Basically, Texas has its own grid to avoid dealing with — you guessed it — the feds. But grid independence has been violated a few times over the years — not even counting Mexico’s help during blackouts in 2011.
Kate Galbraith
Kate Galbraith covered energy and environment for the Tribune from 2010 to 2013. Previously she reported on clean energy for The New York Times from 2008 to 2009, serving as the lead writer for the Times' Green blog. She began her career at The Economist in 2000 and spent 2005 to 2007 in Austin as the magazine's Southwest correspondent. A Nieman fellow in journalism at Harvard University from 2007 to 2008, she has an undergraduate degree in English from Harvard and a master's degree from the London School of Economics. She is co-author of “The Great Texas Wind Rush,” a book about how the oil and gas state won the race to wind power.
Posted in
Energy
Book Excerpt: How the Public Got Behind Texas Wind Power
The renewable-energy epiphany that launched Texas wind power came through an unexpected channel: public opinion polls in the mid-1990s. An excerpt from The Great Texas Wind Rush.
Posted in
Energy
Book Excerpt: “Go Get Smart on Wind”
In 1996, then-Gov. George W. Bush shocked his Public Utility Commission chairman by endorsing wind power. A decade later, Texas would become the nation’s top wind-energy producer. An excerpt from The Great Texas Wind Rush.
Posted in
Troubled Waters
Along the Canadian River, Concerns About Drought and Threatened Fish
The storied Canadian River has been so badly pummeled by drought that the reservoirs along it are essentially dry. That’s bad news for the thirsty cities of the Panhandle, not to mention a fish fighting for survival.
Posted in
Energy
In the Panhandle, an Experiment to Help Farmers Save Water
Deep in the Panhandle, a groundwater district is running a closely watched demonstration project aimed at showing farmers how to use less irrigation water on their crops. As the Ogallala Aquifer drops, saving water is an increasingly urgent task.
Posted in
Energy
North Texas Town Upset With Perry’s Veto of Water System Measure
State Rep. Charlie Geren and leaders in the North Texas town of Blue Mound are upset that Gov. Rick Perry vetoed a bill that would have made it easier for the town to gain control of its water system.
Posted in
Energy
Railroad Commission Chairman Mulls Future
Barry Smitherman, the chairman of the Railroad Commission and former chairman of the Public Utility Commission, has earned praise as a smart and competent regulator. But he is also ambitious, and speculation is rife that he will make a bid for attorney general.
Posted in
Troubled Waters
Rivers Tested by Drought, Population Growth
As the drought continues to blanket most of the state, demands for water are increasing from a growing population and industrial base. These pressures are squeezing Texas waterways, whose average streamflow remains well below normal.
Posted inState Government
Supreme Court Backs Oklahoma Over North Texas Water District
The United States Supreme Court has unanimously ruled in favor of Oklahoma in a major case over delivery of water from the Red River.
Posted inEnergy, Environment
Interactive: Texas Public Water Systems At Risk
Hotter days are back, and cities across Texas are again at risk of running out of water. Barnhart, a small community in West Texas, already ran out of water just this month. Use our redesigned interactive to track water systems at risk.