The Texas National Guard installs barbed wire to prevent crossings at the Mexico-U.S. border.

Razor wire and clearcutting at the border threaten native Rio Grande habitat

As border barriers go up in the Rio Grande Valley, one nature enthusiast in Starr County is documenting what’s being lost.

by Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate News March 8, 2026March 8, 2026

As border barriers go up in the Rio Grande Valley, one nature enthusiast in Starr County is documenting what’s being lost.

An RV Camper enters Big Bend National Park. The revered park is scheduled for “smart wall” construction, according to the Customs and Border Protection website.

News

The border wall is closing in on Big Bend, sparking opposition by locals

Residents and elected officials are speaking out against a proposed border barrier through Texas’ biggest state park and one of the jewels of the national park system.

by Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate News February 23, 2026February 23, 2026

A work crew installs panels on the border wall in rural South Texas.

Texas News

South Texas advocates urge Congress to restore protections for public lands in border wall’s path

After years of bipartisan carveouts from Congress, plans for the border wall now cut through wildlife refuges and cultural sites in the Rio Grande Valley.

by Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate News February 9, 2026February 9, 2026

A petroleum company extracts oil and gas from the ground in the Permian Basin.

Texas News

New lawsuit claims ‘catastrophic impacts’ from injection wells in Texas’ Permian Basin

A Texas landowner is suing oil companies for damages on his property. The suit alleges injection wells and improperly plugged oil wells polluted the soil and groundwater.

by Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate News January 29, 2026January 29, 2026

A natural gas distribution system emits a flare during maintenance.

Texas News

Texas says it’s strict on oilfield well emissions. The data shows otherwise.

Despite industry claims Texas is success story in controlling emissions, state regulators rubber stamp nearly every request to burn or vent gas into the atmosphere.

By Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate News, and Mark Olalde, ProPublica September 3, 2025September 3, 2025

News

Environmental laws waived to build Trump’s border wall in Texas wildlife refuge

The Rio Grande Valley is home to ocelots and other endangered species. Now, the federal government will not have to follow the Endangered Species Act and more than two dozen other federal laws to build the border wall through a national wildlife refuge.

by Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate News August 27, 2025August 30, 2025

News

Texas oil and gas companies drill with river water during extreme drought

Oil and gas companies have used billions of gallons of Rio Grande and Pecos River water for drilling in the past four years, according to an exclusive Inside Climate News analysis.

by Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate News May 18, 2025June 25, 2025

News

Bill would stop Texas oil drillers from secretly burying toxic waste on private property

House Bill 4572 would introduce new requirements for pits where drillers bury oil and gas waste.

by Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate News April 19, 2025May 18, 2025

News

Project 2025 adviser takes the reins at EPA region including Texas

Scott Mason IV, a former deputy energy secretary for Oklahoma and member of the Cherokee nation, is the new administrator for the region that covers Texas and four neighboring states.

by Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate News February 11, 2025May 23, 2025

News

Texas regulators finalize oilfield waste rule

The new rule modernizes some aspects of commercial oilfield waste disposal and recycling. But rules for burying oilfield waste on private property remain limited.

by Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate News January 26, 2025January 29, 2025

News

Texas regulators report more than 250 new cases of groundwater contamination

An annual report documents 2,870 active cases of groundwater contamination around the state. Groundwater provides more than half of the state’s water supply.

by Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate News December 16, 2024June 21, 2025

News

Millions pour in to reelect Texas oil and gas regulator

Republican incumbent Christi Craddick has raised upwards of $10 million in her campaign for a third term on the Railroad Commission of Texas. Her campaign focuses on fighting federal regulations and what she calls ‘radical anti-oil protesters.’

by Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate News October 31, 2024November 6, 2024