oil and gas industry Archives - San Antonio Current

A crew works on a temporarily docked offshore drilling rig in Port of Galveston, Texas.

Trump’s ‘God Squad’ to weigh Gulf of Mexico drilling against survival of endangered whales and turtles

Citing national security, the Trump administration wants to exempt all federally regulated offshore oil from protections for endangered animals—even if it could cause their extinction.

by Kiley Price, Inside Climate NewsMarch 30, 2026March 30, 2026

Citing national security, the Trump administration wants to exempt all federally regulated offshore oil from protections for endangered animals—even if it could cause their extinction.

Gas flares at a Texas oil production and storage facility.

Senator launches investigation into methane pollution in Texas’ Permian Basin

Recent satellite monitoring revealed that actual emissions from the West Texas and southeast New Mexico basin are four times higher than official estimates.

by Phil McKenna, Inside Climate News
March 21, 2026March 21, 2026

Smoke rises from the 2019 ITC fire in suburban Houston.

Bad Takes: ‘We have the best political system right now that private money can buy’

Sadly, what was once labeled corruption has become the way U.S. politics works.

by Kevin Sanchez November 26, 2025November 26, 2025

News

Unregulated oilfield power lines are suspected of sparking Texas wildfires

No state agency is taking responsibility for making sure the privately built lines that power many oil and gas sites are safe. Such lines have been blamed for sparking two recent Panhandle fires.

by Emily Foxhall, Jayme Lozano Carver and Carlos Nogueras Ramos, The Texas Tribune August 1, 2024January 26, 2025

News

New Texas appellate court alarms environmentalists

The all-Republican 15th Court of Appeals soon will begin hearing disputes involving the state’s environmental regulators. ‘It’s BYOC — bring your own court — for polluters and powerful interests,’ one critic says.

by Jim Morris, Leah Clark and Manuela Silva, Public Health Watch July 13, 2024August 1, 2024

News

Texas’ two senators near top of the list for taking money from fossil fuel industry

Together, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz have raked in $9.7 million in fossil-fuel industry contributions since 1990, a new report shows.

by Sanford Nowlin June 5, 2024June 27, 2025

News

Companies aim to release more treated oilfield wastewater into rivers and streams

Texas regulators are issuing permits to discharge large volumes of treated “produced water” into some waterways. Questions remain about the toxic pollutants found in the wastewater.

by Martha Pskowski and Dylan Baddour, Inside Climate News April 29, 2024April 30, 2025

News

Oil and gas companies spill millions of gallons of wastewater in Texas

An exclusive Inside Climate News analysis found that companies have spilled nearly 150 million gallons of toxic, highly saline wastewater in Texas over the last decade.

by Martha Pskowski and Peter Aldhous, Inside Climate News November 1, 2023May 8, 2025

News

Critics say Texas tax break helps petrochemical companies and hurts public schools

In December, legislators killed a controversial tax abatement program known as Chapter 313, but its effects will last decades.

by Elliott Woods, Capital & Main February 5, 2023August 17, 2023

News

Beto O’Rourke says utility bills rising as Gov. Greg Abbott forces Texans to pay for February freeze

by Sanford Nowlin December 21, 2021February 19, 2025

News

Ted Cruz calls infrastructure bill ‘reckless’ days after he pushed to include a pet highway project in it

by Sanford Nowlin August 6, 2021August 17, 2023

News

In remarks to oil industry, Sen. John Cornyn of Texas calls renewable energy a ‘cult’

by Sanford Nowlin June 7, 2021June 5, 2024

News

Texas House OKs bill aimed at preventing future blackouts, but experts warn it falls short

by Sanford Nowlin May 24, 2021August 17, 2023

News

When the power went out, Texas oil and gas regulators rushed to defend the industry’s image

by Erin Douglas and Mitchell Ferman, The Texas Tribune April 5, 2021August 17, 2023

News

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz defends pandemic relief funding that helped two billionaire donors land $35M

Sanford NowlinDecember 29, 2020February 23, 2024