Austin becomes the first Texas city to experiment with ‘guaranteed income’
Under a yearlong, $1 million pilot program, the city will send monthly checks of $1,000 to 85 needy households at risk of losing their homes.
Texas
Texas is a state of stark contrasts — sprawling cities, rural communities, and a booming clean-energy sector all sharing the same landscape. This archive tracks progress stories from across the Lone Star State, from environmental wins and public health gains to community-led initiatives and policy advances.
New plastic-eating enzyme could eliminate billions of tons of landfill waste
An enzyme created by engineers and scientists at the University of Texas breaks down plastics that typically take centuries to degrade in a matter of days.
First COVID-19 breath test authorized for use in U.S.
A COVID-19 breath test just cleared a major hurdle: the FDA has authorized the first device that can detect the virus from a single exhale, returning results in about three minutes. Made by InspectIR, the device picks up a signature pattern of five compounds the body releases during infection, and in a study of nearly 2,500 people it correctly flagged 91 percent of positive cases. No swabs, no lab. Beyond this moment, the authorization is a real proof of concept for breath-based diagnostics — a field researchers have long hoped could one day help detect cancers, kidney disease, and other conditions, especially in communities where traditional testing is hardest to reach.
New technique uses plastic waste to capture CO2 emissions
The scientists from Rice University developing the technique estimate that the cost to remove CO2 from flue gas streams would be about US$21 a ton, a significant improvement over existing alternatives.
Instead of a wall, a binational park to be built at the border of Texas and Mexico
The historic project at the border of Laredo, Texas and Nueva Loredo, Tamaulipas will span six miles and focus on the conservation of the Rio Grande River.
New cancer therapy destroys advanced ovarian and colorectal tumors in mice in 6 days
Clinical trials at Rice University are expected to begin in the next few months, after results on mice were described as “very exciting.”
World’s largest green H2 hub, Hydrogen City, to open in Texas in 2026
Green hydrogen is getting a serious proving ground in South Texas, where Green Hydrogen International just broke ground on Hydrogen City — a facility designed to produce more than 2.5 billion kilograms of clean hydrogen each year at full build-out. The trick is storage: massive salt caverns beneath the Piedras Pintas salt dome will hold the energy, smoothing out the natural ebbs of solar and wind. From there, pipelines will carry hydrogen to Gulf Coast ports to make greener fertilizer and sustainable aviation fuel. Phase one comes online in 2026, an early real-world test of whether green hydrogen can finally scale up to decarbonize the industries batteries can’t reach.
A historically Black community in Houston will be home to largest urban solar farm in the U.S.
The solar panels will create enough electricity for about 5,000 homes annually, offsetting 120 million pounds of carbon dioxide annually. Construction is slated to start later this year with plans to be in operation by 2022.
Annova LNG cancels planned fracked natural gas terminal in southern Texas
“If built, Annova LNG would have destroyed wetlands, blocked a wildlife corridor threatening the survival of endangered wildlife, and put communities needlessly at risk,” said the Sierra Club in a statement.
U.S. federal judge orders record penalty against Exxon for thousands of Clean Air Act violations
A U.S. District Court judge has imposed a $14.25 million penalty to punish the company for violating the federal laws—the largest yet imposed in a Clean Air Act citizen enforcement suit.