1.2 Million Oil Wells Are Buried Underneath Texas. Do You Live on Top of a Dangerous One?
Our state's homes are built above a hundred years of drilling by an industry that was never made to clean up after itself.
oil and gas
Report: Oil Companies Are Burning Off Natural Gas—and Leaving Regulators in the Dark
The Earthworks report is also the first analysis to identify what could constitute widespread illegal flaring in Texas oil fields.
The Unlikely Demise of Texas’ Biggest Corporate Tax Break
After 20 years, the state’s most lucrative corporate welfare program comes to an end.
Waves of Abandonment
The Permian Basin is ground zero for a billion-dollar surge of zombie oil wells.
‘No Teeth and No Funding’: How Regulators Failed to Police the Oil Industry
Budget cuts and long term disinvestment in local environmental agencies have hobbled the states’ ability to oversee fracking.
Dying Oil Companies’ Parting Gift: Millions in Clean Up Costs
One Texas oil and gas company left the state responsible for almost $10 million after its 2019 bankruptcy.
The Oil and Gas Industry Still Hasn’t Reckoned with #MeToo
Groping. Catcalling. Crude texts. We spoke to women in the oil industry who say they faced sexual harassment and were punished for speaking out.
Illegal Air Pollution is Skyrocketing in Texas, But State Regulators are Ignoring Complaints
An environmental watchdog submitted evidence of dozens of violations, but the state’s environmental agency rarely followed up.
From Boom to Bloodbath
The Permian Basin’s shale revolution is over and renewable energy is surging. What does that mean for Texas’ future?
With Storage Space Evaporating, the Oil and Gas Industry Will Get to Put Its Products Back Underground
The Railroad Commission has rolled back rules that once prohibited producers from storing liquid hydrocarbons in geological formations across the state, despite risks to aquifers.