Pablo Vegas, a utility executive in Ohio, named ERCOT’s new CEO
The state power grid operator has been run by an interim chief since the previous CEO was fired following the deadly 2021 winter storm that crashed much of the grid. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/5edfeda87d3417c1c01f0007e532603d/Pablo%20Vegas%20TT.jpg)
-
![Pablo Vegas.]()
Credit: PR handout -
Texas Dems uniformly vote for Biden’s cornerstone climate and health care legislation
The bill would invest billions into issues acutely impacting Texas, including climate change and health care, and is the result of months of intraparty fighting between moderates and progressives. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/e57aa2b3bc80921c4e36bb2167894222/Doggett-Fletcher-Cuellar%20Split%20TT.jpg)
![From left: U.S. Reps. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin; Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston; and Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo.]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
“He has total veto power”: Greg Abbott takes control over who will lead Texas’ troubled power grid, sources say
Locked in a potentially tight reelection race and facing criticism over the grid’s 2021 collapse, the governor is exerting unprecedented influence over what the state grid operator shares with the public — and who will be its next CEO. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b2dc9d0632fd97844c3f4b9b1b0cb0e6/Abbott%20ERCOT%20Presser%20LW%20TT%2004.jpg)
![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks about preparations and warnings ahead of a winter storm at a press conference on Feb. 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
T-Squared: New roles for Alejandro Martínez-Cabrera and Brandon Formby
Alejandro will serve as education and urban affairs editor, and Brandon as news editor. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/c193bb56091ac8000d9957cad374dc40/alejandro-brandon.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
An oil company is seeking property tax breaks to finance its plans to remove carbon dioxide from Texas skies
Occidental’s tax break applications include new details about its carbon removal plans, which some experts see as important to countering climate change. Some environmentalists say the technology is unproven, expensive and only marginally useful at best. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ec306919293b6d1ceaef912e1aa973c1/Occidental%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg)
![Equipment used to process carbon dioxide, crude oil and water at an Occidental Petroleum Corp enhanced oil recovery project …]()
Credit: REUTERS/Ernest Scheyder -
Texas Democrats in Congress balance climate concerns and fossil fuel constituencies as they consider landmark bill
The handful of Texas Democrats who have a penchant for defending the state’s oil and gas industry includes members of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee and representatives from some of the top oil producing, refining and transporting regions of the state. Full Story
Credit: The Texas Tribune -
EPA says it is looking for “super-emitters” of methane gas in Texas’ Permian Basin
The federal environment agency says it will continue flyovers of the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico until Aug. 15 using infrared cameras to survey oil and gas operations. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/2016/05/20/Foster_Jerod-9856.jpg)
![Dozens of stacked oil drilling rigs sit in a yard just north of Interstate 20 between Midland and Odessa.]()
Credit: Jerod Foster for The Texas Tribune -
Why the Texas grid causes the High Plains to turn off its wind turbines
While wind farms in the region could help power and lower energy costs for at least 9 million homes, significant infrastructure upgrades would be needed to supply electricity from the region to other parts of the state. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/67e0ee35b8524946a02ceea87242f859/Hale%20Wind%20Farm%20TrT%20TT%2007.jpg)
![The Hale Wind Farm located outside of Petersburg and south of Plainview.]()
Credit: Trace Thomas for The Texas Tribune -
Semiconductor subsidies bill backed by top Texas Republicans passes in U.S. House and heads to Biden for final approval
In spite of strong support among Texas GOP leaders, nearly all Texas House Republicans voted against the bill intended to boost the state’s semiconductor industry. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/7594c11111bf83423d37698f350399ef/Computer%20chips%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg)
![Workers inside the clean room of U.S. semiconductor manufacturer SkyWater Technology, where computer chips are made, in Bloo…]()
Credit: REUTERS -
Offshore wind farm proposed for Gulf of Mexico near Galveston could power 2.3 million homes
Two proposed wind farms off the Texas and Louisiana coasts would join offshore oil drilling rigs in the gulf as the Biden administration tries to boost the country’s clean energy supply. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/d2fdfd3509c319b80d334e1c5c260783/Offshore%20Wind%20Biden%20-%20REUTERS.jpg)
![U.S. President Joe Biden holds up a wind turbine size comparison chart while attending a meeting with governors, labor leade…]()
