Hundreds of Abandoned Oil Wells Are Rotting Away in Texas Bays
Despite leaks from abandoned oil wells in Trinity Bay, which lies east of Houston, the assumption that the bay’s coastal life is destroyed “is not true,” Rice faculty scholar Jim Blackburn said. But it’s unclear how long its environmental health will last.
How Biden’s Environmental Justice Dilemma is Playing Out in Port Arthur
Pollution levels improved in the past two decades after lawsuits forced the petrochemical industry around Port Arthur to clean up, but companies are still looking to expand their operations, meaning more pollution, said Rice faculty scholar Jim Blackburn.
Houston Will Maintain the City’s Open Ditches Again
Houston will reverse a policy that made property owners responsible for maintaining open drainage ditches, following months of community organizing and a report from Rice faculty scholar Jim Blackburn that recommended the change.
How Protecting the Texas Coastline Could be a “Win-Win-Win”
With changing climate & rising sea levels threatening resources on the coast, how will proposed efforts protect those resources? Faculty scholar Jim Blackburn calls one effort a “win-win-win."
Texas Ranchers, Farmers Turn to Carbon Credits to Keep Fields, Pocketbooks Green
Farmers have shown "tremendous interest" in carbon credits — incentives to shift to practices that increase the amount of carbon their soil absorbs. But "a lot of the hype has been better than the reality," said Rice faculty scholar Jim Blackburn.