Emily Atkin for Think Progress

Texas Congressman Says We Should Take In Christian Refugees, Avoid Muslims

Texas Congressman Brian Babin (R-TX) believes refugees allowed into the United States should be given priority based on religious affiliation.

Emily Atkin for Think Progress
By Emily Atkin for Think Progress
Texas Congressman Brian Babin (R-TX) believes refugees allowed into the United States should be given priority based on religious affiliation.

A Texas Congressman is calling for an immediate halt to the Obama administration’s plan to take in 10,000 Syrian refugees, saying the plan is a threat to national security and that more should be done to ensure Christian refugees are getting help. Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX) appeared on the Laura Ingraham show on Monday to tout his latest bill,

Read Full Article

VIDEO: West Virginia Gas Line Explodes In Fourth Major Pipeline Incident This Month

As Congress continues to debate over Keystone XL, a series of major pipeline failures proves that eventually “All Pipelines Leak,” as protesters often say.

Emily Atkin for Think Progress
By Emily Atkin for Think Progress

A gas pipeline in Brooke County, West Virginia exploded into a ball of flames on Monday morning, marking the fourth major mishap at a U.S. pipeline this month. No one was hurt in the explosion, but residents told the local WTRF 7 news station that they could see a massive fireball shooting hundreds of feet into the air. An emergency dispatcher

Read Full Article

Texas Oil Regulator Says It Will Not Honor Town’s Vote To Ban Fracking

“It’s my job to give permits, not Denton’s,” Texas Railroad Commission Chairwoman Christi Craddick said. “We’re going to continue permitting up there because that’s my job.”

Emily Atkin for Think Progress
By Emily Atkin for Think Progress

On election day, the town of Denton, Texas, voted by a wide margin to ban fracking within the city limits. Two days later, the chairwoman of Texas’ oil and gas regulator said she would not honor the ban. Texas Railroad Commission Chairwoman Christi Craddick told the Dallas Morning News that she would continue giving permits to oil and gas

Read Full Article

Oklahoma Gets Hit With 20 Earthquakes In One Day, Fracking Suspected As Cause

One of the most researched human activities that could be causing the dramatic increase in earthquakes is fracking.

Emily Atkin for Think Progress
By Emily Atkin for Think Progress
Chad Devereaux

Oklahoma’s Geology Survey recorded an unprecedented 20 small earthquakes across the state on Tuesday, highlighting the dramatic increase of seismic activity that has occurred there as the controversial process of hydraulic fracturing — otherwise known as fracking — has spread across the state. Though 18 out of the 20 earthquakes that occurred

Read Full Article

Low-Income, Black, And Latino Americans Face Highest Risk Of Chemical Spills

The people who face the greatest threat from potential toxic chemical disasters are disproportionately low-income, black, or Latino, according to a study released Thursday by three environmental groups. Compared to the national average, the 134 million people who live closest to U.S. chemical facilities are 75 percent more likely to be black, 60 percent more […]

Emily Atkin for Think Progress
By Emily Atkin for Think Progress

The people who face the greatest threat from potential toxic chemical disasters are disproportionately low-income, black, or Latino, according to a study released Thursday by three environmental groups. Compared to the national average, the 134 million people who live closest to U.S. chemical facilities are 75 percent more likely to be black, 60

Read Full Article

Train Spills 12,000 Gallons Of Oil In Minnesota, No Major Cleanup Effort Planned

12,000 gallons of crude oil leaked from a Canadian Pacific Railway train on Monday in Minnesota, dribbling oil along the tracks for 68 miles, according to local media reports. Officials at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said Tuesday they would investigate the cause of the spill, but said no major cleanup effort was planned because of its […]

Emily Atkin for Think Progress
By Emily Atkin for Think Progress

12,000 gallons of crude oil leaked from a Canadian Pacific Railway train on Monday in Minnesota, dribbling oil along the tracks for 68 miles, according to local media reports. Officials at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said Tuesday they would investigate the cause of the spill, but said no major cleanup effort was planned because of its

Read Full Article

‘Out-Of-Control’ Rig In The Gulf Gushing Methane Freely Into The Atmosphere

Unlike a spill, an out-of-control well blowing gas does not pollute in a traditional, visible sense. Instead, it releases methane — the potent, second-most prevalent greenhouse gas — into the air, contributing to climate change

Emily Atkin for Think Progress
By Emily Atkin for Think Progress
A view of an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, 50 miles off the cost of Louisiana, on Sunday, April 10, 2011. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

An “out-of-control” well that began blowing gas into the air on Thursday is still not under control as of Friday morning, according to a report from the Associated Press. 42-non essential workers from Rowan Companies PLC’s offshore rig in the Gulf of Mexico, named “Louisiana,” were evacuated, while 37 stayed on the rig to try and stop the flow

Read Full Article