Cleaning up oilfield pollution in arid West Texas is costly and complicated. The bankruptcy process allows companies to move on while the public pays the price.By Martha PskowskiReporting for this story was supported by a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism.
Observations from the Little Bunker
Last updated: January 18, 2026 02:09 PM
Atmospheric CO₂
429.1 ppm
+16.9
ppm/year
Atmospheric CH₄
1940.59 ppb
+-0.24
ppb/year
Global Temperature
+1.48 °C
Peak: +1.73°C
World Population
8.1 billion
+67
million/year