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Fracking earthquakes are a devil’s bargain Texas doesn’t need (Editorial)

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Fracking earthquakes are a devil’s bargain Texas doesn’t need (Editorial)


The road leading into downtown Mentone.

ERIC DEXHEIMER / HOUSTON CHRONICLE

As if our state didn’t already have enough disasters — floods, fires, tornadoes, explosions — we’ve added a new kind to the list. At around 4:30 a.m. on Nov. 8, Texas recorded the fourth-largest earthquake in the state’s history, a 5.3 magnitude event. Thankfully it was miles south of Mentone, a West Texas town with a total census count of 10 souls. The tremors, however, rippled all the way to central New Mexico.

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The relevance of this particular earthquake wasn’t its relatively high magnitude or the minimal damage it caused. It’s that it happened smack in the middle of the Permian Basin, the nation’s largest oil field. 

That’s no coincidence. Temblors in Texas have risen sharply over the past decade, and research has linked the increased seismic activity to fracking. After oil and gas are pumped from production wells, they’re separated from the groundwater that comes up with them. That water is toxic, and often radioactive, so it’s typically injected back into the porous rock formations. That creates fluid pressure on ancient fault lines. Eventually that pressure builds to the point that the fault lines slip, causing earthquakes. 

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Oil and gas producers have made a devil’s bargain with Texas’ geography. They print money by extracting oil and gas from this desolate and yet bountiful region — the Permian generated roughly $182 billion in gross domestic product this year alone. In turn, they drastically alter our underground geology, leading to earthquakes, sinkholes and even permanent saltwater lakes created from briny, contaminated water. 

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Meanwhile, the Texas Railroad Commission, the state agency tasked with oversight of the oil and gas industry, mostly neglects its responsibilities. Will they step up this time? 

The earthquake site overlaps Culberson County and Reeves County, a particularly oil-rich section of the Permian hit by quakes a year ago. After those, the railroad commission and county officials established a plan: After a quake of 4.5 or higher, the commission would prohibit operators from injecting wastewater underground for up to two years. The Chronicle’s Amanda Drane reported that up to 600,000 barrels a day of injection capacity could be lost if the commission imposes this rule, which of course would impact the bottom lines of many oil and gas operators, as well as the economic wellbeing of many West Texas boomtowns. Consider that the housekeepers at two “man camps” for oil field workers north of Mentone get paid $45,000, along with free room and board and a full benefits package.

The railroad commission told the editorial board in a statement that it was working with operators to limit injection wells in the area where the earthquake happened, though the agency did not specifically say whether it would enforce its own rule.

Following through should be the minimum. Temporarily shutting down injection wells while hoping that others don’t trip up fault lines is a shortsighted, whack-a-mole strategy. What the commission needs is a regulatory system that accounts for Texas’ geographic limitations. 

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We’re not holding our breath. The railroad commissioners are so chummy with the industry that they rake in campaign donations from oil and gas companies, while also trading oil and gas stocks and owning mineral interests.

Ideally, to decide where operators are allowed to drill, the commission would use the plethora of data that show which parts of the Permian Basin have problematic seismic activity. It would enforce responsible water management and spur investment in facilities and pipelines that recycle the produced water used for drilling. It would limit operators from blasting produced water back underground or discharging it in our rivers, creeks and streams.

That level of planning would be good for business, giving operators the ability to invest and drill accordingly. It would also protect Texas’ natural environment and mitigate the risk to property and people. It’s the sort of commonsense policy that we wish we could expect of that commission all the time.



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Final Four 2025 scores, results: UConn tops UCLA, South Carolina defeats Texas to reach NCAA basketball championship

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Final Four 2025 scores, results: UConn tops UCLA, South Carolina defeats Texas to reach NCAA basketball championship


After several days of anticipation, the women’s Final Four took over Tampa on Friday night, and the stars of the sport ultimately came out on top by the night’s end.

In the early game, South Carolina continued its quest to become the first repeat national champion since UConn won four straight from 2013 to 2016, defeating Texas 74-57 in the semifinal. Another championship would be the Gamecocks’ third title in four seasons.

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In the nightcap, UConn’s Paige Bueckers continued her final push for a national championship, the sole mountain she has yet to climb in her collegiate career, as the Huskies handily beat UCLA, 85-51. Bueckers and Co. will take on the Gamecocks on Sunday afternoon at Amalie Arena.

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Women’s Final Four results

No. 1 South Carolina 74, No. 1 Texas 57

For the third time in four years, South Carolina is heading back to the national championship.

After a slow start, the No. 1 Gamecocks surged back beat No. 1 Texas, 74-57, in the first matchup of the 2025 Final Four. South Carolina took care of business behind a strong third quarter and an electric performances from Te-Hina Paopao and Joyce Edwards.

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Like many South Carolina wins this year, the game started off slow and Texas pulled ahead to an early lead. But South Carolina battled back to make it a one-point deficit at the end of the first quarter, and held the Longhorns back throughout the second frame as well.

