The Latest Breaking News from Brooks Landgraf

An old well began gushing oilfield wastewater in a West Texas church parking lot, sparking a costly cleanup

By the time the Texas Railroad Commission shut down nearby oilfield injection wells to control the leak, 1.5 million gallons of toxic wastewater had spilled to the surface.

The Texas Tribune · Jun 18

Texas to launch a statewide food truck permit on July 1

Business owners are applauding the new law because currently, anytime they want to operate in another city or county, they have to pay that jurisdiction’s permitting fee.

The Texas Tribune · Apr 6

Running water will finally reach West Odessa thanks to $17 million from state lawmakers

The Legislature approved $600 million for standalone water improvements, a dramatic increase over prior years.

The Texas Tribune · Dec 4, 2025

A West Texas lawmaker wants to redirect millions of tax dollars to plug abandoned wells, curb emissions

The proposal comes after the state’s oil and gas regulatory agency said it needs more money to plug wells that are in some instances erupting.

The Texas Tribune · Nov 18, 2024

Texas Has ‘the Most Aggressive’ Well-Plugging Program in the U.S. So Why Is Its To-Do List So Long?

No state has punched more holes in its bedrock than the Lone Star State. The environmental risks are staggering, and so are the clean up costs

Capital & Main · May 30, 2024

Texas Republicans want to shield oil and gas from federal climate regulations. Their bill would have little impact, experts say.

The bill would direct Texas agencies to not enforce federal regulations on the oil industry if there’s not a similar state regulation. But it likely wouldn’t apply to most federal environmental rules, experts and lawmakers said.

The Texas Tribune · May 23, 2023