Environment

Across the central U.S., nitrate from crop fertilizer and livestock facilities is seeping into water underground. Many family wells are no longer safe to drink from without pricey treatment.

The Texas Department of Transportation, alongside Lubbock’s city and county leaders, cut the ribbon for drivers on the first portion of the anticipated Loop 88 in south Lubbock, this southern portion of the outer loop project broke ground four years ago, but the full freeway is expected to take 15-20 years to complete, depending on state and federal funding. An environmental group is suing the Trump administration over its plan for a border wall in parts of the Big Bend region of Texas. Marfa Public Radio’s Travis Bubenik reports the Big Bend border wall plan has prompted widespread pushback from Democrats and Republicans.

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 protection laws as it plans a 175-mile stretch of border wall in the state's Big Bend region.

From a field on an Illinois university campus, to rare, untouched land in Texas, here are some efforts to replant once-abundant prairie in the Midwest and Great Plains.

Elevated to critical fire weather is expected to persist across the South Plains and broader West Texas region as record-breaking March heat, strong winds and ongoing drought conditions continue to dry out vegetation. Officials warn that despite a brief cooldown from a passing cold front, wildfire risk will remain moderate into early next week, with recent fires in the Panhandle and South Plains underscoring the growing danger.

Tumbleweeds have taken over the High Plains. They thrive so well that they are part of the culture of the West. But this ample supply of blowing weeds can hurt farm yields, wreak havoc on neighborhoods and cause fire dangers.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection this week quietly updated its "Smart Wall" map to remove two "primary border barrier system" projects in the Big Bend area, including one recently slated for Big Bend National Park. Other projects are still listed for parts of Presidio, Jeff Davis and Hudspeth counties.

The lesser prairie chicken, known for its flamboyant courtship dances and bulging neck pouches, has lost a majority of its population in the grasslands and brush of southwestern Kansas. But Republican lawmakers have long fought against its habitat protections.

Tiny shards of plastic called microplastics are all over the environment and even inside human bodies. Researchers have found a type of bioengineered algae that can clean up these pesky particles.

Border wall projects could soon move forward in the remote Big Bend region of West Texas as part of the Trump administration's sweeping "Smart Wall" plan for the entire U.S.-Mexico border, according to officials and local residents who say construction firms have started contacting people in the area about the project.