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.

insideclimatenews.org

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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.

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