https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/emily-foxhall/The latest news by Emily Foxhall.enMon, 20 May 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/20/texas-harris-county-flood-buyout-program-trinity-river/In Harris County, the flood control district wants to buy properties along the San Jacinto River that have flooded repeatedly. Some residents aren’t leaving.By Emily FoxhallMon, 20 May 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/20/texas-harris-county-flood-buyout-program-trinity-river/Rodger Pace, left, and Veronika Scheid next to the tent where they’re currently living after flooding struck parts of Harris County. Scheid said that if the property owner took a buyout she would have nowhere to go.A portrait of Rodger Pace, 55, left, and Veronika Scheid, 51, right, next to the tent where they’re currently living in Harris County outside Houston, Texas, on May 14, 2024. The small building they were living in was completely damaged by flooding.Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/06/texas-mangrove-expansion/The tropical shrubs have been spreading north and growing more abundantly as climate change makes temperatures warmer. Scientists are unravelling what that means for coastal habitats.By Emily FoxhallMon, 06 May 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/06/texas-mangrove-expansion/Ed Proffitt, a professor of marine ecology at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, left, and Max Portmann, a PhD student with the Proffitt-Delvin Lab of Coastal Ecology and Genetics, look at a young black mangrove near Oso Bay in Corpus Christi on April 18, 2024.Ed Proffitt, a professor of marine ecology at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and Max Portmann, right, a PhD student with the Proffitt-Delvin Lab of Coastal Ecology and Genetics, look at a young black mangrove tree near Oso Bay on April 18, 2024, in Corpus Christi, Texas. They can determine the age of the pant by the distance between leaf pairs, which indicates growth between seasons and years, Proffitt said.Angela Piazza for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/03/weather-flooding-polk-liberty-montgomery-harris-county/Since Sunday, multiple rounds of rainfall have soaked the region, causing rivers and creeks to swell and rise out of their banks.By Alejandra Martinez and Emily Foxhall, Graphics by Yuriko SchumacherFri, 03 May 2024 17:23:27 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/03/weather-flooding-polk-liberty-montgomery-harris-county/The Lake Livingston Dam is seen releasing water on May 3, 2024, in Livingston. The Southeast Texas reservoir reached capacity during several days of intense rainstorms this week.The Lake Livingston Dam is seen releasing water on May 3, 2024, in Livingston. The Southeast Texas reservoir reached capacity during several days of intense rainstorms this week.Drone Bros LLChttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/03/texas-floods-weather-harris-county/Thousands of residents have either evacuated or are now under shelter orders.By Emily Foxhall, Carlos Nogueras Ramos and Alejandra MartinezFri, 03 May 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/03/texas-floods-weather-harris-county/Emergency personnel respond to flooding on FM 1988 on May 2, 2024, in Livingston.Emergency personnel respond to flooding on FM 1988 on May 2, 2024, in Livingston.Drone Bros LLChttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/25/texas-epa-coal-power-plant-rules/The rules will require coal-fueled plants, including Texas plants that produced about 12% of power on the state’s grid this year, to reduce carbon emissions and mercury pollution and handle disposed coal ash more safely.By Emily FoxhallThu, 25 Apr 2024 18:07:03 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/25/texas-epa-coal-power-plant-rules/The entrance to the San Miguel Electric Cooperative coal-burning power plant in Atascosa County on April 26, 2019.The entrance to the San Miguel Electric Cooperative coal-burning power plant on April 26, 2019.Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/03/texas-solar-eclipse-preparation-tourists-weather/Llano residents are told to stock up on groceries. A Sulphur Springs church is renting its parking spots. And everyone’s watching the weather forecast ahead of Monday’s eclipse.By Alejandra Martinez, Alejandro Serrano and Emily FoxhallWed, 03 Apr 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/03/texas-solar-eclipse-preparation-tourists-weather/Hundreds flocked to Mission San José in South San Antonio on Oct. 14, 2023, to witness last year's solar eclipse as the moon’s shadow swept across Central Texas.Hundreds flock to Mission San José in South San Antonio on Oct. 14, 2023, to witness the annular solar eclipse as the moon’s shadow swept across Central Texas.Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/27/texas-small-nuclear-reactors-power/A nuclear power plant hasn’t been built in Texas in decades because of cost and public fears of a major accident. Now the governor wants to find out if smaller reactors could meet the state’s growing need for on-demand power.By Emily FoxhallWed, 27 Mar 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/27/texas-small-nuclear-reactors-power/Operators peer into the reactor pool where Texas A&M University’s Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics (TRIGA) nuclear research reactor emits a blue glow on March 11, 2024 in College Station.Reactor operators peer into the reactor pool to look at a blue glow emitting from Texas A&M University’s Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics (TRIGA) nuclear research reactor Monday, March 11, 2024 in College Station.Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/26/texas-geothermal-energy-oil-and-gas/Texas has become an early hot spot for geothermal energy exploration as scores of former oil industry workers and executives are taking their knowledge to a new energy source.By Emily FoxhallTue, 26 Mar 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/26/texas-geothermal-energy-oil-and-gas/Cindy Taff, chief executive officer of Sage Geosystems, at a testing site in Starr County on March 22, 2023. The startup is testing storing energy in the ground. “There’s some people that believe that there’s a climate crisis, and some people don’t believe it," Taff said. "We want this to be the energy of choice whether you believe in it or not because it’s cost-effective as well.”Cindy D. Taff, Chief Executive Officer of Sage Geosystems, poses for a photo on March 22, 2023 in Starr County Santa Elena, Texas. The startup is testing storing energy in the ground. “There’s some people that believe that there’s a climate crisis, and some people don’t believe it. We want this to be the energy of choice whether you believe in it or not because it’s cost-effective as well.” Verónica G. Cárdenas for The Texas TribuneVerónica Gabriela Cárdenas for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/25/texas-energy-clean-hydrogen/Supporters say developing hydrogen as a fuel is critical to slowing climate change. Critics are concerned that producing it with fossil fuels will prop up the oil and gas industry.By Emily FoxhallMon, 25 Mar 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/25/texas-energy-clean-hydrogen/Air Liquide’s facility manager Craig Allen at the company's hydrogen storage facility near the site of the historic Spindletop oil well on Sept. 5, 2023 in Beaumont.Air Liquide’s facility manager Craig Allen at the largest hydrogen storage facility, on Sept. 5, 2023 in Beaumont.Mark Felix for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/08/texas-panhandle-wildfires-utilities/Experts say utilities need to be ready for extreme weather, which could be a challenge in a state where discussing climate change is often taboo.By Emily FoxhallFri, 08 Mar 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/08/texas-panhandle-wildfires-utilities/Brooke McQuiddy sorts through some of her mother's possessions in Canadian on March 5, 2024. The mobile home her mother, Melanie McQuiddy, lived in, was on the lot in the background when the fire swept through.Brooke McQuiddy looks through some of her mother, Melanie McQuiddy’s possessions recovered from the property. Melanie McQuiddy’s mobile home was on the lot in the background when the fire swept through. Canadian, Tx. residents were cleaning up and recovering from the massive wild fires that burned much of the northern Texas panhandle.Mark Rogers for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/01/texas-panhandle-wildfire-investigation/As officials try to determine a cause for the wildfires, a Canadian homeowner filed a lawsuit blaming an energy company for the destruction. And more are expected.By Madaleine Rubin, Jayme Lozano Carver and Emily FoxhallFri, 01 Mar 2024 21:35:52 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/01/texas-panhandle-wildfire-investigation/Texas Governor Greg Abbott, center, speaks at a press conference with Nim Kidd chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, left, and Hutchinson County Judge Cindy Irwin, right, Friday, March. 1, 2024, in Borger, Texas.Texas Governor Greg Abbott, center, speaks at a press conference with Nim Kidd chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, left, and Hutchinson County Judge Cindy Irwin, right, Friday, March. 1, 2024, in Borger, Texas.Justin Rex for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/01/texas-wildfires-climate-change/Texas has a wildfire season in winter, but climate change is extending it, scientists say.By Emily FoxhallFri, 01 Mar 2024 10:57:30 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/01/texas-wildfires-climate-change/Smoke hangs in the Canadian River Valley south of Stinnett, Texas after multiple days of wild fires Friday, March. 1, 2024.Smoke hangs in the Canadian River Valley south of Stinnett, Texas after multiple days of wild fires Friday, March. 