Produced water spills in Texas are causing significant environmental damage, but in a fossil-fuel friendly state known for lax environmental regulations, remedies are few.
The spills pose threats to wildlife, groundwater safety and land integrity.
Key quote:
"They didn’t line the pit, and they didn’t pay attention to the leak detection of their tank.”
— Carl Craigo, Midland, Texas, Utility Director
Why this matters:
Oil and gas wastewater spills in Texas are an environmental crisis affecting water quality, wildlife and land health. With few regulations and scant reporting requirements, harmful practices mostly go unchecked and unpunished.
But Texas oil and gas regulators addressed only part of the problem that led millions of Texans to lose power for days after February’s winter storm, and gas producers likely won’t be required to weatherize until 2023.
The United States presidential race is still up in the air, and the battle for control of the Senate appears far from over. But one thing is clear the day after Election Day 2020: The "green wave" that environmentalists had hoped for failed to materialize.
