https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/carlos-nogueras-ramos/The latest news by Carlos Nogueras Ramos.enThu, 23 May 2024 11:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/23/texas-electricity-bill-help/One organization helping Texans pay their electric bills said the average household was $1,400 behind.By Carlos Nogueras RamosThu, 23 May 2024 11:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/23/texas-electricity-bill-help/Mary Ann Estrella sits inside her apartment in Midland on April 20.Mary Ann Estrella sits for a portrait inside her apartment in Midland, Texas, on April 20, 2024.Reilly Strand for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/22/texas-dunes-sagebrush-lizard-endagered-list-permian-basin-oil/The dunes sagebrush lizard lives in the same West Texas land that supports the state’s biggest oil and gas fields, and industry leaders say the new designation will hurt drilling and production.By Alejandra Martinez and Carlos Nogueras RamosWed, 22 May 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/22/texas-dunes-sagebrush-lizard-endagered-list-permian-basin-oil/The dunes sagebrush lizard, which lives in the oil-rich Permian Basin, has been listed as endangered after a decades-long effort.Dunes Sagebrush LizardRyan Hagerty/USFWShttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/11/odessa-water-system/It’s the second time in two years Odessa has lost water. Officials expect restoration within hours but boil-water notice to remain in effect until Monday.By Carlos Nogueras RamosSat, 11 May 2024 22:36:15 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/11/odessa-water-system/City of Odessa Water Distribution employees work through the night as they attempt to repair a broken water main on June 14, 2022.City of Odessa Water Distribution employees work through the night as they attempt to repair a broken water main Tuesday, June 14, 2022 in Odessa. According to Mayor of Odessa Javier Joven, repairs were completed around 3:45 a.m. Wednesday.Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/06/texas-flood-cleanup-disaster-damage/Abbott confirmed three deaths from the storms, none were recorded from flooded areas.By Carlos Nogueras RamosMon, 06 May 2024 17:55:11 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/05/06/texas-flood-cleanup-disaster-damage/Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday confirmed three deaths from a rash of spring storms. None of the deaths were in the region hardest hit by flooding.Gov. Greg Abbott makes an economic deveoplemt announcement on Mar. 1, 2024. Gov. Abbott was surounded by the previous Governor Trophies he had earned in previous years.Maria Crane/The Texas Tribunehttps://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/2024/04/11/texas-am-well-water-testing/Officials are worried that there’s arsenic in some of the estimated 13,500 private water wells in Ector and Midland counties.By Carlos Nogueras RamosThu, 11 Apr 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/11/texas-am-well-water-testing/Ector and Midland county residents who receive their water from private wells can have their supply tested for $15 next week by Texas A&M.A water faucet drips on Feb. 5, 2022.Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/01/midland-texas-water-violations/A new operator was assigned to fix the well in Midland County, which is still not compliant with state standards.By Carlos Nogueras RamosMon, 01 Apr 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/04/01/midland-texas-water-violations/A playa — or flood plain — borders a neighborhood in South Midland on Feb. 1. For three years, residents from the neighborhood outside city limits consumed well water laced with traces of arsenic. The well can be seen in the bottom right of the flood plain.A playa (flood plain) borders a neighborhood in South Midland on Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. For three years, residents from the neighborhood outside city limits consumed well water laced with traces of arsenic. The well can be seen in the bottom right of the flood plain.Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/21/texas-immigration-law-senate-bill-4-court-rulings-odessa/Advocates for immigrant rights say they worry the law could encourage racial profiling. The law’s authors say it won’t likely be enforced beyond the border.By Carlos Nogueras RamosThu, 21 Mar 2024 16:11:46 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/21/texas-immigration-law-senate-bill-4-court-rulings-odessa/https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/11/midland-county-infant-botulism/A third infant nearby also contracted botulism last August. Local and state health officials said there is no public health emergency.By Carlos Nogueras RamosMon, 11 Mar 2024 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/11/midland-county-infant-botulism/Downtown Midland is seen on Monday, April 27, 2020.Downtown Midland is seen on Monday, April 27, 2020. Ben Powell for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/03/canadian-wildfire-rebuilding/The fire that engulfed their town was only 15% contained over the weekend, but Canadian residents were back to selling flowers and preparing for an election.By Carlos Nogueras RamosSun, 03 Mar 2024 18:53:49 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/03/canadian-wildfire-rebuilding/Martin Ocasio loads pallets of cattle cubes onto a trailer to be delivered to a rancher, in the Hemphill County Extension building in Canadian on Sunday, March. 3, 2024.Martin Ocasio loads pallets of cattle cubes onto a trailer to be delivered to a rancher, in the Hemphill County Extension building in Canadian on Sunday, March. 3, 2024.Justin Rex for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/01/texas-panhandle-wildfires-fritch-homeowners/Shaken by the devastation, families find comfort in each other as they pick through the rubble and commune at a church in nearby Borger.By Carlos Nogueras RamosFri, 01 Mar 2024 20:38:16 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/03/01/texas-panhandle-wildfires-fritch-homeowners/Scott McBroom looks at the rubble of his burned house March 1 in Fritch, Texas.Scott McBroom looks at the rubble of his burned house Friday, March. 