ENVIRONMENT TEXAS

The city’s health department found dioxins in soil samples along the fence line of a Union Pacific rail yard. Mayor Sylvester Turner said during the 2022 Texas Tribune Festival that plans to clean up the contamination should now include relocating residents.

One of them is in Laredo, which has elevated rates of cancer, according to a recent state analysis. The findings come after reporting by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune.

In 2021, all but 12 of 104 beaches were potentially unsafe for swimming on at least one day where they were tested.

The high court said a cap on power plants’ carbon dioxide emissions that forces a transition to other fuels may be a “sensible” solution to the climate crisis, but that Congress did not give the Environmental Protection Agency the broad authority to make such requirements. Texas was one of 17 states that joined in the suit.

A new report from Environment Texas states that pathogens pose a risk at the majority of Texas beaches.

Monday is the kickoff of Pollinator Week — a time to celebrate birds, bats, bees, beetles and butterflies.

If the act passes, Texas could see $50 million annually to help protect vulnerable animal species within the state's borders.

The move comes as the utility faces mounting pressure to phase out its J.K. Spruce coal plant, Bexar County's largest pollution source.

We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but if you're heading to the Texas Coast this weekend, there's a good chance you'll be...

"The data shows the problem is getting worse, not better," said Catherine Fraser, a clean air associate with Austin-based Environment Texas. We need our state leaders to crack down on illegal pollution and stop putting the interests of polluters over the rest of us. In 2018, polluters reported 4,590 reported unauthorized emissions across Texas, up from 4,067 the prior year. What's more, the penalties totaled just $2 million, equal to one cent per pound of illegal pollution, according to the report. However, Environment Texas' Fraser did point to recent positive sign.

click to enlarge Rhyma CastilloAnnalisa Peace of the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance speaks as Anna Farrell-Sherman (left) of Environment Texas and Joseph Fitzsimons, founder of the Texas Coalition for State Parks, look on. The proposition would simply add language guaranteeing funding from the sporting goods sales tax goes to Texas parks and by extension, Texas communities, advocates say. "One of our main goals [with Prop 5] is to improve the infrastructure of parks in our lower-income communities," said Joseph Fitzsimons, founder of the Texas Coalition for State Parks. "According to the National Recreation and Parks Association, parks are more than just community assets they're essential public services . "Investing in our parks and communities should be a nonpartisan issue," said Annalisa Peace of the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance.

click to enlarge Pixabay / PexelsWatchdog group Environment Texas delivered more than 12,000 petitions to the Texas Legislature urging it to pass a statewide ban on bee-killing pesticides known as neonicotinoids.The petition drive is part of a nationwide push to protect bee colonies, which have been dwindling due to lack of habitat and other factors. U.S. beekeepers reported a loss of nearly 40% of all honeybee colonies last winter the greatest hive loss in 13 years according to a survey by the Bee Informed Partnership.Neonicotinoids, widely used as pesticides in the U.S., act as a neurotoxin to bees. The chemicals are one of the biggest contributors to the destruction of bee colonies, according to recent scientific research , and the colonies help pollinate the majority of the world's food crops.Texas used some 350,000 pounds of neonicotinoids on agricultural land last year, according to Environment Texas.A world without bees would mean a world without apples, almonds, cherries, chocolate and coffee, said Laura Rybicki, canvas director with Environment Texas. Were so grateful that people from all over Texas have offered enthusiastic support for this campaign and joined our call for a statewide ban on bee-killing pesticides.

click to enlarge Environment TexasWe've got some shitty news to share with you, folks. New research from Environment Texas found that 141 beaches around the state had water pollution levels that put swimmers at risk of getting sick on at least one occasion last year. The Austin-based group'sreport examined fecal bacteria levels at 167 Texas beaches.In case you need a refresher on basic scientific terms, "fecal" equals "doo doo." Eww.Texas' worst beach for bacteria was Corpus Christi's Cole Park-Site 3, which had levels high enough to be risky for swimmers on 52 of the 64 days on which it was tested. We must invest in water infrastructure that prevents pollution to ensure that Americas waterways are safe for swimming.