week that frequently took power lines with them. Full Story