"Democrats’ historic sweep of Texas on Tuesday raises new possibilities of environmental reform after more than 30 years of Republican rule in the home of the nation’s oil and gas industry. That includes opportunities to cement safeguards for data center development, lower energy costs and, over time, appoint new commissioners to the state’s regulatory agencies and boost environmentally protective standards." 

"Aghorn pleaded guilty and paid a $1 million fine after a worker and his wife were killed by toxic hydrogen sulfide in 2019. Regulators are still finding violations at its facilities."

"Pregnant women in Arizona’s colonias live near pesticide-sprayed fields and far from care. State maternal health plans don’t consider pollution."

"More heavy rainfall produced flash flooding and mandatory evacuations in a wide swath of the Southwest on Sunday, including in a Colorado tourist town bracing for its main river to rise to historic levels, as weary residents in the normally arid region deal with another massive drenching."

"Plans are advancing on the Gulf Coast of Texas for an enormous seawater desalination plant which, if built, would be part of one of the largest water infrastructure developments in the country. Unlike other projects, this one wouldn’t belong to the public, but to a private, foreign water supplier."

"Staff at an Oklahoma regulatory agency spent over a year building a case against Citation Oil & Gas, a company notorious for oil field pollution. Instead of disciplining the company, agency leaders chose to let it resume operations."

"Rare, heavy rainfall started to hit New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona on Wednesday. Since then, brown-colored floodwaters have led to road closures, mandatory evacuations and emergency declarations across the four states."

"Chiricahua National Monument in Arizona was redesignated as the United States' 64th national park on Oct. 20, 2026, offering unique geological features, wildlife and dark‑sky conditions, but it remains small and under‑resourced."

"USDA says screwworm found in elk in Texas, and warns hunters and ranchers to be vigilant to help stop spread"

"Reuters conducted a data-driven examination of global temperatures that shows heat waves have surged in size and frequency since the 1960s. These are the key takeaways."