Critters
July 3, 2014
A Big Rat Snake Is Ssslithering Through San Antonio’s Sssewer Lines
Probably not rats, though, if this guy is around.
Environment
The Daily Post
May 29, 2014
Mad Scientist Wants to Build a 100-Mile-Long, 1,000-Foot-Tall Tornado Wall in Texas
We don't see what could possibly go wrong.
Food & Drink
May 27, 2014
How the W Hotel in Austin Ended Up With a Bee Hive on Its Roof
Walter Schumacher’s organization, Central Texas Bee Rescue, is saving bees one hive at a time.
The Daily Post
May 22, 2014
Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin Are Some of the Most Dangerous Cities in America for Pedestrians
Yep, pretty much every city in this state is awful for walkers.
Politics & Policy
May 13, 2014
The Effluent Society
A hellish drought has forced Wichita Falls to embrace a radical method of conservation: drinking treated toilet water.
Business
May 1, 2014
Why Do Multiple Texas Cities Want to Host the Sriracha Factory that Caused Health Problems in California?
San Antonio and Denton are both burning up to host the hot sauce company's new factory, which may be forced to leave its present home in Irwindale, California for creating a public nuisance and causing some local residents to have inflamed asthma and burned eyes. Why are Texas cities eager
Business
March 25, 2014
The Houston Ship Channel Is Still Closed
This is bad news environmentally and economically.
Energy
February 25, 2014
ExxonMobil CEO Doesn’t Want a Fracking Operation Near His Backyard
Rex Tillerson joined a lawsuit to prevent the construction of a fracking-related project near his ranch in Denton. The irony here is rich.
The Daily Post
February 18, 2014
Sea World Is Still Doing Just Fine, Sea World Would Like You To Know
The beleaguered theme park strikes back at its critics with a series of videos—but given their attendance, did they need to?
News & Politics
February 12, 2014
Shaken and Stirred
After the earthquakes in the Barnett Shale, some small-town citizens underwent a surprising transformation.
The Daily Post
January 27, 2014
Does a Sierra Blanca Mountain Contain $8 Billion Worth of Rare Earth Minerals?
A new start-up in the impoverished city only needs $20 million to complete a study to find out.
Politics & Policy
January 15, 2014
Below the Surface
The Legislature was looking in the wrong place when it tried to solve the state’s water crisis.
The Daily Post
November 1, 2013
Made in Texas? Denton’s Fight to Prevent the Sriracha Apocalypse
As a California city sues America's most popular Sriracha manufacturer over "foul chili odor," one Texas city councilman offers possible salvation for the cultish condiment.
The Culture
August 13, 2013
Nikki Gray, Firefighter
“Fire is so destructive that many landowners don’t realize it can sometimes do good on their property.”
Travel & Outdoors
April 17, 2013
The Silver Kings
The wild and powerful tarpon once ruled the seas off Port Aransas. Why did the ancient fish disappear? And could they make a comeback?
Energy
April 16, 2013
It’s Oil for the Best
One expert explains how the BP spill could be Texas’s greatest boon.
The Culture
March 6, 2013
Austin Bag Ban Generates Mixed Bag of Reactions
Here are the pros and cons.
Politics & Policy
February 13, 2013
Egypt Looks to El Paso for Water Wisdom
The city's massive inland desalination plant is drawing admirers from near and far.
Politics & Policy
February 11, 2013
The Never-Ending Drought and What Texas Plans to Do About It
Remember the 2012 Water Plan? Now it's being discussed in legislature. We'll bring you up to speed.
Energy
January 29, 2013
Texas Tenth in the Nation for Green Building
The Lone Star state constructed over 36 million square feet of energy-efficient space last year.
News & Politics
January 29, 2013
One Texas Lawmaker Wants Electric Vehicle Owners to Pay
Representative Drew Darby wants fuel-efficient vehicles, which naturally incur lower gas taxes, to be charged increased registration fees.
Energy
January 21, 2013
Five of the Worst Mercury-Polluting Power Plants Are In Texas
According to a new report ranking the ten worst mercury-emitting coal plants in the US.
January 21, 2013
Inside Texas’s New Radioactive Dump
The new dump for low-level radioactive waste in west Texas will help relieve an overburdened site in Utah, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Politics & Policy
January 21, 2013
The ‘Texas Observer’ v. the Koch Brothers
The magazine's investigative piece about Koch Industries' Flint Hills refinery in Corpus Christi prompted the company to fire back a response to the article.
January 21, 2013
It’s Time to Bag Some Feral Hogs
As part of "Hog Out" month in Texas, hunters in participating counties can receive two bucks for every feral hog they kill. Just make sure to save those tails!
January 21, 2013
The Case of the Missing Radioactive Rod
File this under the "things that should never go missing" category.
