In our magazine, from @liseolsen.bsky.social and @psskow.bsky.social: East Texans are uniting to fight oil waste pits in bucolic areas near Louisiana—all run by an operator who’s been cited for dozens of violations, and a worker’s death. Published in partnership with @insideclimatenews.org

I learned recently there is an area in El Paso where the IBWC/TCEQ straight up can't sample the water in the Rio Grande because of all the militarization. I guess we just won't know anymore how god awful the water quality is!

Funding alert: @grist.org is offering grants of up to $5,000 for reporting on rural climate issues and environmental justice in the United States. Newsrooms and freelancers are welcome to apply. Please share! grist.org/updates/gris...

NEW: The US has deported a longtime Oregon firefighter who was arrested by Border Patrol while deployed at a major wildfire in Washington state. José Bertin Cruz-Estrada, separated from his family, is speaking out from Mexico for the first time: “I feel betrayed ... What am I going to do now?"

When the (hubby's) family group text is discussing Prop 4... it's my moment to shine!

Editor-in-Chief @gusbova.bsky.social introduces our Nov/Dec 2025 issue: "Books. That’s right—it’s 2025, and I’m using the medium of a print magazine to talk to you about the even longer words-on-paper form that is the book. Why?"

CBP's usually moribund "Accountability and Transparency" page just posted 7 notifications about migrant deaths. www.cbp.gov/newsroom/acc...

During a forum about water held today in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, demonstrators protested the participation of the Israeli water company Mekorot. The state water utility (JCAS) and Juarez water utility (JMAS) have both promoted partnering with Israeli companies to address local water problems.

A decade ago, Douglas Menjivar became a whistleblower and activist after he was raped in ICE detention. He married a US citizen, but wasn't able to get a green card. In June, agents arrested him just before his 50th birthday. 🧵 www.texasobserver.org/trump-ice-ar...

lots of fighter jets flying over my house in El Paso today! wonder what that could mean...

In 2024, I wrote a story for Texas Monthly about Michelle Haas, whose complaints resulted in the removal of books about slavery from historic Texas slave plantations. Haas sued us, alleging defamation, and was represented by the preferred lawyer of billionaire J.P. Bryan. Today, we won on appeal.

New report examines fossil fuel ties of dozens of Trump administration hires. grist.org/accountabili... #FossileFuel #Climate #Oil #Gas #Policy

Breast cancer, dizziness, headaches: El Paso residents ask if a warehouse’s toxic emissions are to blame. grist.org/accountabili... #Cancer #Health #Chemicals #Texas #TX #Environment

For at least two days last month, federal workers could not clean up the black oily goop in this Louisianan town beca of funding issues and a legitimate threat of gun violence. My latest:

More than 230,000 Texans working for the government, including members of the military, will cease to receive a paycheck — and won't be repaid until the shutdown ends. bit.ly/46xTQjk

I've been saving the latest Dallas Fed survey on the oil and gas industry to read when I need a little treat... here we go!

Efraín Fueres, an Indigenous land defender, was shot and killed in Ecuador on Sunday while marching in protest of high living costs and government crackdowns on Indigenous and environmental activists. 🧵 insideclimatenews.org/news/2909202...

Are you interested in covering politics in the Lone Star State? The Texas Observer is hiring an intern to help us cover the 2026 elections! Apply here:

EXCLUSIVE: A new analysis by The Xylom's @alexip718.com shows for the first time just how much America’s top research institutions have grown to depend on H-1B skilled workers — and how this delicate balance might be disrupted by U.S. President Donald Trump’s crackdown on legal immigration.

Immigration agents collected DNA samples from about 2,000 U.S. citizens who were stopped at border checkpoints over a four-year period, even though hundreds were not charged, Georgetown University researchers said in a report. Its authors argued that the agents exceeded their authority.

Wherein I interview a one-time #Texas oilman and learn about the massive mess left behind when his company collapsed. It's also a glimpse into how oil wells get orphaned and how New Mexico may be on the hook for $1.6 billion in cleanup costs in coming years. capitalandmain.com/new-mexicos-...

Sign the petition and tell @propublica.org our members deserve a fair contract! actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...

Excellent reporting from Bloomberg on the produced water problem in the Permian Basin and the Railroad Commission's recalcitrant response. www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...

