How to know the difference between a local power outage and rolling blackouts
Power outages are a possibility during any severe weather event. But a local power outage is different from a larger power grid problem. Full Story
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![Electrical power lines near the Austin Energy/Sand Hill Energy Center in Del Valle on March 24, 2020.]()
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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
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![Power lines outside of Whinstone's Rockdale facility on Oct. 22, 2021.]()
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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
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![Downtown Lubbock.]()
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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
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![Paddleboarders walk to Barton Springs on July 13, 2022.]()
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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
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![Utility poles lead to downtown Dallas during a heat advisory in Dallas on July 12, 2022.]()
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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
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![Four reliability coordinators monitor the state power grid during a tour of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) command center in Taylor on August 14, 2012.]()
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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
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![An operational pumpjack neighbors a trailer home in Gardendale on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022.]()
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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
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![Unused oil rigs sit in the Gulf of Mexico near Port Fourchon, Louisiana August 11, 2010.]()
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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
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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
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Texas breaks power demand record during June heat wave
The state’s grid operater was able to maintain supply without needing to call for any conservation. Full Story
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![A lifeguard watches people at a public pool in Austin on July 2, 2020.]()
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Decades after Texas took part of its historic farm, a family fights again to save its land from a highway expansion
Daniel Alexander was enslaved when he founded a farm before the Civil War. 175 years later, his family is fighting to keep it intact as Texas plans to expand U.S. Highway 183. Full Story
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![Bringing flowers to her family cemetery, Rosalind Alexander-Kasparik visits her parents, Marcellus Winston and Juanita Smith, in a shared grave.]()
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Wayne Christian secures GOP nomination for another term on the commission regulating Texas’ oil and gas industry
Christian beat Sarah Stogner in the Republican primary runoff for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission after she accused him of corruption during the campaign. Full Story
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![Incumbent Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian listens to opponent and candidate Sarah Stogner speak during a Republican Railroad Commission Forum hosted by the Republican Women of Red River Valley at Celebrate It, an event hall in Paris, Texas, on April 26, 2022.]()
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Texas power grid leaders say they’re confident the lights will stay on this summer
Texas Public Utility Commission Chair Peter Lake and ERCOT President Brad Jones said the power grid is prepared for record-breaking summer electricity demand. Full Story
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![Brad Jones, interim president and CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), speaks at a press conference about the grid on May 17, 2022.]()
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Texas’ grid operator told a power plant to delay repairs ahead of a May heat wave. It was among six that crashed.
Climate change and other factors are shortening the window when aging Texas power plants can make repairs to run at full strength in hot summer months. Full Story
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![Plant manager Curt Terry walks media through the weatherization process of Vistra Corp.’s Midlothian Power Plant on October 15, 2021.]()
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West Texas rancher pours $2 million into Sarah Stogner’s underdog campaign for statewide oil and gas board seat
Ashley Watt, who owns a 75,000-acre ranch in the Permian Basin, is helping bankroll a substantial TV ad buy in the final two weeks before Stogner faces the Railroad Commission’s chair, Wayne Christian, in the runoff. Full Story
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![Railroad Commissioner candidate Sarah Stogner waits to speak at a Republican Railroad Commission Forum alongside incumbent Wayne Christian at Celebrate It, an event hall in Paris, Texas, on April 26, 2022.]()
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Texans asked to limit electricity use after six power plants go down ahead of a hot weekend
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is asking electricity consumers to keep their thermostats at 78 degrees or above and avoid using large appliances between 3 and 8 p.m. from Friday through Sunday. Full Story
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![A boat traveled along Lake Travis during a drought in the summer of 2011. Drier than normal weather in Texas with no precipitation for several months had caused lakes and rivers to run dry.]()
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T-Squared: We won our first-ever awards from Texas Managing Editors
The Texas Tribune was recognized, along with ProPublica and NBC News, for coverage of carbon monoxide poisoning during the 2021 winter storm. Full Story
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Analysis: Texas is great — and ought to be better
Texas is a great state, but there’s a lot of work to do, and it starts with the public — and what Texans really want. The political class isn’t going to do this on its own. Full Story
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![An aerial view of the Capitol in Austin on Jan. 6, 2022.]()
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T-Squared: The Texas Tribune and ProPublica share IRE Award for coverage of 2021 winter storm
“The team’s coverage of a large winter storm was not just hard-hitting accountability journalism, it was public service at its best,” judges for the Investigative Reporters and Editors award wrote. Full Story
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![An eastbound view of East Stassney Lane in south Austin on Feb. 15, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune
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