Texas energy regulators described in internal emails a “mess” of leaking crude oil heading downstream near Houston after heavy storms in May, raising new questions about how the state has handled flood-related spills visible in aerial photographs, a newspaper reported Sunday.

The Texas Railroad Commission did not answer specific questions from the El Paso Times about whether the state levied any fines or whether regulators know how much oil escaped into the San Jacinto River. The agency also would not address whether steps were taken to look for pollution downstream, where houses are nestled against the shoreline.

— Austin American-Statesman