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west texas

An Oilfield Leak Springs Under a Permian Basin Baptist Church

Pressure underneath the West Texas oilfields has caused blowouts and geysers in recent years. Now, salty water is spewing out of the ground in the town of Grandfalls.

By Martha Pskowski

 Water pooling is seen on Tuesday at the First Baptist Church in Grandfalls, Texas. Credit: Courtesy of Schuyler Wight
The Rio Grande flows through Boquillas del Carmen, Mexico, where people rely on getting supplies from Texas. According to the Customs and Border Protection website, this area is slated for “smart wall” construction. Credit: Martha Pskowski/Inside Climate News

Border Wall Closes in on Big Bend

By Martha Pskowski
A water pipeline from the T-Bar Ranch terminates at this water tower on the western side of Midland, Texas, where oil pump jacks operate. Credit: Paul Ratje/Inside Climate News

A Small Oil Company Polluted Midland’s Water Reserve. The Cleanup Has Dragged on for Years.

By Martha Pskowski
Evaporation ponds hold produced water amid the oil wells of the Permian Basin. Credit: Jim West/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Treating Texas’ Oilfield Wastewater Could Require More Energy Than Most US States

By Dylan Baddour
A view of a storage pond near Mentone in West Texas. Credit: Jon Shapley/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images

Oil and Gas Waste ‘Oiled’ the Feathers of White Pelicans in Texas’ Permian Basin

By Martha Pskowski
Eric Selinger walks on his property near the Pecos River outside Imperial, Texas on Oct. 8. Credit: Martha Pskowski/Inside Climate News

Can Recycled Oilfield Water Quench the Thirst of Drought-Stricken West Texas?

By Martha Pskowski
The Rio Grande winds through the Chihuahuan Desert in far west Texas. Diversions for agriculture and cities have reduced the flow by at least 70 percent compared to historical flow levels. Credit: Omar Ornelas

Holding Out Hope On the Drying Rio Grande

By Martha Pskowski
Brandon Horton, a driver for Allied Eagle Transports, monitors the transfer of a load of salt water, a byproduct of fracking, to a disposal site south of Midland, Texas, on June 25. Credit: Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune

Study Links Permian Blowouts With Wastewater Injection

By Dylan Baddour, Inside Climate News, and Carlos Nogueras Ramos, Texas Tribune
Contractors and attorneys for Chevron watch from above as Hawk Dunlap, Daniel Charest and Sarah Stogner (from left) inspect an excavated well on April 10 at Antina Ranch in Crane County, Texas. Credit: Mitch Borden/Marfa Public Radio

A Legal Fight Over Legacy Oil Industry Pollution Heats Up in West Texas

By Martha Pskowski
In an aerial view, an oil pumpjack works in the Permian Basin oil field on March 12, 2022 in Crane, Texas. Credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

EPA Moves Away From Permian Air Pollution Crackdown

By Martha Pskowski, Dylan Baddour
A fracking site is situated on the outskirts of town in the Permian Basin oil field on Jan. 21, 2016 in the oil town of Midland, Texas. Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Fracking Waste Gets a Second Look to Ease Looming West Texas Water Shortage

By Dylan Baddour
Richard Gaona walks through his dry, empty cotton field. Credit: Christian Roper

Beset by Drought, a West Texas Farmer Loses His Cotton Crop and Fears a Hotter and Drier Future State Water Planners Aren’t Considering

By Autumn Jones

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