Stealing back Texas. Independent journalism on who's plundering the state — and the Texans fighting back. Tracking land, water, energy, politics.
Future Heist
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During the campaign, Gov. Abbott — who has now endorsed him — said French would "wreck" Texas oil and gas.
Future Heist
My "not going to drain the great salt lake with my data center" T-shirt is raising a lot of questions already answered by
grist.org/business/uta...
Bo French, an opponent of the oil and gas industry cleaning up its waste who was sponsored by fracking billionaires Wilks and Dunn, won his race for the Republican nomination for the open seat on the state oil regulator Tuesday night.
insideclimatenews.org/news/2705202...
A celeb-backed data center in Utah would be the biggest on the planet, using more electricity than the rest of the state uses today — and spiking nighttime temps by 28 degrees.
The project, sitting by the vanishing Great Salt Lake, needs as much water as 20,000 homes.
futureheist.org/re/00902c04
This wasn't a partisan play. Senate Democrats and Republicans alike overwhelmingly voted for it, as did House members. They argued that the oil industry was running out of space for its waste. That without legal protections, it wouldn't be able to find a place to put it.
But a few members said no.
There's still time to demand the TCEQ create a rule with teeth. More information at this link.
Last year, Texas lawmakers made it far harder for people to sue over harms caused when companies spread this stuff on farmland.
Provided, that is, that the companies follow state rules. Rules which are currently very lenient. And which you can still comment on for 7 more days. Here's how.
Last year, Texas lawmakers gave near-total immunity from lawsuit to companies spreading nominally-treated oil wastewater on Texas farmland and by Texas rivers — provided they followed lenient rules, like dumping it more than 100 feet from creeks or a few hundred feet from homes and wells.
There was Rep. Helen Kerwin, a Republican from Johnson County, the site of a PFAS spill that rolled off one property to kill 80 cattle next door. Produced water frequently carries PFAS.
And a few Democrats now seeking statewide office: Gina Hinojosa, James Talarico, Vicky Goodwin, Sarah Eckhardt.
Future Heist
Future Heist
Comment by June 16. The government of Texas is about to authorize the spreading of treated oilfield wastewater on Texas farmland, ranchland, and near rivers. On
