Erin Douglas is the economy reporter for the Houston Chronicle. Previously, she interned for Bloomberg and her hometown newspaper, The Denver Post.
“They’re still dying”: Neighbors contend with rail yard after decades of contamination.
A railroad yard asked the state to limit its environmental responsibility to clean up more than 30 years of toxic waste. The community it neighbored didn’t know anything was wrong. In this historically black neighborhood, it seems everyone knows someone who died of cancer or had the disease themselves. Now, they’re coming to terms with how a plume of creosote lurking below may have affected their lives — and could still be polluting their homes today. (Houston Chronicle)
Impact: After the story published, state regulators asked Union Pacific to test the air in homes affected by contamination. Then, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee held a town hall to push for a health study on the contamination.
Traumatized by workplace violence, nurses in Texas want new rules.
Nurses get spit on, cursed out, shoved, hit or slammed to the ground at work. For many, abuse is seen as just part of the job. Yet, they also say these incidents are traumatizing – forever. Policymakers in Texas are just beginning to address the problem. (Houston Chronicle)
Swallowed in paperwork, Texas steel products firms lose customers while Trump’s tariffs drag on.
When the steel tariffs were first enacted last March, the Commerce Department anticipated only 4,500 requests would be filed each year. It received over 66,000. Nearly four out of five exemption requests filed by Texas companies remain unprocessed. Related: Texas companies requested the most steel tariff waivers of any state. (Houston Chronicle)
Houston’s federal employees squeezed as payday comes without a paycheck.
Linda Hernandez makes $62,000 per year as a secretary at the Federal Detention Center in downtown Houston, a salary she supplements by picking up overtime shifts as a corrections officer. Now, she’s not getting paid for either. Related: Houston businesses stepped up to help affected furloughed workers. (Houston Chronicle)
economy —
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Tariffs on Mexico could deal blow to Texas economy (Houston Chronicle)
- Texas rule limiting worker benefits in gig economy would hurt local businesses, owners say (Houston Chronicle)
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Trade war with China highlights battle for trade secrets in Texas, energy sector (Houston Chronicle)
- As Venezuelan opposition prepares to appoint a board to Houston’s Citgo, creditors circle (Houston Chronicle)
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Houston relies on global workers and global trade. Both are at risk. (Houston Chronicle)
- ‘We Bleed Diesel:’ Truckers Nearing Worst Price Shock Since 2008 (Bloomberg)
- As pressures mount for Colorado farmers, state pushes crisis hotline into remote, sometimes reluctant communities (The Denver Post)
- Colorado faces a massive shortage of construction workers. A fix won’t be easy. (The Denver Post)
energy & environment —
- Experimental Texas power plant aims to make electricity cheaper, cleaner (Houston Chronicle)
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Texas has enough sun and wind to quit coal, Rice researchers say (Houston Chronicle)
- Natural gas flaring in West Texas severely under-reported, satellite analysis shows (Houston Chronicle)
- Regulators approve power market change that’s expected to raise costs (Houston Chronicle)
- Power companies lose fight over transmission costs in Texas, in win for renewables (Houston Chronicle)
- University of Houston courts oil and gas for work on carbon management (Houston Chronicle)
- Companies pin excessive 2017 air pollution on Harvey, one-time events (Houston Chronicle)
women in the workplace —
- Energy industry’s recruitment efforts highlight persistent challenges for women (Houston Chronicle)
- Reporter’s Notebook: Can women succeed in energy corporations without acting like men? (Houston Chronicle)
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For daughters of the oil and gas industry, mothers blazed the trail (Houston Chronicle)
oil markets —
- Oil shrugs into New Year, still waiting for a sign to recover (Houston Chronicle)
- U.S. eyes energy independence as production seen overtaking Russia, Saudi Arabia (Houston Chronicle)
- Oil Edges Higher on Anticipated U.S.-China Trade Talks (Bloomberg)
- Oil Sinks to 10-Week Low After Surprise U.S. Stockpile Build (Bloomberg)
