Texas

Energy and Environment Reporting for Texas

Latest Posts

How Wasted Gas From Drilling Could Save Millions of Gallons of Texas Water

Millions of gallons of water from hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” could be treated and reused without extra energy costs using gas that is typically burned off at drilling sites, according to a new study by a team of scientists at the University of Texas at Austin. Enough natural gas is burnt on site to fuel […]

What Will Hundreds of Water Tests Reveal About Drilling in Texas?

“In Texas, I don’t think there’s anybody else doing quite what we’re doing,” says research scientist Kevin Schug. What Schug is doing can be found in a two big kitchen refrigerators in a lab on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington. The fridges are crammed with hundreds of plastic bottles containing samples […]

Company Man: Oil and Gas Energy Rep Says Industry Understands Quake Concerns

From KERA News: Alex Mills is a company man. He heads the largest state oil and gas association in the United States. He’s based in Wichita Falls, 90 minutes northwest of the Azle-Reno area, where a series of earthquakes hit six months ago. This story is part of our series on “What’s Behind the North […]

Meet ‘The Digger:’ How One Texas Mom Helps Others Find Answers About Quakes

From KERA News:  Barbara Brown is known to some of her neighbors as “The Digger.” She earned that nickname after collecting thousands of documents about oil and gas drilling, shortly after she says a swarm of minor earthquakes damaged her dream home, and those of her neighbors in Reno and Azle. Brown is an Army […]

Regulators Close Case on Flaming Texas Water, Researcher Says Not So Fast

The growing presence of methane in the water wells of a suburban Dallas community cannot be linked to nearby drilling activity even though methane levels have risen in several wells in the area since drilling began, according to a report released by the state’s oil and gas regulator. But other scientists who study the issue […]

Silencing Those Who Would Scrutinize Disposal of Drilling Wastewater

Hugh Fitzimons is a rancher from Dimmit County who also serves on the Wintergarden Groundwater Conservation District. Last week, he stood before the three members of the Railroad Commission of Texas and gave a stark warning as to why he was concerned about the proliferation of disposal wells. With oil and gas drilling booming, so […]

How Drug Smugglers Are Taking Advantage of the Texas Oil Boom

From KUT News:  While fracking for oil along the Texas border has become a big business for petrol companies, a new entity seeks to tap into the lucrative market – drug smugglers. As infrastructure and activity increases to meet the demand of the booming industry, drug smugglers are starting to take advantage of the new roads […]

Man-Made Quakes Get a Hearing at Texas Legislature

For perhaps the first time in its history, the state legislature held a hearing Monday about earthquakes. But we’re not talking about natural tremors, we’re talking about man-made earthquakes. Texas has seen quakes measuring 3.0 and higher increase tenfold since an oil and gas drilling boom began several years ago, with the first quake swarm […]

Denton Petition to Ban Fracking Filed, Likely on the Ballot in November

Nearly as many people signed a petition to outlaw fracking within the city limits of Denton as voted in the last municipal election. Denton’s Drilling Awareness Group (DAG) will formally file its petition with the City Secretary this afternoon. The petition has 1,871 signatures, though just 596 (25 percent of the last election’s 2,385 votes) […]

About StateImpact

StateImpact seeks to inform and engage local communities with broadcast and online news focused on how state government decisions affect your lives.
Learn More »

Economy
Education