1, 2024.Justin Rex for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/15/texas-gulf-coral-rescue-climate-change/A new report found that coral off Texas’ coast could die off by 2040 because of climate change.By Emily FoxhallThu, 15 Feb 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/15/texas-gulf-coral-rescue-climate-change/Senior Biologist Brooke Zurita feeds a mixture of plankton, algae and fish eggs to coral at Moody Gardens Aquarium on Feb. 9, 2024, in Galveston.Senior biologist Brooke Zurita administers a blend of vitamins and algae to coral using a baster at Moody Gardens Aquarium on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, in Galveston, Texas.Hope Mora for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/25/texas-spacex-park-land-swap/The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission is scheduled to vote in March on a deal that environmental advocates, the Esto'k Gna Tribal Nation of Texas and local officials oppose.By Emily FoxhallThu, 25 Jan 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/25/texas-spacex-park-land-swap/SpaceX rockets at the launch pad at the Brownsville facility on Oct. 20, 2021. The company and Texas could swap land, with the state giving up a portion of a park.SpaceX rockets at the launch pad at the Brownsville facility on Oct. 20, 2021. On Oct. 22, Elon Musk said via Twitter the Starship rocket would be ready for an orbital launch by next month.Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/12/texas-power-grid-conservation-arctic-blast/Public Utility Commission said conservation would help lower demand during peak times and help avoid emergency conditions.By Alejandro Serrano, Emily Foxhall and Neelam BohraFri, 12 Jan 2024 11:37:54 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/12/texas-power-grid-conservation-arctic-blast/https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/11/texas-2023-hottest-year/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data shows that average temperatures in 2023 were 3.5 degrees above the 20th century average.By Emily Foxhall and Alejandra MartinezThu, 11 Jan 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/11/texas-2023-hottest-year/Austin-Travis County EMS helps a 75-year-old man who passed out on July 7 in Del Valle when the high temperature reached 102 degrees.Austin-Travis County EMS first responders cart Robert Shipp, 75, of Bastrop, to an ambulance during a 102 degree summer day outside Austin Wrench A Part in Del Valle on July 7, 2023. According to the EMS crew and Shipp, he was seen passing out while searching for car parts under the hot sun, and hadn’t eaten any food or drank any water all day.Joe Timmerman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/03/texas-bitcoin-profit-electricity/Bitcoin miner Riot Platforms made headlines over the summer for making millions by selling pre-purchased power back to the grid. The news highlighted how the grid can benefit businesses more than consumers.By Kevin Vu and Emily FoxhallWed, 03 Jan 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/03/texas-bitcoin-profit-electricity/Terri Rimmer uses her computer to search for remote jobs in her Fort Worth apartment on Sept. 9, 2023. A blackout curtain on the window helps keep the room cool. Rimmer said the trauma from the February 2021 winter storm caused her to shut off her air conditioning last summer when the state grid operator asked Texans to reduce electricity use.Terri Rimmer uses her computer to search for remote jobs and browse the internet in her apartment in Fort Worth on Sept. 9, 2023. A black out curtain on the window helps keep the room cool.Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/01/texas-power-grid-ERCOT-winter-2023/Industry experts continue to argue over whether the electricity market in Texas needs to change to make the grid more reliable in winter and summer.By Emily FoxhallFri, 01 Dec 2023 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/01/texas-power-grid-ERCOT-winter-2023/Snow surrounds an Austin Energy station in Austin on Feb. 18, 2021 during a powerful winter storm that left millions of Texans without power or heat for days. The state's power grid operator tried to get additional power online to prepare for this winter before abandoning the effort after a poor response.Snow surrounds an Austin Energy station in Austin on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021.Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/03/texas-oyster-fishing-season/Despite fishermen’s wishes to delay the season in hopes that oyster reefs recover from years of environmental stress, the state pushed ahead with a Nov. 1 start.By Emily Foxhall and Alejandra MartinezFri, 03 Nov 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/03/texas-oyster-fishing-season/Manuel Perez watches as neighboring oyster boats maneuver around the harvesting zone in Galveston Bay, outside of Texas City, on the first day of the oyster harvesting season, on Nov. 1, 2023.Manuel Perez watches as neighboring oyster boats maneuver around the harvesting zone in Galveston Bay, outside of Texas City, on the first day of the oyster harvesting season, on Nov. 1, 2023.Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/02/texas-ercot-budget-increase-public-utility-commission/The Electric Reliability Council of Texas said it needs more money to comply with new regulations, hire more employees and fight legal challenges. It said the budget increase will cost power customers less than 20 cents per month.By Kevin Vu and Emily FoxhallThu, 02 Nov 2023 14:00:03 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/02/texas-ercot-budget-increase-public-utility-commission/