Amid New Earthquakes, Researchers Head to Irving
UPDATED: Irving has experienced scores of small earthquakes in recent months, and seismologists are headed to town to help figure out what’s behind the shaking. Full Story
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![Lynda Stokes, the mayor of Reno, Texas, testified before the Railroad Commission of Texas on Jan. 21, 2014. She voiced her concern about an increased number of earthquakes around Eagle Mountain Lake.]()
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Raw Gas Fuels Worry for Rural Homeowner
Thousands of rural Texas homes get their natural gas from "farm taps," hooking up to nearby pipelines that carry raw gas on its way from wells to processing plants. One homeowner shut down his furnace when he learned of the risks. Full Story
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![Some rural Texans, including Jon Salis, have been getting untreated natural gas that can freeze up and, in rare cases, pollute homes. Salis poses at the gas line near his Lake Palo Pinto property.]()
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Sitton Leaving Consulting Firm to Avoid Conflicts
Ryan Sitton, the incoming Texas railroad commissioner, says he is following through on a campaign promise to step away from his oil and gas consulting firm and place its assets in a blind trust. Full Story
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![Ryan Sitton, the incoming Texas Railroad Commissioner, speaks at a Texas Tribune event on Oct. 30, 2014.]()
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As Cities Get Testy, Regulators Mull Oversight of Urban Drilling
The Railroad Commission wants to beef up oversight of oil and gas wells in cities, and ease tension between the industry and the growing number of urban Texans living next to well pads, compressor stations and disposal wells. Full Story
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![A well pad is flanked by Fort Worth's skyline on Sept. 27, 2013.]()
Credit: Mark Graham -
Regulators Pan Study on Methane Gas in Wells
No one disputes that high levels of methane have shown up in several Parker County water wells. But the source of the gas has stirred a heated debate involving homeowners, academics, the Railroad Commission and the EPA. Full Story
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![Steve Lipsky shows the methane contamination of his well by igniting the gas with a lighter outside his family's home in Parker County near Weatherford on June 17.]()
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Courts Will Take Up Case of Fracking v. Drilling
Legal wrangling over Denton's fracking ban will give Texans a free course on the widely mischaracterized oilfield technique that put Texas at the forefront a national energy boom. Full Story
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![A gas well is shown in 2014 sitting less than 400 feet from a home in Denton.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill -
TribLive: Craddick on the Shale Boom
At our 11/6 TribLive conversation, Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Christi Craddick talked about the impact of the shale boom on the state. Full Story
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TribLIve: Craddick on the Denton Fracking Ban
At our 11/6 TribLive conversation, Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Christi Craddick reacted to Denton's passage of a ban on fracking. Full Story
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TribLive: A Conversation with Christi Craddick
Full video of my 11/6 TribLive Conversation with Christi Craddick, chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission. Full Story
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First Lawsuits Filed Over Denton's New Fracking Ban
That was fast. Just hours after Denton residents voted to ban hydraulic fracturing, the state’s General Land Office and biggest petroleum group filed legal challenges to the new rule. Full Story
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![Fracking in Fort Worth, Sept. 27, 2013]()
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Denton Bans Fracking, But Challenges Almost Certain
Denton on Tuesday became the state’s first city to ban hydraulic fracturing, setting up a high-profile property clash likely to be fought in courtrooms and the Legislature. Full Story
![A gas well is shown in 2014 sitting less than 400 feet from a home in Denton.]()
Credit: Cooper Neill -
Texas Republicans Extend Statewide Streak to 16 Years
Texas Democrats maintained their 16-year losing streak on Tuesday night, with Republicans decisively sweeping all 15 statewide races on the ballot. Full Story
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![Land Commissioner George P. Bush speaking at the GOP election night party at the Moody Theater in Austin on Nov. 4, 2014.]()
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TribLive: A Conversation With Brown and Sitton
Full video of Jim Malewitz's 10/30 TribLive conversation with Steve Brown and Ryan Sitton, the Democratic and Republican nominees for Texas Railroad Commissioner, respectively, in 2014. Full Story
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An Unvarnished Interview With T. Boone Pickens
The legendary oilman reflects on plunging oil prices, cranky folks in Denton and silly congressmen. Full Story
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Railroad Commission Seat Gets Hotter as Oil Booms
The state's drilling and fracking frenzy is raising questions about safety, earthquakes and water use. That's raising the stakes for this year's Railroad Commission race. Full Story
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![Steve Brown (l.) and Ryan Sitton, Democratic and Republican nominees for Railroad Commissioner.]()
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Responding to Quakes, Texas Regulators Pass Disposal Well Rules
Texas regulators on Tuesday tightened rules for wells that dispose of oilfield waste, a response to the spate of earthquakes that have rattled North Texas. Full Story
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![Each day, dozens of trucks hook up to the Gulf Coast-run fracking fluid disposal well site near Gonzales, Texas.]()
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2014 TribuneFest: Audio From the Energy Track
The energy track at the 2014 Texas Tribune Festival featured panel discussions on the state of the electric grid, what Mexican energy reform means for Texas, hydraulic fracturing and a closer look at the state's drilling boom. Listen to audio of each session. Full Story
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Drilling Waste Plan Roils South Texas Town
Nordheim, population 307, is the site of one of the first organized protests in the heart of the Eagle Ford. Many of its residents are fighting to keep out a massive disposal facility for oil and gas waste — a sight that could become more common as energy producers search for places to dispose of their leftovers. Full Story
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![Paul Baumann's property, owned by his family for generations, is directly next to a proposed drilling waste dump in the small town of Nordheim. He, along with other concerned citizens, are protesting the dump as they fear it will pollute and ruin their way of life.]()
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Texas and the EPA Find Agreement Underground
In their efforts to regulate the wells that hold Texas' oilfield waste, state officials have found a surprising ally in the federal Environmental Protection Agency, long a political punching bag in Texas. Full Story
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![Although leadership at the Texas Railroad Commission and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency often feuds, staff at each agency has found ways to work together, says Milton Rister, executive director of the Railroad Commission.]()
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Texas Supreme Court Weighs Oilfield Fraud
For mineral owners, making sure oil and gas operators pay what they promise can prove incredibly difficult, as shown in a case the Texas Supreme Court will soon decide. Full Story
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