News Room
Corpus Christi, still in need of long-term water sources, again rejects desalination plant
September 1, 2026
Texas Tribune
Gov. Greg Abbott was quick to criticize a similar vote last year, when he said the state may need to “micromanage” the city to protect water availability in the region.
Fifth Circuit vacates Texas GulfLink approval
August 14, 2026
The Facts
A federal appeals court has vacated approval of the proposed Texas GulfLink deepwater port, finding federal officials did not properly follow the Deepwater Port Act.
Fair Water Amendment headed to November ballot after City Council vote
August 11, 2026
KIII-TV
A citizen-led petition to end Corpus Christi's drought surcharge exemption fee program will go before voters in November after council approved the measure.
Residents rally to block Texas GulfLink tank farm in Jones Creek
July 27, 2026
The Facts
Residents of Jones Creek continue to oppose the Texas GulfLink Project, a proposed crude oil storage facility and export terminal. Concerns include flooding, drinking water, public health and property values.
Amendment would eliminate benefit to industry in Corpus Christi drought
June 15, 2025
Corpus Christi Caller Times
The proposed amendment would eliminate a program allowing large-volume water users in Corpus Christi to pay a fee to avoid drought surcharges. Critics argue the current program unfairly burdens residents while benefiting large corporations.
The only city in America hoping for a hurricane
May 14, 2026
HeatMap
Corpus Christi is on the verge of running out of water. Stopping it would take a disaster.
Opinion: TCEQ's mission is to protect Texans. Its own data shows it’s failing
April 19, 2026
Austin American-Statesman
Brion Oaks and Kathryn Guerra write that TCEQ’s own performance data reveals a regulator that has abandoned half of its mission — the half that protects people.
Opinion: More than ever, the fight for clean air and water is in your hands
March 3, 2026
Coastal Bend Current
Brion Oaks writes that with Trump trashing federal environmental protections and Texas bending over backwards to support polluting industry, local communities must now lead the fight. And they are.
The Texas AI boom is outpacing water regulations
February 4, 2026
Texas Observer
Each AI data center can “drink” as much as an entire community, but Texas does not require these tech firms to disclose projected or actual water consumption.
Corpus Christi City Council discusses drought exemption fees for industry, no vote taken
January 27, 2026
KIII-TV
City leaders revisited drought exemption fees for industrial water users Tuesday, explaining how the program works and why no immediate changes are expected.
Texas environmental agency struggles with backlogs after years of budget cuts, study finds
December 18, 2025
KERA News
A recent study shows the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality has struggled to keep up with enforcement claims amid years of cuts to the agency’s budget by state lawmakers.
Ammonia plant explodes as Ingleside City Council weighs Project YaREN
November 6, 2025
Coastal Bend Current
Residents of Yazoo City, Mississippi, were ordered to shelter in place Wednesday after an explosion at a local ammonia production plant.
Exxon steps back from Texas Gulf Coast plastics plant
October 6, 2025
Inside Climate News
In August a judge struck down the local school board’s decision to negotiate tax breaks for Exxon, following an environmentalist’s lawsuit.
Bitcoin mining site quietly begins pulling water amid Corpus Christi drought
September 15, 2025
Chisme Collective
In Corpus Christi, a bitcoin mining operation has quietly begun draining about 3 million gallons of water per month to cool its hardware.
Corpus Christi folds on its desalination gamble
September 3, 2025
Inside Climate News
The Corpus Christi City Council moved to cancel a contract for a seawater desalination plant at the end of a rancorous, 13-hour public meeting.
A week of Gulf South solidarity in New York City
August 12, 2025
Inside Climate News
Gulf Coast residents brought their fight against fossil fuel finance to corporate headquarters, connecting local pollution battles with global solidarity movements.
'Forever chemicals' were found in the Inner Harbor. What does that mean for desalination?
July 15, 2025
Corpus Christi Caller Times
A report revealed the presence of PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," in the Corpus Christi Inner Harbor, the proposed source of water for a desalination plant.
What is chlorine gas, the plastic ingredient and chemical weapon that leaked into Brazosport in May?
June 10, 2025
Houston Chronicle
Chlorine gas seeped out of a massive industrial complex in Brazosport and travelled downwind toward surrounding communities such as Clute, Lake Jackson and Richwood.
A thirsty Tesla refinery could exacerbate Corpus Christi’s water crisis
May 15, 2025
Local activists warn that while residents must ration, unimpeded industrial expansion is imperiling the region’s future.
Opinion: Stop sacrificing the Coastal Bend for corporate profit
April 4, 2025
Corpus Christi Caller Times
A newly-published study has delivered a message that Coastal Bend leaders urgently need to hear: traditional methods of evaluating health risks from industrial pollution don’t tell the real story.