Led by New York-based energy reporter Cathy Bussewitz and Chicago-based national writer Martha Irvine, a team of AP journalists exclusively documenting the potential health impact of an alarming series of events in residential areas of Arlington, Texas: Literally in the shadow of Mother’s Heart Learning Center, a day care center that primarily serves Black and Latino children, a French company is pumping for natural gas — and seeking to drill three new wells
The AP’s all-formats story not only captured the stories of families facing heightened risks, it also put their stories in the context of a trend with far-reaching consequences: Despite pledges from global leaders to embrace cleaner energy, the world’s reliance on natural gas is growing.
Seizing on a tip from area activists, Bussewitz and Irvine traveled to Texas, where they spoke with mothers exasperated with government inaction, residents who endure noise and vibrations just outside their backyards, and people who often breathe dangerous fumes, including one who developed asthma.
While sitting in a car with her husband, Gloria Allen looks at instructions for an asthma inhaler outside a Dallas pharmacy, Oct. 26, 2021. The couple lives near a compressor station for natural gas in Dalworthington Gardens, Texas. Gloria Allen said that after two years living there, she was diagnosed with asthma. “It’s driving me crazy,” she said of fumes in her neighborhood that often come from the direction of the station. “It’s coming through the fence. I smell it in the house. I’m going to move. I can’t take it.”
AP Photo / Martha Irvine
Rosalia Tejeda, center, plays with her children, from left, son Juscianni Blackeller, 13; Adaliana Gray, 5; and Audrey Gray, 2, in their backyard in Arlington, Texas, Oct. 25, 2021. As Tejeda has learned more about health risks posed by fracking for natural gas, she has become a vocal opponent of a plan to add more natural gas wells at a site near her home.
AP Photo / Martha Irvine
A natural gas well stands a few hundred feet from an apartment complex in Arlington, Texas, Oct. 25, 2021. The site, known as “AC-360,” is operated by TEP Barnett, a subsidiary of French energy giant Total Energies. It is one of Total’s 33 well sites in Arlington that encompass 163 wells. The company has proposed adding three new wells at this site. Some residents of the predominately Latino and Black neighborhood, as well as parents and staff at a daycare near the site, oppose the plan, citing health concerns.
AP Photo / Martha Irvine
Retiree Patrick Vancooper tends to his garden, Oct. 25, 2021, on a strip of land along a fence in Dalworthington Gardens, Texas, a small municipality tucked within the city of Arlington. Vancooper’s home is near a compressor station for natural gas. Fumes can often be smelled in the neighborhood, depending on which way the wind blows, but he says his neighbors rarely question what it is.
AP Photo / Martha Irvine
Kahea Street, 6, rides her scooter near the site of a recently buried natural gas line outside her home in Arlington, Texas, Oct. 24, 2021. Like many children in Arlington, she also lives near natural gas drilling, or fracking, sites. Worried about potential health impacts, some residents are fighting the addition of wells in the city.
AP Photo / Martha Irvine
A man, center, works at one of several natural gas well sites operated by TEP Barnett in Arlington, Texas, Oct. 24, 2021. TEP Barnett, a subsidiary of French energy giant Total Energies, has 33 well sites in Arlington with 163 wells, many of them tucked in urban neighborhoods. This site, called “Rocking Horse,” is next to medical offices, homes and two day cares. While some residents oppose the drilling so close to them, a TEP Barnett spokeswoman said the company operates in a “safe and environmentally responsible manner” and listens to the concerns of the community.
AP Photo / Martha Irvine
Collaborating with Irvine on the reporting, Bussewitz took the lead on writing while multiformat specialist Irvine shot the video and photos, consulting on the photo selection with editors Maye-E Wong and Swayne Hall.
The story was buttressed by two exclusive data analyses, including one by data journalist Angeliki Kastanis that found the density of wells in a given neighborhood correlated with the proportion of residents of color.
Digital storytelling producer Peter Hamlin created a video explainer and graphic artist Francois Duckett developed an interactive map showing the proximity of wells to day cares. And Dario Lopez, digital storytelling producer for global investigations, built an online presentation that deftly packaged all the components.
The project drew immediate responses on social media, and was used by news outlets across the country, notably in Texas, where newsrooms pride themselves on their energy coverage.