Labor shortages, supply chain issues, hesitant financial backers and a frosty relationship with the Biden administration have limited how much Texas oil and gas companies are ramping up production.
Mitchell Ferman
Mitchell Ferman covered energy and the economy from 2020 to 2022, based in Houston. Before joining the Tribune he was a reporter for The Monitor in McAllen, where he covered cross-border trade, politics and the city of McAllen. He also regularly freelanced from the Rio Grande Valley and beyond for The New York Times, Texas Monthly and Reuters, writing about topics including the family separation crisis and unexpected consequences of the border wall. He graduated from the University of Missouri.
Posted in
Politics
Texas lawmakers back U.S. ban on Russian oil imports and call for increased domestic production
Texas Republicans spent much of Monday demanding nearly unfettered drilling and pipeline usage across North America — policies Biden officials refused to endorse.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Uncounted mail-in ballots discovered in Harris County add uncertainty to two Democratic races
The 6,000 Democratic primary votes could be enough to impact the results in the races for attorney general and one state House seat.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
Wayne Christian, incumbent commissioner overseeing oil and gas industry, is headed to a runoff
The chair of the Texas Railroad Commission fell short of winning at least 50% of the vote and will face oil and gas attorney Sarah Stogner in May.
Posted in
Energy
Texas oil and gas producers to see short-term profits after Russia invades Ukraine
Energy markets responding to the war with higher oil and gas prices also means energy consumers will likely pay more on their utility bills and at the gas pump.
Posted in
Texas 2022 Elections
A semi-nude video, corruption allegations and a fatal crash roil GOP primary for Texas Railroad Commission
The oldest state regulatory agency, in charge of how oil and gas are produced and transported, doesn’t typically attract much attention at election time. This year is different.
Posted in
Guides
How Texas’ power grid failed in 2021 — and who’s responsible for preventing a repeat
In the state’s power grid, electricity and natural gas are co-dependent. Here’s how the winter storm last year broke the system.
Posted in
Winter Storm 2021
One of the hundreds of Texans who died in the 2021 winter storm was a Lubbock ex-hippie with a “brilliant, magical mind”
A year ago next week, a winter storm devastated Texas. The family members of one storm victim say her adventurous life shouldn’t have ended by freezing to death in an assisted living facility.
Posted in
Energy
A winter storm is heading to Texas. Here’s what that means for the power grid.
The weather is not expected to be as severe or last as long as last year’s freeze. Texas leaders do not expect systemwide blackouts, but they have warned that local power outages are possible throughout the state.
Posted in
Energy
Texas leaders warn of “treacherous” driving conditions and possible local power outages as freezing weather approaches
Gov. Greg Abbott said he could not guarantee power would stay on throughout Texas this week, just two months after he promised the lights would stay on this winter.
