Naveena Sadasivam
By Naveena Sadasivam:
El Paso School Consolidation Exposes More Kids to Lead and Other Hazards, Parents Say
Exxon Appears to Mislead State to Secure Tax Break
In an application for a tax break from the Texas comptroller’s office, Exxon inaccurately claimed it hadn’t applied for any other permits for the facility.
In an effort to secure about $65 million in tax breaks, Exxon appears to have misled the state about how far along it was in deciding where to build a $1.9 billion plastics plant. In July, Exxon applied for a … Read More
Jury Finds TCEQ Did Not Discriminate Against Former Employee
State employees testified that Shiyan Jiang, the plaintiff, was argumentative, dismissive and insulting to other staff.
On Thursday, an eight-member jury sided with the state and found that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Kim Wilson, one of the agency’s directors, did not discriminate against a former employee on the basis of race, age or … Read More
Government Asks Court for More Time To Fix Houston’s Decades-Long Sewage Problem
A lawsuit by state and federal authorities could ultimately delay a fix to Houston’s widespread sewage leaks, which disproportionately affect minority and poor communities, advocates say.
Houston has a sewage problem. In the last five years, the city has self-reported more than 9,300 instances of untreated sewage overflowing from its sewer systems. The foul, bacteria-laden mixture often ends up in the city’s bayous and other waterways, … Read More
How Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court Appointment Would Affect Texans’ Air, Water and Land
The controversial Supreme Court nominee has a track record of siding with industry interests over environmental protections.
Media attention has been riveted on U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., this week, from his dodgy answers on Roe v. Wade to Democrats’ attempts to delay his confirmation. But what has received less scrutiny … Read More
Former TCEQ Employee Files Race and Age Discrimination Lawsuit Against Agency
Shiyan Jiang, who worked at TCEQ for 23 years, says he was repeatedly passed over for promotions and assignments given to younger, white employees.
On April 29, 2016, Shiyan Jiang learned he was being fired from his job at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Jiang, then 71, had been a hydrologist at the agency for more than 20 years, and he’d never received … Read More
The Making of the ‘Magic Valley’
Shallow Waters Shallow Waters is a nine-part series on border water and climate change. Part 6 The Making of the ‘Magic Valley’ How Anglos came to control agriculture in the heavily Latino Rio Grande Valley. by Naveena Sadasivam August 21, … Read More
Bordering on Empty
Shallow Waters Shallow Waters is a nine-part series on border water and climate change. Part 5 Bordering on Empty The Rio Grande is one of the most endangered rivers in the world. The Rio Grande Valley is one of the … Read More
Climate Change is Making Texas Summers Worse. Here’s Who That Hurts the Most.
Outdoor workers and the most vulnerable Texans — the poor, disabled and elderly — are feeling the brunt of this summer’s punishing heat.
Climate Change is Making Texas Summers Worse. Here’s Who That Hurts the Most. Outdoor workers and the most vulnerable Texans — the poor, disabled and elderly — are feeling the brunt of this summer’s punishing heat. – by Sophie Novack, … Read More
Trump’s Border Wall Could Decimate These Rare Species
Shallow Waters Shallow Waters is a nine-part series on border water and climate change. Part 3 Trump’s Border Wall Could Decimate These Rare Species From the jaguarundi to the Mexican long-nosed bat, plants and animals in the Texas-Mexico borderlands face … Read More