Energy
January 21, 2013
Appeals Court Sides With Texas in Fight Over EPA Air Pollution Rule
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit struck down the Environmental Protection Agency's Cross-State Air Pollution Rule.
Energy
January 21, 2013
Gulf Coast Portion of Keystone Pipeline Approved
TransCanada announced that construction of the Texas-Oklahoma segment of its pipeline will begin shortly—immediately prompting a backlash from environmentalists and conservative landowners alike.
Business
January 21, 2013
Texas Business Report: Protect the Air, Judge Says
A Texas judge has decreed that the atmosphere and air are a "public trust," just like water.
January 21, 2013
Is Fracking Causing All These Earthquakes?
StateImpact Texas found a substantial connection between hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," and the sudden surge in Texas quakes.
January 21, 2013
Cleaner Beaches Thanks to the Drought?
Were cleaner beaches in 2011 an unexpected upside to the drought?
Energy
January 21, 2013
What Does the Drought Mean for the Texas Miracle?
As much as anything, the economic boom in Texas depends on water. So what will industry do as the state gets drier? The Texas Tribune's Kate Galbraith explains.
Energy
January 21, 2013
No Endangered Species Listing for Dunes Sagebrush Lizard
The oil industry cheered news Wednesday that the tiny lizard will not be added to the endangered species list.
January 21, 2013
Hot Enough For Ya? It’s Worse in Oklahoma
Last summer’s average temperatures in Texas set a record for the hottest summer ever, but new data finds Oklahoma was more scorched.
January 21, 2013
West Texas Wildfires Burn Again
One year after the Rock House fire, more than 20,000 acres in Jeff Davis County are aflame.
News & Politics
January 21, 2013
Harold Simmons Wants More Waste to Fill His Dump
If you build it, will they come dump their nuclear waste? Not necessarily, as Dallas billionaire Harold Simmons is learning.
January 21, 2013
Thirsty Texas Fights Water War on Two Borders
At the same time Texas is fighting to get water from Oklahoma, state officials want to block Mexico from pumping water out of the Rio Grande.
January 21, 2013
Texas’s Love Affair with “Big Chicken”
How have industrial chicken farms changed Texas?
January 21, 2013
Tornado-Ravaged Dallas-Fort Worth
Devastating photos and incredible video of the twisters that hit North Texas Tuesday afternoon.
January 21, 2013
Texas Waterways are Nation’s Fourth Most Polluted
Companies released some 14.6 million pounds of industrial pollutants and toxic chemicals into Texas' waterways in 2010. Find out which water channels are the dirtiest.
January 21, 2013
Company Denies Dumping Pig Blood in Trinity
The Columbia Packing Co. denies knowingly releasing pig blood into the Trinity River and responds to allegations it has a secret sewer pipe that bypasses the city's monitoring device.
Energy
January 21, 2013
Energy-Loving Texas Could Be Ground Zero Against Keystone XL
Landowners who vehemently oppose TransCanada's Keystone XL pipeline took to the streets and the courts to protest the project.
January 21, 2013
New LCRA Water Plan Approved
The Lower Colorado River Authority approved a new water management plan Wednesday, giving it more tools to deal with extreme drought.
January 21, 2013
Dust Bowl Texas: The Drought is Not Over
Don't let the recent rains fool you: ninety percent of Texas remains in a drought.
Politics & Policy
January 21, 2013
Combing Through the Hate Mail to Climate Scientist Katharine Hayhoe
The Texas Tech professor and climate change evangelist has received hundreds of vicious emails since Newt Gingrich pulled her chapter from his book.
January 21, 2013
TM Informer: What Is Wildfire Season?
The Texas Forest Service recently announced that the state’s current “wildfire season” may not end. The TM Informer answers the question, When does it usually start and finish?
January 21, 2013
Dust Bowl Texas: Today in Drought News
It may have rained where you live Tuesday, but the drought continues to impact everything from butterflies to barbecue and golf to drinking water.
Listen
January 21, 2013
Life by the Drop: A Special Report on Drought, Water, and the Future of Texas
TEXAS MONTHLY partnered with StateImpact Texas and KUT News to take a close look at how the state can manage a growing population amid a shrinking water supply. Listen to reports from NPR’s John Burnett, Texas state photographer Wyman Meinzer, and more audio and online reports.
Technology
January 21, 2013
Industrial Evolution
As much as anything, the Texas economic miracle depends on water. Lots of water. So what are all those power plants, refineries, and factories going to do as the state gets drier and drier and drier?
Politics & Policy
January 21, 2013
Drawing Straws
The future is likely going to require us to move large amounts of water from wet but sparsely populated places (a.k.a. East Texas) to thirsty, booming cities. Good thing there’s a plan for that. There is a plan, right?