Kiah Collier
Texas Tribune
Austin, TX, United States
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Past articles by Kiah E.:
Closing a critical loophole for gun background checks has gained bipartisan support in Texas
After a ProPublica-Texas Tribune investigation found courts failed to report juvenile mental health hospitalizations to the federal firearm background check system, lawmakers from both parties are backing bills to ensure compliance with the law. → Read More
Texas’ law on gun background checks plagued by critical omissions of minors’ mental health records
Lawmakers tried in 2009 to require that the state report all court-ordered mental health hospitalizations to a federal gun background check system. Juveniles have been left out. → Read More
Why 18-year-olds can buy AR-15s in Texas but not handguns
This week’s massacre in Uvalde highlights disparities in how federal laws regulate rifles and handguns. The shooter bought two rifles days after his 18th birthday. → Read More
“Power companies get exactly what they want”: How Texas repeatedly failed to protect its power grid against extreme weather
Texas regulators and lawmakers knew about the grid’s vulnerabilities for years, but time and again they furthered the interests of large electricity providers. → Read More
Gov. Greg Abbott is limiting enforcement of COVID-19 orders, but many cities already took a lax approach
Texas cities and counties have dramatically different interpretations of the state’s COVID-19 emergency orders. Complaint data from a dozen cities shows that disparate approaches to enforcement, particularly among businesses, have been incredibly common. → Read More
Did Pierce Bush's family name doom his congressional run, or did his campaigning?
The grandson of the late President George H.W. Bush failed to make the runoff in a crowded GOP race to represent Texas' 22nd District. Experts say the reasons are more complicated than the decline of the Bush family's political influence. → Read More
Texas sues company whose Port Neches chemical plant exploded
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued TPC Group on Friday, citing a slew of environmental violations at its Port Neches facility, including ones connected to a Nov. 27 explosion. → Read More
Report: Six Texas oil refineries spewing cancer-causing pollutant above federal threshold
An environmental nonprofit has released an analysis of first-of-its-kind air monitoring data that shows benzene levels at 10 U.S. petroleum refineries exceeded limits established in an Obama-era environmental regulation. Six are in Texas. → Read More
Ahead of explosion, Port Neches plant reported an increase of rogue emissions of explosive gas
After the federal government required TPC Group to install air monitors at its Port Neches plant, the company detected a significant increase in the number and size of butadiene emissions in the months leading up to multiple blasts at the plant on Nov. 27. → Read More
T. Boone Pickens, famed Texas oilman, dies at 91
The energy pioneer and philanthropist died of natural causes at his home in Dallas surrounded by friends and family, a spokesman said Wednesday → Read More
Can the ‘masters of the flood’ help Texas protect its coast from hurricanes?
Dutch flood-control experts are helping Texas design what would become the nation’s most ambitious (and expensive) coastal barrier. → Read More
Texas might spend up to $20 billion to protect Houston from hurricanes. Rice University says it can do it for a fraction of that.
A government plan to guard the Houston-Galveston region from deadly storm surge could cost as much as $20 billion and isn't expected to become reality for at least 15 years. Rice University says it has a plan that could be completed faster for a fraction of the cost. → Read More
Can the “masters of the flood” help Texas protect its coast from hurricanes?
After centuries of fighting back water in a low-lying nation, the Dutch have become the world leaders in flood control. And their expertise is helping Texas design what would become the nation’s most ambitious — and expensive — coastal barrier. → Read More
Why has Texas suddenly decided to immediately sue industrial polluters?
In recent weeks, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has swiftly sued two companies over major fires at their Houston-area plants. It's a dramatic departure from the state's usual approach to environmental enforcement. → Read More
Texas sues company behind Deer Park terminal fire
Attorney General Ken Paxton filed an environmental lawsuit against Intercontinental Terminals Company late Friday seeking tens of thousands of dollars in damages. → Read More
Deer Park terminal fire extinguished after three days of burning
A fire that broke out Sunday morning at a petrochemical storage facility in the industrial Houston suburb stopped burning overnight. → Read More
Legal experts: Emergency declaration may not be quickest way to build wall
Even if President Trump gets his way, eminent domain lawyers say a variety of legal issues would arise surrounding private land seizures that could delay wall construction for years — and even derail it entirely. → Read More
How will Texas help Harvey-ravaged communities?
State leaders have all thrown support behind tapping the rainy day fund to help with Hurricane Harvey recovery. But a year and a half after the storm, they haven't offered many specifics. → Read More
Report: Unauthorized air pollution in Texas up 27 percent in 2017
An analysis by the research arm of Environment Texas found 275 companies across the state reported emitting 63 million pounds of hazardous and climate-warming pollutants from their facilities in 2017 → Read More
Bill would prevent Texans from unknowingly buying homes in areas designed to flood
After Hurricane Harvey inundated the Houston area with rain, scores of homeowners learned too late that their properties were designed to flood. Senate Bill 339 would require sellers to disclose that risk, as well as whether a home has previously flooded. → Read More