Offshore wind advocates blame Texas’ antagonistic political climate for the lack of offers. A lease off the coast of Louisiana received two bids.
Emily Foxhall
Emily Foxhall is The Texas Tribune's climate reporter. She joined the Tribune as an energy reporter in December 2022, focused on the state’s transition to green energy and the reliability of the power grid. She completed a year-long Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in May 2025. Emily is based in Houston, where she grew up. After a stint as a Tribune student intern in 2012, she began her career at the Los Angeles Times and its community papers. She later worked at the Houston Chronicle where her environmental reporting uncovered the effects of climate change and pollution on the region. She won several Texas Managing Editors awards and was part of the 2017 team that was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news coverage of Hurricane Harvey. Emily graduated from Yale University in 2013, where she studied English and was a Yale Journalism Scholar.
Posted in
Energy
Texans asked to reduce energy use again as ongoing heat wave strains power grid
The latest conservation request from ERCOT — the third in the past week — sought to reduce power demand from 3 to 10 p.m. Thursday.
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New Texas Laws 2023
Under new state law, Texas will bill electric vehicle drivers an extra $200 a year
The new registration fee is meant to make up for the state’s lost revenue from gasoline taxes that are used to pay for road construction and maintenance.
Posted in
Energy
State grid operator asks Texans to reduce energy use Thursday afternoon as demand spikes
This is the second voluntary conservation notice issued this summer by ERCOT, which hopes to lower electricity use and avoid tight grid conditions amid an ongoing heat wave.
Posted in
Energy
Texas counties don’t have the power to ban solar farms, attorney general finds
The opinion comes as communities across the country fight solar and wind development, which play an important role in slowing climate change but use a lot of land.
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Energy
First offshore wind leases off the Texas coast offered for bidding
Some oil companies have expressed interest in bidding to build wind turbines off the Texas coast, which could help reduce emissions that cause climate change but still come at an environmental cost.
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Texas Legislature 2023
“We are dying”: Houston workers protest new state law removing water break requirements
The protesters called House Bill 2127 the “law that kills” and said it will leave those who labor outdoors at the mercy of their employers.
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Energy
Texas gets $60 million in federal funds to strengthen power grid against extreme weather
The Texas Division of Emergency Management will decide how to use the money.
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Energy
Solar power proves its worth as heat wave grips the state
Texas has seen a boom in solar power in recent years, and experts say that’s helped the state grid weather an intense June heat wave.
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Winter Storm 2021
ERCOT can’t be sued over power grid failures during 2021 winter storm, Texas Supreme Court rules
The all-Republican court narrowly found that the nonprofit corporation operating the state’s electrical grid qualifies for sovereign immunity, which protects government entities from lawsuits.
