A Texas Commission on Environmental Quality investigator tested wastewater from Tesla’s Robstown lithium refinery on Feb. 12.

Independent testing where Tesla’s lithium refinery discharges wastewater found toxic metals

The drainage district that commissioned the test has now sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Elon Musk-owned carmaker’s operations, near Corpus Christi.

by Arcelia Martin, Inside Climate News April 24, 2026April 24, 2026

The drainage district that commissioned the test has now sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Elon Musk-owned carmaker’s operations, near Corpus Christi.

Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni takes questions from reporters about the city's water situation at a press briefing on Mar. 20, 2026.

Texas News

Corpus Christi says two new developments will buy it more time before reaching water crisis

The city manager said the city received permits to pump more groundwater and will avoid water reductions from a shrinking reservoir for now, pushing a potential water crisis to July.

by Colleen DeGuzman, The Texas Tribune March 21, 2026March 21, 2026

San Antonio News

Bexar County Commissioners join fight over Guajolote Ranch development

Commissioners signed a resolution urging state regulators to reconsider their approval of a wasterwater plant that opponents say threatens the Edwards Aquifer.

by Michael Karlis December 18, 2025December 22, 2025

Texas drastically cut its environmental protection budget even as the number of companies in the state requiring air pollution permits grew by 15%.

Texas News

Texas cut more from its environmental budget than nearly any state

The deep cuts come as the Trump White House wants to slash the EPA budget and require states to do more pollution oversight.

by Sanford Nowlin December 11, 2025December 11, 2025

Smoke rises from the 2019 ITC fire in suburban Houston.

Bad Takes

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

Members of Texas' congressional delegation want President Donald Trump to use upcoming trade negotiations to hold Mexico accountable for missing a key water deadline.

Texas News

Texas’ congressional delegation wants Trump to punish Mexico for missing key water deadline

The state’s citrus industry is at risk, farmers say, after Mexico failed to deliver water it owes Texas as part of a 1944 treaty.

by Berenice Garcia, The Texas Tribune October 26, 2025October 26, 2025

News

How Texas diminished a once-rigorous air pollution monitoring team

Former employees say the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality weakened the unit in the years following the onset of the fracking boom. The operation never returned to what it was before.

by Dylan Baddour, Inside Climate News October 12, 2024June 11, 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

Texas industrial sites spewed 2 million pounds of pollution during last week’s freeze

Some of the releases occurred in South Texas counties, including McMullen, Live Oak and DeWitt, which are significant sites of oil and gas exploration.

by Sanford Nowlin January 23, 2024February 6, 2025

News

Elon Musk’s SpaceX wants to dump treated wastewater into South Texas preserve

The company has filed for a permit to eject up to 200,000 gallons of treated waste and sewage water into a bay that was designated Texas’ first coastal preserve.

by Sanford Nowlin November 7, 2023May 21, 2025

News

Environmental advocates push feds to investigate Texas’ enforcement of water quality

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to investigate allegations that the state is failing to enforce the Clean Water Act.

by Alejandra Martinez, The Texas Tribune February 2, 2023August 17, 2023

News

Texas’ environmental regulators need to get tougher on polluters, group of lawmakers says

The group that reviews the effectiveness of state agencies recommended several changes to how the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality operates.

by Erin Douglas and Alejandra Martinez, The Texas Tribune November 11, 2022May 19, 2025

News

Nearly all unplanned chemical releases in Texas go unpunished

Thousands of ’emissions events’ from chemical plants each year exceed permitted limits, but only a small fraction result in penalties from the state’s environmental agency.

by Savanna Strott, Public Health Watch August 17, 2022January 3, 2025

News

Smog levels in Texas surge during heat wave, bringing worst summer air quality in a decade

Despite the high levels of smog, state officials are pushing back on ozone pollution controls proposed by the EPA, arguing such rules would compromise the electric grid.

by Erin Douglas, The Texas Tribune July 14, 2022August 19, 2023

News

Best of San Antonio Nominations are Now Live

TCEQ

Independent testing where Tesla’s lithium refinery discharges wastewater found toxic metals

Corpus Christi says two new developments will buy it more time before reaching water crisis

Bexar County Commissioners join fight over Guajolote Ranch development

Texas cut more from its environmental budget than nearly any state

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

Texas’ congressional delegation wants Trump to punish Mexico for missing key water deadline

How Texas diminished a once-rigorous air pollution monitoring team

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

Texas industrial sites spewed 2 million pounds of pollution during last week’s freeze

Elon Musk’s SpaceX wants to dump treated wastewater into South Texas preserve

Environmental advocates push feds to investigate Texas’ enforcement of water quality

Texas’ environmental regulators need to get tougher on polluters, group of lawmakers says

Nearly all unplanned chemical releases in Texas go unpunished

Smog levels in Texas surge during heat wave, bringing worst summer air quality in a decade

A year after February ice storm, new data shows Texas natural gas providers still not ready for freeze

Texas prepares to test for lead in schools’ drinking water for the first time

Environmental groups sue EPA for allowing Texas regulators to ‘rubber stamp’ polluting plants

Texas’ move to control coal ash pollution could shield industry from tougher rules under Biden-led EPA

Neighborhood Groups Sue State of Texas Over Proposed San Antonio-Area Quarry

San Antonio’s Ozone Levels Are Too High — but the EPA isn’t Paying Attention. Now What?