The Rio Grande river with green brushland on each side.
Credit: Mike/Pixabay

Texas oil companies drain billions of gallons from key rivers amid historic drought

Extreme drought has left farmers and cities scrambling for water while oil and gas drillers in Texas continue tapping into the Rio Grande and Pecos River for billions of gallons to frack wells.

Martha Pskowski reports for Inside Climate News.


In short:

  • Oil and gas companies used over 10 billion gallons of Rio Grande water for drilling from 2021 to 2024 — enough to supply over 100,000 Texas households for a year.
  • Despite voluntary pledges to reduce freshwater use, companies like Kingsley Water Company continue selling large volumes of surface water from drought-stressed rivers for fracking.
  • The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality does not track how much of this water is used specifically for drilling or fracking, raising concerns about transparency and oversight.

Key quote:

“We’re not doing any better than four years ago.”

— Martin Castro, watershed science director, Rio Grande International Study Center

Why this matters:

As drought tightens its grip on the American Southwest, water once reserved for drinking and farming is increasingly being diverted to extract fossil fuels. The Rio Grande, lifeblood for millions and sole source of water for cities like Laredo, is running dry as temperatures rise and rainfall dwindles. Meanwhile, oil and gas companies exploit legal loopholes to buy and use river water for fracking — removing it permanently from the water cycle. This shift deepens a long-standing tension between energy production and environmental protection in Texas. Farmers have abandoned crops. Towns are exploring expensive desalination and import options. Salty, low-flowing rivers are more vulnerable to pollution and habitat loss. With water rights favoring those who can pay, the system rewards short-term profit over long-term survival.

Related: Alberta braces for water scarcity as fracking intensifies

Steel mill under a cloudy sky.
Credit: Michi/Pixabay

Steelmaker retreats from clean energy plans as hydrogen costs and politics shift

Cleveland-Cliffs is scaling back plans to build the nation's first green steel plant in Ohio, pivoting away from hydrogen and back to fossil fuels as federal incentives face repeal and political winds change in Washington.

Alexander C. Kaufman reports for Canary Media.

Keep reading...Show less
Desert field with solar panels.

California mining company turns to solar heat but can’t quit coal just yet

In California’s Mojave Desert, a mining plant is turning to solar thermal energy to replace one of its coal-fired generators, but a second unit may run for years due to the intense heat and 24-hour power it needs.

Ivan Penn reports for The New York Times.

In short:

  • Searles Valley Minerals, a mining company in Trona, Calif., is replacing one of its two coal plants with a solar thermal system but says the other may need to stay online for the foreseeable future due to operational demands.
  • The company will use a concentrating solar power system from start-up GlassPoint, which uses mirrors to generate high heat, a solution that works well in hot, sunny areas but requires a large land footprint and remains rare in the U.S.
  • Despite California’s push to phase out coal and President Trump’s efforts to revive it, economic and geographic constraints continue to complicate full industrial transitions away from fossil fuels.

Key quote:

“We just think coal is going to be a problem. We’re going to have a hard time sourcing it. We need to be ready to pivot.”

— Dennis Cruise, president of Searles Valley Minerals

Why this matters:

Industrial heat — the kind used in mining, chemical production, and heavy manufacturing — accounts for about half of global energy use, yet it’s rarely mentioned in public climate debates. Unlike home heating or car travel, generating this level of heat without fossil fuels is still tough. Most renewable energy technologies don’t deliver the extreme, continuous heat these facilities need. That leaves industries like the one in Trona stuck with coal, even as it becomes harder to source and politically unpopular. As the U.S. attempts to decarbonize, industrial energy needs present one of the biggest hurdles.

Related: Farmers use solar panels to protect crops and conserve water

Oil refinery against a setting sun.

New gas plant approved in Newark despite community objections over health and pollution

A state sewer commission approved a controversial gas-fired backup power plant in Newark’s Ironbound neighborhood, drawing opposition from residents who say it adds to the area’s already heavy pollution burden.

Emilie Lounsberry reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
An image showing a downpour with a caution sign.

New research links stalled jet stream to rising summer weather extremes

The number of extreme summer weather events driven by trapped atmospheric waves has tripled since 1950 due to climate change, new research shows.

Seth Borenstein reports for The Associated Press.

Keep reading...Show less
A stream running through green forested hills.

Brazil moves to auction vast oil blocks despite climate and Indigenous concerns

Brazil is set to auction off oil and gas exploration rights in a massive offshore and Amazon region sale, prompting backlash from Indigenous groups and environmental advocates just months before it hosts the Cop30 climate summit.

Constance Malleret reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
A coal power plant in the distance with smoke billowing from the towers.

South African coal town struggles to see benefits of clean energy shift

Residents of Komati, a former coal hub in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province, remain skeptical of the country’s green transition as job losses and slow infrastructure rollout leave them in economic limbo.

Rachel Savage reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
a row of flags in front of a building.
Credit: Mmoka/Unsplash

World climate talks resume without U.S. as global negotiators assess new path forward

The United States skipped a major round of United Nations climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany this week, leaving other nations and U.S. civil society groups to navigate the talks without the world's largest fossil fuel producer at the table.

Bob Berwyn reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.