As the Society of Environmental Journalists prepares for its annual conference in Houston this March, the SEJournal asked Texas-based reporter Greg Harman to explore the Lone Star State's most critical stories for 2022. Here, in this special Texas-focused TipSheet, are leads, resources, encouragements and challenges.
With billions of infrastructure dollars now on the table to clean up orphan oil wells, states are already elbowing their way in for a taste. But as our new Backgrounder explains, the process to ensure they cannot pollute the environment or spew climate-change gasses is a complex one. And the sheer (and largely unknown) number of orphaned wells adds to the complications.
Offshore wind, which some see as a panacea in the search for climate-friendly energy solutions, is getting a push from the Biden administration. But as noted in this week’s TipSheet, part of our 2022 Journalists’ Guide to Energy & Environment, there are numerous obstacles to the renewable power source, whether from states, coastal property owners and towns, fishing industry and even some environmentalists.
"A new report has revealed that a record number of Americans are now alarmed about the climate crisis."
"The oil and gas lobby, looking at resurgent production, has more than held its own in dealings with the Biden administration."
"As U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration seeks to revive its ambitious social spending and climate plan in Congress, environmental groups and the farm industry are at odds over proposed subsidies aimed at offsetting agriculture’s substantial contribution to global warming."
"The idea of trapping a dirty coal plant’s carbon emissions at the source and storing it underground may sound like the solution to our climate problems. In practice, it’s proven all but completely unfeasible, but that hasn’t stopped the government from plunging money into it."
"The White House today [Tuesday] released a wide-ranging plan to strengthen the work of government scientists and protect them from political meddling."
"The senator from West Virginia is bought and paid for by Big Coal. With his help the dying industry is pulling one final heist — and the entire planet may pay the price".
"The power plant that buys coal from Sen. Joe Manchin’s family business won’t have a second life powering cryptocurrency mining."
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