Credit: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque -
How to know the difference between a local power outage and rolling blackouts
Hot temperatures across Texas are stressing the power infrastructure. But if your home loses electricity this summer, it’s not necessarily because of the state grid. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/b86acb8280306e60bf1cf49e89580cd1/Austin%20Power%20Plant%20EG%20TT%2024.jpg)
![Electrical power lines near the Austin Energy/Sand Hill Energy Center in Del Valle on March 24, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Limiting crypto helped the Texas power grid weather a heat wave
Cryptocurrency mining requires huge amounts of electricity, prompting concerns over the industry’s environmental impact — and whether the state’s grid can keep up. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/dbe958495ccf2cad44fe029109c737b6/Whinstone%20Bitcoin%20Mine%20MGO%20TT%2016.jpg)
![Power lines outside of Whinstone's Rockdale facility on Oct. 22, 2021.]()
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune -
For Lubbock residents, conserving energy to prevent mass outages is a new thing to navigate
Until last year, Lubbock residents didn’t get electricity from the main power grid operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Now, many residents are getting used to requests to limit electricity consumption. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/44230b5d73b92c4453874afa400743d3/Downtown%20Lubbock%20TT%2002.jpg)
![Downtown Lubbock.]()
Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto -
Still wary of the electric grid’s reliability, some Texans complied with ERCOT’s requests to conserve power this week
As extreme weather becomes increasingly frequent, Texans said the power grid operator’s calls to conserve energy were a reminder the state still struggles to keep up with the growing power demand. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/ce4f659d81ca07bfcc14ae7a62c72640/Heat%20File%20KC%20TT%2001.jpg)
![Paddleboarders walk to Barton Springs on July 13, 2022.]()
Credit: Kylie Cooper/The Texas Tribune -
Texans asked to conserve energy to protect the power grid for the second time in a week
Texans have been asked to turn up their thermostats and avoid using large appliances from 2 to 9 p.m. Wednesday. The power grid operator said it does not expect rolling blackouts. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/9a69682a8173436a0ead035a51b25567/2022-07-13T121303Z_571690834_RC2IAV9LUMKS_RTRMADP_3_TEXAS-POWER-ERCOT.JPG)
![FILE PHOTO: Utility poles lead to downtown Dallas during a heat advisory due to scorching weather in Dallas, Texas, U.S. Jul…]()
Credit: REUTERS/Shelby Tauber -
Texas grid operator urges electricity conservation as heat wave drives up demand
The state’s grid operator asked that Texans voluntarily reduce their power use on Monday as the blistering heat continues — and said no rolling blackouts are expected this week. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/421b99e3908a397c4a6601ed21107d34/ERCOT%20REUTERS%20TT%2004.jpg)
![Four reliability coordinators monitor the state power grid during a tour of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT…]()
Credit: REUTERS/Julia Robinson -
Texans face skyrocketing home energy bills as the state exports more natural gas than ever
The cost of electricity in Texas is tightly tied to the price of natural gas, which has more than doubled since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/1a738609e3651e43925a4bef6b1ceb27/Gardendale%20Permian%20Basin%20EH%20TT%2003.jpg)
![An operational pumpjack neighbors a trailer home in Gardendale on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune -
Biden plan could allow new offshore drilling in Gulf of Mexico
His campaign promise to end fossil fuel development on public lands was thwarted by U.S. courts, high gas prices and Russia’s domination of Western European energy. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/bc1ac99d726e96f42ca95512028f2846/Offshore%20Drilling%20Platform%20REUTERS%20TT.jpg)
![Unused oil rigs sit in the Gulf of Mexico near Port Fourchon, Louisiana August 11, 2010.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Lee Celano -
Congress investigates portable generator manufacturers following carbon monoxide deaths in Texas and other states
Many generators on the market have not received potentially lifesaving safety upgrades. Citing an investigation by The Texas Tribune, ProPublica and NBC News after the February 2021 winter storm, a House committee wants to know why. Full Story
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/61ea3536deb75572115f484950be8cfd/20220629%20tx%20co%20generators%20impact%203x2.jpg)
![Article thumbnail]()
Credit: Laila Milevski/ProPublica -
Four Texas Democrats in Congress warn Biden against restricting U.S. oil exports
It is the latest example of how Texas Democrats are on edge over the administration’s approach to high gas prices. Full Story
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/d4b9fdf941c80bf0c07be9b4b6750651/QUAD-Dems-IRA%20TT)
/https://static.texastribune.org/media/files/a7d7cfb8d41b908c422f8830411ecb34/Midland%20Oil%20Well%20MGO%20TT%2003)