I spoke with the @sejorg.bsky.social Journal about our @insideclimatenews.org reporting project "State of Denial" from 2023 that was awarded second place in their investigative reporting category. My advice: public records, public records, public records. www.sej.org/publications...

Three environmental defenders were murdered or disappeared, on average, each week in 2024, a new report says. insideclimatenews.org/news/1609202...

Time to sign up for health insurance again and ask myself why I ever moved away from Mexico.

This story — which asks what happened to all of those newsroom DEI jobs, committees, and promises from 2020 — is the hardest one I've ever worked on. I hope you'll spend some time with it today. www.niemanlab.org/2025/09/from...

Guilty www.theguardian.com/world/2025/s...

To understand the regional impact of Texas' water crisis, Tribune journalists traveled across the state and closely followed the legislative debate in Austin. This special report presents their ongoing work.

not one, but two, Texas public university professors fired this week.

A rule granting the Bureau of Land Management authority to set aside public lands for conservation took effect less than a year ago. The Trump administration is moving to dismantle it.

Troll emailed me to say I am "SPEWING MORE POLLUTION THAN ANY OIL OR GAS DRILLING RIG." That one did get a laugh out of me, well done.

Shrimp harvests in southwest Louisiana, once the seafood capital of America, were down 50 percent in 2024. Local fishermen say a new LNG export terminal is to blame. insideclimatenews.org/news/0709202... My latest, for @insideclimatenews.org

Shrimp harvests in southwest Louisiana, once the seafood capital of America, were down 50 percent in 2024. Local fishermen say a new LNG export terminal is to blame.

We saw the 50th anniversary re-release of Jaws at Alamo and my (Texan) boyfriend was confused that the movie is set in the summer but they are wearing sweaters. I had to explain that in New England you get to wear layers even in the summer...

The best response a Texas reporter can hope for.

🚨NEW!!! Martha Pskowski returns to Talk+Water🎙️to share the recent settlement proposal in the 12 year #RioGrande Compact case pending before #SCOTUS.👂 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t... #Texas #TX #texaswater #txlege @psskow.bsky.social

A Chinese mining company spilled toxic waste into impoverished Zambian villages. Then it used a government-ordered compensation program to get people to waive their rights to sue.

I have a story out today with exclusive reporting on workplace safety at an oilfield waste facility in East Texas. McBride Operating has come under fire for its violations of environmental regulations. Workers have also been put in harm's way. (1) insideclimatenews.org/news/0509202...

Bombshell reporting by @propublica.org & @insideclimatenews.org describes massive flaring and venting from Texas oil wells, discrediting the oil & gas industry’s claim that natural gas and LNG are “clean” energy. www.propublica.org/article/texa...

The oil industry touts Texas as a success story in controlling climate-warming methane emissions. The state’s regulator, however, grants nearly every request to burn or vent gas into the atmosphere.

NEW: The oil industry touts Texas as a success story in controlling climate-warming methane emissions. The state’s regulator, however, grants nearly every request to burn or vent gas into the atmosphere.

lo bonito del periodismo fronterizo es que mi nota sobre Texas v New Mexico que publicamos en viernes en la tarde ya fue traducida por El Diario de El Paso. mil gracias, colegas 🙏 diario.mx/el-paso/2025...

Is Texas v. New Mexico finally coming to an end? I have deets on the settlement signed this week. insideclimatenews.org/news/2908202...

Texas Governor Greg Abbott (No familiar relation) has signed the controversial redistricting bill, SB4, in Texas. The bill looks to give an advantage to Republicans, but U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, is gaining a bit more in her district. My story: www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/p...

The Department of Homeland Security waived over 30 laws including the Endangered Species Act and the National Environmental Protection Act to expedite border wall construction through a Rio Grande Valley wildlife refuge. insideclimatenews.org/news/2608202...

El Paso is one of the fastest warming cities in the country. Over the last two years heat deaths rose sharply. But investigating the health risks of extreme heat in El Paso I found that data is lacking and the local group tasked with responding has no dedicated funding.

Plans to expand the Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge in the Texas Panhandle have been scrapped. The Fish & Wildlife Dept. claimed “this is a way to encourage or liberate energy production, agricultural development and the local economy.” buff.ly/E3ARCTD

Top two Kerr County emergency officials say they were asleep as July 4 floods struck.