It is once again a beautiful day to file some FOIAs.

Facing Drought and Low Snowpack, Rio Grande States Expect a “Challenging” Year - Inside Climate News Officials at the annual Rio Grande Compact Commission meeting said that they expect river flows this year to be among the lowest in history.

Elephant Butte Reservoir could go as low as 2% capacity this summer. I reported from Santa Fe on the Rio Grande Compact Commission meeting as Colorado, New Mexico and Texas contend with less water after a dismal winter and warm spring.

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yes there will be a recording on Youtube!

Next Tuesday I'll be presenting with a powerhouse panel of reporters about the oil industry's wastewater problem. You can register here: 👇 events.propublica.org/wastewater-c...

Don't miss the photos by Paul Ratje from our trip to Tom Green County, TX.

Low-Producing Oil Wells in Texas Cause Headaches for Landowners - Inside Climate News Jackie Chesnutt, who lives outside San Angelo, is tired of pollution from wells she says should have been plugged years ago. Experts say Texas rules allow companies to defer plugging wells for far too...

The wells on Jackie Chesnutt's ranch barely produce any oil. She's tired of spills on her land. She just wants the wells plugged. But the company says no can do.

Texas has tens of thousands of wells like this with no end in sight.

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Big Bend residents and national environmental group sue Trump administration over border wall plan A West Texas river guide and church preservation group, along with a national advocacy group, argue in a lawsuit filed Thursday that the administration illegally bypassed a range of environmental…

A West Texas river guide and church preservation group, along with a national advocacy group, are suing the Trump administration for bypassing federal environmental laws to speed up border wall plans in the Big Bend region.

I got really excited when I filled up on $3.66 gas in Las Cruces today. Asi las cosas.

Texas oil regulator Wayne Christian backs oil-backed crypto coin Government watchdogs raised conflict-of-interests concerns, but Christian said his involvement in the venture is “separate” from his elected position on the Railroad Commission.

Texas Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian is peddling a new crypto token tied to the value of a barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude oil, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest given his position as an official to the state agency that oversees Texas' oil and gas industry.

Perhaps the greatest skill I learned from six years working in Mexico was how to write a polite but firm email to a bureaucrat.

Longtime Immigration Court Interpreter Arrested by ICE at South Texas Airport The state’s only licensed Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu legal interpreter is now languishing in a Raymondville detention center. She’s lived in America for 35 years.

Texas' only licensed Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu legal interpreter is now languishing in a Raymondville detention center. She’s lived in America for 35 years: www.texasobserver.org/immigration-...

“Out of his 4 opponents in the primary, three said the reforms did not go far enough, & one said they went ‘too far,’” said Wright’s spokesperson. “I don’t think most Texans find it necessary for the commission to wait until Moses returns from the desert before reviewing & updating our rulemaking.”

CrownQuest’s billionaire founder Tim Dunn is known for targeting Texas Republicans who he does not consider sufficiently conservative. He is now backing Bo French, a far-right candidate, to unseat Wright at the Railroad Commission.

Wright championed the first overhaul of oilfield waste rules in 40 years at the state’s oil and gas regulatory agency. Some independent oil and gas companies criticized the rules change. One of those companies, CrownQuest, brought a lawsuit against the Railroad Commission challenging its legality.

Oil Tycoon Funds Far-Right Candidate Challenging Texas Oilfield Regulator - Inside Climate News Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright led the agency’s efforts to reform oilfield waste rules. Oil billionaires are now backing Bo French to unseat him.

Jim Wright ran for the Railroad Commission of Texas six years ago as a reformer. But his reforms drew the ire of powerful oil tycoons who are now trying to unseat him.

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We're on strike! Don't visit propublica.org on April 8

We’re on strike today! Support our fight for a fair contract by NOT visiting the @propublica.org website or engaging with ProPublica stories today.

Tell ProPublica’s management you won’t cross the picket line: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...

El Paso County sues ICE over detention center plans El Paso County Commissioners approved a lawsuit against ICE for failing to respond to a FOIA request about planned detention centers.

El Paso County is filing a lawsuit against the federal government over the failure to respond to a request for information about the planned immigration detention center in Socorro, Texas.

My story:

ICE inspectors finds 49 standards violations at Camp East Montana Inspectors from ICE's Office of Detention Oversight found 49 standards violations during a three day oversight visit to Camp East Montana.

Even ICE oversight inspectors are finding violations at Camp East Montana in El Paso, according to a report published yesterday. Inspectors found 49 violations during a visit in February.

My story for the El Paso Times:

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TPWD declined to comment and CBP did not respond to my questions. It is unclear whether TPWD has responded to the requests for access at Seminole Canyon and Big Bend Ranch State Parks. The agency told CBP that it would grant a “Right of Entry Agreement” for Bentsen-RGV State Park.

The documents obtained through a public records request are available here: www.documentcloud.org/projects/224...

Feds have sent mixed messages about Big Bend border wall. These docs show that in Feb. they were trying to access state park land.

On March 6, Border Patrol told TPWD that state park land and Big Bend Nat Park are not current priorities. But the official said those sites will be considered later.

Feds Seek Access to Three Texas State Parks for Border Wall - Inside Climate News In February, the Border Patrol requested access to Big Bend Ranch, Seminole Canyon and Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Parks. The access request included 14 parcels in Big Bend Ranch as first steps in...

I obtained documents from Texas Parks & Wildlife that show how Border Patrol is seeking access to parcels in three state parks (Big Bend Ranch, Seminole Canyon and Bentsen-RGV) for border wall construction.

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Reporter who was kidnapped in Baghdad was known for pursuing gutsy, low-budget assignments American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson often worked without formal assignments from editors and on a shoestring budget.

"I said to her, 'You don’t need to be in a war zone to do good journalism,' and she told me, 'I think my work is worth something when I am in those areas.'"

Blasting Begins For Border Wall On Cherished New Mexico Mountain - Inside Climate News A planned 1.3-mile wall across Mount Cristo Rey has drawn opposition from environmentalists and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces.

A planned 1.3-mile wall across Monte Cristo Rey has drawn opposition from environmentalists and the local Roman Catholic Diocese, which owns most of the mountain.

great opportunity to attend the IRE conference this year for border and immigration reporters! www.ire.org/training/fel...

El Paso Electric filings detail power plant impact behind Meta’s $10 billion data center The data center’s cost will grow from $1.5 billion to $10 billion as El Paso Electric works to rapidly build a power plant to service it. Opponents are concerned about its water usage, air pollution a...

"El Paso Electric said it chose the Enchanted Rock configuration because that’s what Meta preferred"

I'm very glad Diego Mendoza-Moyers is back on the data center beat here in El Paso!! elpasomatters.org/2026/03/29/m...

One nearby business owner told me he would rather see more electronic detection technology used on the mountain. He's already seen wildlife decline in Sunland Park because of Border Patrol activities.

“There is no accountability,” he said. “And the damage will be irreparable.”

Contractors will struggle to build the wall if they can't access the diocese property. A CBP spox said if land for the border wall can't be obtained voluntarily, the feds will condemn it. The Diocese says seizing the land would violate religious freedom & the right to worship.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces, which owns most of the mountain, opposes border wall construction and has refused to sell its property. But contractors started blasting in January - limiting themselves to the 60-foot wide Roosevelt Reservation, which is federally owned.