After identifying flaws in the state’s air monitoring, the Tribune hosted workshops to inform Houston Ship Channel communities.

Environmental experts say the ruling will pause measures to reduce smog in some states and influence suits in lower courts.

The new federal limits target six cancer-causing chemicals and aim to reduce the cancer risk of cancer for nearby communities.

A new report by the Environmental Integrity Project compiled data on every U.S. plastics plant built, expanded or proposed since 2012, revealing massive growth in Texas.

Public data from a network of state air monitors around the Houston Ship Channel is hard to interpret and is often inadequate, leaving Latino-majority neighborhoods like Cloverleaf unaware of whether the air they breathe is safe.

Some environmental experts are skeptical that Texas can meet the new rules on particulate matter, which can cause serious respiratory problems.

The Biden Administration announced a crackdown on methane emissions, a major driver of climate change. Major oil and gas companies also signed on to a voluntary net-zero commitment.

A report by the federal environmental agency’s internal watchdog found that EPA is failing to enforce its own pollution limits for the known carcinogen at many refineries — including some in Texas.

The bill would require the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to focus enforcement and increase penalties on repeat violators and increase public outreach. Still, environmental advocates say the effort was too “modest” in its reach.

The bill would impose fines when residents make more than three complaints to the state environmental agency in a year if they don’t result in enforcement action. Critics warn the bill would discourage people from reporting pollution.

The federal environment agency says it will continue flyovers of the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico until Aug. 15 using infrared cameras to survey oil and gas operations.

One of them is in Laredo, which has elevated rates of cancer, according to a recent state analysis. The findings come after reporting by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune.

Emissions are reacting with the summer heat to create high levels of smog, hazardous air pollution that damages the lungs. But state officials are pushing back on ozone pollution controls proposed by the EPA, arguing such rules would compromise the electric grid.

The high court said a cap on power plants’ carbon dioxide emissions that forces a transition to other fuels may be a “sensible” solution to the climate crisis, but that Congress did not give the Environmental Protection Agency the broad authority to make such requirements. Texas was one of 17 states that joined in the suit.

The Houston and Dallas regions may soon be designated as “severe” violators of federal smog rules, which would prompt more aggressive regulations.

A report from the state climatologist finds that the state is experiencing hotter days with less relief from high temperatures at night.

According to the ruling, Volkswagen is basically obliged to pay damages to car owners affected by the diesel scandal. Volkswagen said the decision announced Monday would clear the way for settlement of remaining consumer claims in Germany. The decision affects some 60,000 individual claims brought by car owners there; around 262,000 others have already been covered by an 830 million-euro ($904 million) class-action settlement. “For the majority of the 60,000 pending cases, this ruling provides clarity,” the company said in a statement. He had sought the full purchase price but the court ruled he must accept less due to depreciation related to the distance he drove.

BERLIN – German auto giant Volkswagen agreed Friday to pay 830 million euros ($912 million) in damages to hundreds of thousands of customers whose diesel cars were outfitted with software to manipulate emissions readings. The settlement offer was negotiated with Germany’s consumer protection group VZBV, and Volkswagen called it “fair compensation.” The offer amounts to about 15% of the purchase price of the car, and payments range from between 1,350 euros to 6,257 euros ($1,485-$6,882). It will now be up to some 260,000 customers who had sued Volkswagen in Germany, arguing their cars had lost value due to the emission cheating scandal, to accept the offer or to proceed on their own to try and sue for more. In 2015, U.S. regulators caught Volkswagen using software that turned emissions controls off once the car had passed emissions tests. The company has paid out more than 30 billion euros ($33 billion) in fines, settlements and recalls.

Automaker Volkswagen has offered 830 million euros as a settlement for owners of diesel vehicles that used software to mask excessive emissions. The company said Friday it was making the offer after talks broke down with a German consumer association that had been negotiating for a deal over fees for the plaintiffs' attorneys. The VZBZ consumer association said that the settlement talks failed because Volkswagen was unwilling to set up what it called a “transparent, trustworthy and secure” way of resolving the claims. In 2015, U.S. regulators caught Volkswagen using software that turned emissions controls off once the car had passed emissions tests. The company has paid out more than 30 billion euros ($33 billion) in fines, settlements and recalls.

FRANKFURT – Prosecutors in Germany have filed charges against six more individuals in connection with Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal, bringing the total to 11. The prosecutors' statement did not name the individuals charged. Three of the accused were charged with direct offenses and the other three as accessories to the offenses, meaning they assisted or facilitated them. The prosecutors said 32 more individuals were under investigation. The company has paid more than 30 billion euros ($33 billion) in fines, settlements and recall costs.

BERLIN – Volkswagen and a German consumer group said Thursday they will conduct talks on a possible settlement in a landmark case in which hundreds of thousands of people aim to establish a right of compensation for cars affected by the automaker’s diesel emissions scandal. At the time, the presiding judge suggested that the two sides could consider a settlement, which he said would be possible though very difficult. The case was brought by the Federation of German Consumer Organizations on behalf of more than 400,000 diesel owners. In a statement Thursday, the two sides said that they have agreed to open talks on a possible settlement and that their common aim is “a pragmatic solution” in the interests of customers. It stressed that it is uncertain whether they will reach a settlement and said both sides have agreed to confidentiality.

BERLIN – A German appeals court has ruled in several lawsuits against automaker Volkswagen, saying consumers who unknowingly bought cars with software installed to cheat diesel emissions tests deserve compensation but those who purchased them later don’t. The Stuttgart appeals court ruled Thursday plaintiffs could demand repayment of the purchase price, minus a portion for usage, for cars bought between 2013-2015. The scandal came to light when U.S. authorities announced the violation in September 2015. It has cost Volkswagen some 30 billion euros ($33 billion) in fines, recalls and settlements, and several former executives have faced legal repercussions. The court rejected damage claims from plaintiffs who purchased vehices in 2016, saying Volkswagen’s announcements after the scandal broke were “sufficient in content and scope to inform the public.”The rulings can be appealed.