State regulators approve controversial Texas electricity market reform
The substantial change in the way the state’s market works will first be reviewed by the Legislature. Full Story
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Emily Foxhall joined the Tribune as energy reporter in December 2022. Based in Houston, she covers oil, gas and renewables from the Permian Basin to the Gulf Coast, as well as the electrical grid and energy regulation. Previously, Emily covered the environment for the Houston Chronicle, her hometown newspaper, where she worked since 2015, following a two-year stint at the Los Angeles Times. Emily distinguished herself in covering the Santa Fe High School shooting and was part of a team that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in breaking news for coverage of Hurricane Harvey. She then roamed the state as “Texas Storyteller,” covering far-flung stories, including the first few months of COVID-19 across the regions of Texas. Moving to the environment beat in 2020, Emily covered climate disasters, industrial pollution, flood infrastructure and environmental policy. Emily was a Texas Tribune fellow in 2012, while she was a student at Yale.
Latest Contributions
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![The Decker Creek Power Station, a natural gas power plant northeast of Austin on February 28, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
State agency that oversees Texas power grid needs more money to do its job, Sunset Commission finds
The Public Utility Commission has about 200 employees but needs more to handle shoring up the state power grid and tackling an expanded list of regulatory duties, according to the state Sunset Advisory Commission. Full Story
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![Electrical workers repair a power line in Austin on Feb. 18, 2021. Many Texas residents are still without power, and many don't have clean drinking water or working water at all.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Supreme Court will decide whether ERCOT should be immune from lawsuits sparked by deadly winter storm
Many people and insurers sued the Electric Reliability Council of Texas after the 2021 freeze. The nonprofit says it shouldn’t be liable. The state Supreme Court has a chance to weigh in. Full Story
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![The Supreme Court of Texas hears the final arguments concerning whether ERCOT has sovereign immunity, at the Supreme Court Building on the Capitol grounds in Austin on Jan. 9, 2023.]()
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After underestimating power demand, Texas electric grid operator gets federal permission to exceed air quality limits
The U.S. Department of Energy granted permission for power plants to release more pollution than is normally allowed — if grid conditions worsen. Full Story
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![Details of electrical transformers at the Austin Energy/Sand Hill Energy Center
in Del Valle on March 24, 2020.]()
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Texas power grid holds amid record winter demand, but test isn’t over
At least one person died in the freezing weather. High demand for electricity is forecast to continue into Saturday. Full Story
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![A woman and a man wait for the bus in Dallas on Dec. 22, 2022.]()
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Texans should prepare for “life-threatening” wind chills, but officials remain confident in power grid
Gov. Greg Abbott and other leaders say Texans should protect their homes and vehicles as large portions of the state will experience dangerously cold temperatures. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference regarding Texas’ emergency response to an unprecedented winter storm gripping Texas on Feb. 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Off Beaten Path, Coastal Cabins Are Paradise for Their Permit Holders
Through a nearly 40-year-old program run by the Texas General Land Office, several people hold permits to use cabins on remote, state-owned islands near the Intracoastal Waterway. Permit holders love the isolation — and the fishing. Full Story
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![Bill and Gail Mullinax's 720-square-foot Laguna Madre cabin is accessible only by boat. It is about a 10-minute ride from the nearest marina in Corpus Christi, where the couple lives.]()
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TDCJ Faces Ongoing Staffing Challenges
During the 1990s, many Texans believed prison construction would help boost the economies in rural areas. Today, ongoing staffing shortages in rural units are causing legislators and other officials to reconsider that assumption. Full Story
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Probation Supervision Program Set for Trial Run
A program started in Hawaii that closely oversees criminal offenders' probation periods is starting a test run in Texas. The experiment, which is getting federal funds, will help determine how the program translates to the mainland. Full Story
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Interactive Map: Texas DPS Office Locations
If preclearance for the state’s voter ID law is granted, the state has promised to issue free “election identification certificates," forms of photo ID for use only in voting. But some argue that Texas voters could have a tough time reaching the Department of Public Safety offices to get those IDs. Take a look for yourself at our map of the all the DPS driver's license offices in Texas. Full Story
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Credit: Ryan Murphy / Todd Wiseman