Environment
In East Texas, Chicken Plants are Polluting Rivers and Lakes with Oxygen-Sucking Contaminants
Trump’s Border Wall Lands Rio Grande on List of Nation’s Most Endangered Rivers
The river has long suffered from pollution and overuse, but 33 new miles of border wall could be the “last nail in the coffin,” environmentalists say.
Last month, Congress passed a $1.3 trillion spending package to keep the government funded through September. Tucked in between increases in military spending a...Read More
Alleging ‘Environmental Racism,’ El Paso Activists File Civil Rights Complaint Against School District
“EPISD didn’t propose [a hub for 124 buses] anywhere else because other communities wouldn’t have accepted it,” said Chamizal community organizer Hilda Villegas.
Katherine Villegas, 16, is a junior at Bowie High School in El Paso. She lives in the Chamizal neighborhood, a border community besieged by environmental hazard...Read More
‘The Natural History of Texas’ Celebrates the State’s Lesser-Known Critters and In-Between Places
At first glance, the book appears to be a textbook. But it soon transforms into a welcome collection of oddities, a bestiary of the strange, unexpected and overlooked.
On December 7, 1941, two events coincided in a wholly unpredictable way. That the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor is household knowledge. Less well known is that...Read More
How the Fate of Texas’ Endangered Mussels Could Affect Water Usage Statewide
The designation could have significant consequences for people, farmers and companies along the Rio Grande and holds clues for how listing other rare mussels would change water use in Texas.
The Texas hornshell, a freshwater mussel found in crevices and boulder outcroppings of the Rio Grande, isn’t much to look at. While it can be easily mistaken ...Read More
Investigation Finds Culprit in Panhandle ‘Chemical Drift’ Case, State Yet to Take Action
Texas Department of Agriculture investigators found that local crop duster pilot Jared Lambert sprayed pesticide that doused three dozen people in a tiny Panhandle town, but the agency has not issued any penalties.
It’s been nearly two years since an errant blast of a dangerous chemical doused the tiny Panhandle town of Quitaque, but the Texas Department of Agriculture (...Read More
Dirtying the Waters: Texas Ranks First in Violating Water Pollution Rules
A new report raises questions about whether TCEQ is doing enough to protect the state’s water.
Texas has a dirty secret. Its industries are routinely violating environmental laws by dumping excess chemicals and human waste into its rivers and bays, often ...Read More
Meet the Oil-Friendly Federal Panel that Could Give Drillers a Sweetheart Deal
Will a state rep with industry ties go to bat for energy titans or everyday Texans?
Meet the Oil-Friendly Federal Panel that Could Give Drillers a Sweetheart Deal Will a state rep with industry ties go to bat for energy titans or everyday Texan...Read More
The Panhandle Drought, Fueled Partly by Climate Change, Foretells Other Environmental Risks
As the Panhandle gets drier, more water will be pumped from aquifers and wildfire danger will increase, experts say.
On day No. 126, the streak finally ended. From October 13 to February 16, Amarillo didn’t see a single drop of measurable rainfall — a record rainless stre...Read More
Oil and Gas Lobbyist Claims Texas Drone Law Meant to Deter ‘Bad Journalists’
A recording of a prominent Texas energy lobbyist’s recent speech to insiders provides an unvarnished look at what Big Oil considers its biggest accomplishments from the 2017 legislative session.
When Texas lawmakers passed a bill last year banning drones from flying near animal feedlots and oil and gas facilities, proponents said it was needed to protec...Read More