1, 2024, in Fritch, Texas.Justin Rex for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/29/texas-panhandle-wildfire/Light rain and snow Thursday allowed firefighters to gain better control of the state’s largest-ever fire, which has killed at least two people.By Kate McGee, Carlos Nogueras Ramos and Pooja SalhotraThu, 29 Feb 2024 10:43:26 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/29/texas-panhandle-wildfire/https://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/28/abandoned-oil-wells-west-texas-railroad-commission/The Texas Railroad Commission is tasked with plugging wells. But the state regulators say their scope is limited.By Carlos Nogueras Ramos, The Texas Tribune, and Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate NewsThu, 29 Feb 2024 10:01:01 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/28/abandoned-oil-wells-west-texas-railroad-commission/Bill Wight looks at the well that leaked enormous volumes of saltwater on his property. It took crews over a month to seal the well and stop the leak.Bill Wight looks at the well that was leaking high volumes of salt water on his land Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, in Crane County.Sarah M. Vasquez for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/19/texas-rural-law-enforcement-pay-grants/The 2023 legislation establishing the grant program also includes new equipment for rural sheriffs.By Carlos Nogueras RamosMon, 19 Feb 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/19/texas-rural-law-enforcement-pay-grants/Several vehicles were parked outside of the Real County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 12, 2022.Several vehicles were parked outside of the Real County Sheriff’s Office in Leakey on Jan. 12, 2022.Kaylee Greenlee Beal for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/14/west-texas-fatal-car-accidents/A nonprofit commissioned the report that found severe and fatal vehicle crashes in the Permian Basin far outpaced the state.By Carlos Nogueras RamosWed, 14 Feb 2024 19:01:45 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/14/west-texas-fatal-car-accidents/Morning oilfield traffic on West Broadway Street in Andrews. Deadly traffic accidents in West Texas out pace the rest of the state, according to a new report.Morning oilfield traffic on West Broadway Street in Andrews.Jerod Foster for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/30/texas-oil-gas-association-annual-report/Crude oil and natural gas extraction in Texas reached record levels in 2023, according to the industry’s annual report.By Carlos Nogueras RamosTue, 30 Jan 2024 18:21:11 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/30/texas-oil-gas-association-annual-report/A Diamondback Energy engineer walks around the base of a drilling rig Friday, Sept. 15, 2023 in Martin County.A Diamondback Energy engineer walks around the base of a drilling rig Friday, Sept. 15, 2023 in Martin County.Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/10/west-texas-produced-water-wells-fracking-oil-gas/Injecting saltwater back into the ground “is likely contributing to recent seismic activity,” the Railroad Commission of Texas has said.By Carlos Nogueras RamosWed, 10 Jan 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/10/west-texas-produced-water-wells-fracking-oil-gas/A produced water tank sits at an injection well site outside of Odessa on Jan. 31, 2022.A produced water tank sits as part of a tank battery at an injection well site Monday, Jan. 31, 2022 outside of Odessa. The injection facility is located less than two miles from a new suburban development north of Odessa.Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/05/midland-water-drilling/The city initially protested Pilot’s applications to drill the wells close to its water supply.By Carlos Nogueras RamosFri, 05 Jan 2024 18:28:39 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/05/midland-water-drilling/The city of Midland reached a settlement this week to allow a company to drill wastewater disposal wells near an underground reservoir from which the city gets a third of its drinking water.A water tower at the Midland International Air & Space Port on Jan. 28, 2022.Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/04/kermit-texas/Like local leaders in many other towns in West Texas, the Kermit City Council spent years saving its tax revenue fearing the energy economy would crash. Now it is struggling to keep up with essential services like trash and road repair.By Carlos Nogueras RamosThu, 04 Jan 2024 11:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/04/kermit-texas/Texas Department of Public Safety contractors pave the road at the intersection of Austin and Pine streets in Kermit on Nov. 8. The traffic on this busy intersection consists mostly of 18-wheelers hauling sand for oilfields, which have decimated the roads and parts of the infrastructure. The small West Texas town has struggled to keep up with repairs.Texas Department of Public Safety contractors pave the intersection of Austin Street and Pine Street Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023 in Kermit. The intersection, according to the mayor of Kermit, David Holbrook, is one of the busiest in town with a large majority of the traffic consisting of 18-wheelers hauling sand for the oilfields.Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/30/west-odessa-dustin-fawcett-emergency-services-vote/In unincorporated West Odessa, residents relish their freedom. And they also go without basic services. Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett, a young Republican with Ronald Reagan good looks and politics, wants to change that.By Carlos Nogueras RamosThu, 30 Nov 2023 11:02:43 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/30/west-odessa-dustin-fawcett-emergency-services-vote/Pigeons flock to Jesús Rodríguez as he tosses bird feed at his West Odessa home. “I come here for therapy,” Rodríguez said about tending to his animals during stressful moments. West Odessa is an unincorporated community in Ector County. He raises a variety of animals that would otherwise not be allowed within city limits.Pigeons flock to Jesús Rodriguez as he feeds his chickens “scratch,” bird feed, while organizing the junkyard behind his home Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, in West Odessa. “I come here for therapy,” Rodriguez said about tending to his animals during stressful moments. He raises a variety of animals not otherwise allowed within city limits including his fowl, goats and a donkey.Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribune