NEWS & INFORMATION
How The Oil And Gas Industry Isn’t Backing Down Amid Growth In Wind Power
Lobbyists are challenging the value of subsidies Texas gives to wind-power companies. It’s part of a larger effort to weaken the renewable-energy industry.
Our Nights are Getting Brighter, and Earth is Paying the Price
If light bulbs have a dark side, it’s that they have stolen the night. The excess light we dump into our environments is endangering ecosystems by harming animals whose life cycles depend on dark. We’re endangering ourselves by altering the biochemical rhythms that normally ebb and flow with natural light levels.
Addressing the Interconnected Issues of Energy Sprawl
In a so-called post-truth era, we are actually collecting more data on a wider variety of factors than ever before. These data sources can—and should—help us to make better decisions on a range of comprehensive issues.
The Oilman Who Loved Sustainable Energy
The list of words describing Mitchell is lengthy — oilman, philanthropist, developer, sustainability pioneer, environmentalist, entrepreneur, futurist, Renaissance man, visionary. Some of the labels seem contradictory because Mitchell was a man of incongruous passions.
Shining Cities On The Hills: Check Out This Map Of Texas Cities Showing Their Brightness In Peaks
This map called Earth at Night, Mountains of Light was developed by cartographer Jacob Wasilkowski using NASA satellite imagery to map the world according to nighttime brightness.
If you check out West Texas, you might notice the light peaks don’t necessarily correspond to cities — some of those are oil fields where natural gas is flared to dispose of it.
Conserving the Last Frontier: The Case for the Trans-Pecos
If Texas were a sovereign country, it would rank as the tenth largest economy in the world, with a GDP of $1.7 trillion. Texas also ranks highest among states in the United States for business. In fact, Texas has added 350,000 jobs in the past year (one in seven new jobs in the U.S. were in Texas). Texas’ strong economy is married to the current energy boom in Texas. Major oil and gas formations in Texas include the Barnett, Eagle Ford, Haynesville, and Permian Basin. The Permian Basin alone is projected to exceed Saudi Arabia in production by 2023.
How a "Monster" Texas Oil Field Made the U.S. a Star in the World Market
In a global collapse of oil prices five years ago, scores of American oil companies went bankrupt. But one field withstood the onslaught, and even thrived: the Permian Basin, straddling Texas and New Mexico.
A combination of technical innovation, aggressive investing and copious layers of oil-rich shale have transformed the Permian, once considered a worn-out patch, into the world’s second-most-productive oil field.
Texas Oil Fields on Fire With Polluting Flares From Fracking
In West Texas, an oil boom is creating a major problem for producers and locals alike: wasting natural gas by burning or flaring it, which sends billions of cubic feet of CO2 into the atmosphere. Not only does the flaring cost the industry money, but the release of gases damages the climate and could be toxic to those living near the fracking rigs dotting Texas oil fields.
Activists and Researchers are Working to Keep Tabs on Oil and Gas Emissions Near Balmorhea
Wilson’s camera can reveal plumes of smoke pouring into the air, though the camera can’t tell the difference between say, steam or toxic chemicals. But, Wilson is pretty sure what she’s seeing is pollution. “If you’re seeing something and it’s coming from the equipment on an oil and gas site then the gases are most likely going to be hydrocarbons. No matter what the industry tries to tell us. It certainly not cotton candy.”
Apache Corp. Creates Endowment for Iconic West Texas State Park
Houston oil company Apache Corp. has doubled a gift to help save a revered West Texas swimming hole.
In addition to donating $1 million to repair the shuttered Balmorhea State Park Pool, the company has donated an additional $1 million to create an endowment to preserve and support the iconic West Texas state park.