Earlier this month, the EPA released new PFAS health advisories that provide federal, state, and local agencies with the technical information needed to develop plans and policies to protect the public from exposure. The EPA is also making $1 billion in grant funding available to communities that are on the frontlines of PFAS contamination.
While 2011 was the driest year on record for Texas with $7.62 billion in crop and livestock losses, Texas farmers fear that 2022 conditions may break that record. "If we don't have the soil moisture, and we don't have the rainfall, we're not going to make it through the season."
Clean water advocates from across the nation have filed a brief with the Supreme Court to defend the Clean Water Act from the ongoing Sackett v. EPA challenge, which will determine protection for wetlands adjacent to navigable waters. "We're two weeks into hurricane season in Houston and along the Texas coast. How our wetlands and natural systems are protected directly affects how safe we are from flooding, storm surges, and climate change. We want the Supreme Court justices to understand that the Clean Water Act is this region's most important law for protecting our natural defenses. It must remain strong and intact.”
An expert from Tufts University explains the science behind wastewater surveillance for COVID-19, its limitations, and why it serves us well despite those limitations.
The latest TWDB drought map shows the expansion and intensification of drought for the third consecutive week. Statewide monthly average temperatures have also been greater than 20th-century averages.