Humidity and wildfires in Mexico are bringing hazy skies across the state of Texas.

Texas skies are hazy this week thanks to the tedious combination of humidity and smoke drifting from various fires.

Hazy conditions and poor air quality will remain steady through the weekend, according to data from AirNow.gov, the nation’s official website for air quality monitoring.

Here’s what we know.

Where is smoke coming from in Texas?

This week, active wildfires have been reported in California, New Orleans, Mexico, and Central America. Strong winds are carrying remnants of smoke to various parts of Texas, including Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Waco.

According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, residual smoke from seasonal burnings and industrial activities is the primary contributing factor to the haze in Texas.

“Elsewhere, light to moderate winds combined with very high relative humidity east of the dryline has kept elevated fine particulate matter concentrations widespread and are expected to be sustained,” according to the daily statement on the TCEQ website Wednesday.

Air Quality Index: Map of current conditions across Texas

Much of the eastern portion of the state will experience moderate to unhealthy air quality conditions through Saturday as a cold front continues to bring residual smoke and high relative humidity. According to AirNow, these are the forecasted AQIs through Saturday.

• Amarillo: Good through the weekend
• Austin: Unhealthy for sensitive groups, moderate beginning Friday
• Corpus: Unhealthy for all, moderate beginning Friday
• Dallas-Fort Worth: Moderate through the weekend
• El Paso: Moderate through the weekend
• Houston: Unhealthy for sensitive groups, moderate on Saturday
• Lubbock: Good through the weekend
• Midland-Odessa: Good through the weekend
• San Antonio: Moderate
• Waco: Unsafe for sensitive groups, moderate and good on Friday and Saturday

A Texas energy company will pay a $265,000 fine to settle charges that it subjected Black and Hispanic field mechanics to harassment.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced last week that Liberty Energy, Inc. doing business as Liberty Oilfield Services, LLC, will settle a race and national origin discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of three mechanics.

According to the EEOC lawsuit, a Black field mechanic and two Hispanic co-workers at Liberty Energy’s Odessa, Texas location were subjected to a hostile environment and referred to in derogatory terms, including use of the N-word and other slurs such as “beaner” and “wetback.”

Liberty Energy is an oilfield service firm offering technologies to onshore oil and natural gas exploration across North America.

The employees alleged that they made reports to supervisors, management, and human resources about the discriminatory treatment, but no effective corrective or remedial action was taken by the company.

The EEOC’s suit charged that after making his report, the Black mechanic was forced by management to perform undesirable work tasks and was isolated by his peers. With no meaningful action by company management to change the workplace atmosphere and the discriminatory assignments that followed his complaint, he was ultimately left no alternative but to resign.

The alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race and national origin. The EEOC filed suit, Civil Action No. 7:23-cv-00100, in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Midland-Odessa Division, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

Under the two-year consent decree resolving the suit, in addition to monetary relief for the employees, Liberty Energy will adopt and distribute a policy for all human resources and management personnel to effectively respond to reports to discrimination; post a notice in the workplace informing employees of the settlement; adopt and develop a 1-800 hotline for reporting acts of discrimination and/or harassment; and provide specialized training to employees on the federal laws that prohibit employment discrimination, including Title VII.

Source: EEOC

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DALLAS – While some major universities are canceling graduation commencements or scaling them back, Texas universities plan to go on with graduation as planned.

UT Austin also updated its security policy for this weekend’s commencement. Hecklers will be removed, and any kind of protest on the campus will be blocked.

Ut Austin President Jay Hartzell referenced that the 2024 graduates had their high school graduation canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic. 

Many reached out for assurance that graduation will go on as planned. Hartzell confirmed it will happen while adding the university will be ready to ensure everyone will be protected. 

Wednesday, Hartzell sent out a video message to the nearly 11,000 graduates and anyone attending this week’s graduation.

“Graduates we will have no tolerance for any disruption for your special and hard-earned achievement,” he said.

The university-wide commencement takes place at the football stadium on Saturday evening after all the college-specific convocations. 

Hartzell confirms all ceremonies will go on as planned while referencing the recent protests, encampments and arrests on campus. 

“There are devastating world events that continue to dominate our attention and energy. People continue to express themselves in different and personal and heartfelt ways,” he said. “We support them and have supported them each and every time when the intent is to use our campus as a platform to lawfully protest and have their expressions heard.”

More than 100 people have been arrested on the Austin campus in the past two weeks.

On April 29, protesters created a surprise encampment, causing police and DPS troopers to step in. 

According to UT Austin’s commencement conduct guidelines, heckling speakers who cause any disruption will be removed. 

Also, attendees, graduates and outside demonstrations cannot block entrances, exits or pathways in and around campus.

In North Texas, UT Arlington confirms to FOX 4 that its Friday commencement is also on. It says its ceremonies are ticketed and secure events held at Globe Life Field. 

 A week ago, a small group of protesters complied with university guidelines by calling their demonstration an informal encampment. 

Graduation will also continue at UNT, where a peaceful protest was held on the Denton campus for a few hours. 

FOX 4 reached out to UT Dallas multiple times for commencement specifics, but we did not hear back. But online, their commencement schedule is still posted as planned.