Daily Dispatch 3/24/26: Exploding Refineries, Wasted Natural Gas - Just Another Day In Texas Oil, and More

Stories we're following this morning at Progress Texas:

That explosion at a Valero oil refinery in Port Arthur comes just as much of the world's supply has been choked off by the bumbling of Donald Trump: https://x.com/jon_rosenthaltx/status/2036266795569459210?s=46

...Meanwhile, as natural gas shortages and price spikes are hitting Europe and Asia, West Texas oil companies are burning it off as a price-negative nuisance byproduct: https://fortune.com/2026/03/22/natural-gas-prices-negative-west-texas-permian-basin-burn-off-europe-asia-shortages-iran-war/

Corpus Christi residents see their lives turned upside down by water conservation measures, while the energy sector continues consuming water unabated: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/23/corpus-christi-water-crisis-residents-precautions/

We're reminded why supporting non-profit, independent media like Progress Texas as a coalition of eight Democratic state attorneys general attempt to block the Nexstar/Tegna merger, which would create a huge TV company piping content into 80% of American homes: https://prospect.org/2026/03/23/democratic-states-seek-to-block-massive-tv-station-merger-nexstar-tegna/

The number of families detained at the notorious Dilley ICE lockup has dropped dramatically: https://www.propublica.org/article/families-detained-at-dilley-plummets

...Part of that pressure came from San Antonio-based children's YouTuber Ms. Rachel: https://consequence.net/2026/03/ms-rachel-fighting-to-close-texas-ice-facility-thats-detaining-children/

The recent book The Myth Of Red Texas explores the real history of Texas which is peppered with populist progressivism - and the neglectful treatment of rural Texans by Donald Trump: https://www.sacurrent.com/news/bad-takes/bad-takes-the-gops-professed-love-of-rural-texans-is-all-hat-and-no-cattle/

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