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A giant third quarter seemed to seal the deal for the Gamecocks: South Carolina outscored Texas 20-9, which extended a 38-35 halftime lead to 58-44. The lead only grew in the fourth quarter, with a number of key 3-pointers sealing the deal for the Gamecocks.

No. 2 UConn 85, No. 1 UCLA 51

It wasn’t another record-setting outing from Paige Bueckers, but the Huskies still picked up a dominant win on Friday night.

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Now, Bueckers and No. 2 UConn will have a shot at claiming their first national championship in nearly a decade.

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The Huskies, thanks to a huge first half from Azzi Fudd, rolled over No. 1 UCLA in the Final Four on Friday night. They grabbed an 85-51 win over the Bruins. That officially sets up a rematch against South Carolina in the national championship game on Sunday afternoon.

Bueckers, who has scored at least 31 points in each of the last three games, was held to just 12 points in Friday’s blowout win. This time, though, it was all Fudd.

Catch up on all the action from Final Four Friday with Yahoo Sports below:



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Texas measles outbreak grows to 481 cases, hospitalizations jump

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Texas measles outbreak grows to 481 cases, hospitalizations jump


Texas public health officials on Friday reported a jump in both measles cases and hospitalizations, as the outbreak that began in West Texas more than two months ago continues its spread.

The state is now reporting a total of 481 measles cases in the outbreak, up from 422 on Tuesday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. A total of 56 people are hospitalized, a jump from 42 reported on Tuesday.

The numbers in Texas do not include cases reported in other states. New Mexico reported a total of 54 measles cases on Friday, while the state of Oklahoma reported 10 cases as of Tuesday.

Across the three states, there are now a total of 545 reported measles cases, all connected to the outbreak that began in Gaines County.

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As Texas measles outbreak grows, some Republican leaders remain silent on vaccination

Friday’s report did not show any Lone Star State counties with new measles cases. Lamar County, in northeast Texas, added one case for a total of 11 cases.

Due to the outbreak, the state of Texas has already reported more measles cases in 2025 than in any full year since 1992. In that year, the state reported more than 1,000 measles cases.

Measles is a highly contagious illness that spreads mostly among unvaccinated people. The two-dose measles-mumps-rubella vaccine is 97% effective at preventing measles infection and typically offers lifelong protection.

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Due to widespread vaccination, measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000. There have been outbreaks across the country since then, in communities with low vaccination rates.

Childhood vaccination rates dipped during the pandemic, causing concern among public health experts. The Texas legislature is poised to consider a host of vaccine bills this session, most of which would roll back existing vaccine policy.

The vaccine is recommended for nearly everyone, beginning with babies at about 12 months of age. The vaccine is not recommended for people who are pregnant or immunocompromised.



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North Texas man shocked after truck theft linked to suspect charged with Arlington grandmother’s murder

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North Texas man shocked after truck theft linked to suspect charged with Arlington grandmother’s murder


Just before midnight Monday Arlington police were called to an apartment complex on Whisper Meadow Lane. 

They found 63-year-old Erma Azeez unresponsive in a breezeway and rushed her to a hospital, where she died. 

A witness reported seeing a man attacking her with a sharp object. Police say 23-year-old Jacob Guerrero matched the description and his ankle monitor had sent off a tampering alert, which placed him at the scene at the time of the attack.  

Police arrested him the next day after a hit-and-run accident they believe he is responsible for. They said he was driving a stolen SUV, hit a pedestrian walking a dog, and then hit another car before driving off.  

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“My wife and I just couldn’t understand why he got out so soon,” Brian McDaniel said. 

Saturday, March 22, around 11:30 p.m., McDaniel’s home surveillance system captured this man walking onto his property. 

“Then he didn’t leave until 2:11 the next morning on Sunday,” he said. 

McDaniel said at that time he had no idea that his truck had been stolen with his gun inside. 

Police say around 5 a.m., an employee at the nearby Crowley Walmart off East FM 11-87 reported a man chased her through the parking lot with a gun, before demanding her cell phone and taking off in the truck. 

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Police said the man was Guerrero, and he led them on a chase that ended with him crashing near a Starbucks. They said he then started running, dropping a gun, but they were able to detain him. 

“I was woken up at 6 a.m. on Sunday morning by the police department,” McDaniel said. “I was really shocked, you know.”

Guerrero now faces multiple charges for this incident including aggravated robbery. He was required to wear an ankle monitor.  

McDaniel questions the decision to put an ankle monitor on him. 

“If they wanted to commit a crime they can do it still, right?” he said. “They know his location but that’s it. I mean, he obviously doesn’t really care about the law or anything. It’s crazy. It’s wild. I don’t know what else to say. I’m just glad he’s back in jail.” 

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Guerrero has been charged with murder as well as other charges relating to Azeez’s attack. Police said he was able to cut his ankle monitor off after Monday’s murder. 



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