Live winter storm updates: City of Austin issues boil water notice
Texas faces a new winter storm a year after a deadly freeze left millions without power. Here’s the latest. Full Story
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![A power substation in Northwest Austin during a winter storm on Feb. 3, 2022.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
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. Full Story
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![Electrical workers repair a power line in Austin on Feb. 18, 2021. Many Texas residents are still without power, and many don't have clean drinking water or working water at all.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: In Texas, cold weather brings a political chill
This week’s cold weather forecast triggers memories of the electricity blackouts that left millions in the dark during a polar vortex and killed hundreds of Texans last year. It’s triggering politicians’ memories, too, during the primary election. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott listens to a representative speak about preparations ahead of a winter storm at a press conference in Austin on Feb. 1, 2022.]()
Credit: Lauren Witte/The Texas Tribune -
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. Full Story
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![Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at a press conference regarding Texas’ emergency response to an unprecedented winter storm gripping Texas on Feb. 13, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
State report shows how Texas environmental agency misses industrial pollution spikes during and after storms
A more than 200-page report by Texas’ environmental agency found that the majority of pollution emitted by industrial facilities during storms occurs at a time when the state’s air monitors are offline. Full Story
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![The flooded plant of French chemical maker Arkema SA, which produces organic peroxides, is seen after fires were reported at the facility after Hurricane Harvey passed in Crosby on August 31, 2017.]()
Credit: REUTERS/Adrees Latif -
Texas pipeline company walks back threat to cut off gas to power plants
The new development ends the immediate threat that up to 400,000 customers could lose power, but the underlying financial dispute between two energy giants stemming from last February's winter storm remains unresolved. Full Story
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![Vistra Corp.’s Midlothian Power Plant opened its doors to media on October 15, 2021 to show the plant’s weatherization process. Energy providers like Vistra are preparing their plants for extreme weather conditions following the February winter storm Uri, which disrupted the Texas electric grid and led to the deaths of more than 200 people.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
400,000 Texas homes and businesses could lose power over financial dispute between energy companies
Vistra Corp. asked the Railroad Commission of Texas to prevent Energy Transfer LP from cutting off fuel to five of its power plants on Monday. Vistra said the power supply to at least 400,000 homes and businesses could be impacted. Full Story
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![Luminant staff and media walk past a combustion turbine rotor at Vistra Corp.’s Midlothian Power Plant during a tour of the plant on October 15, 2021. The combustion turbine rotor is receiving an upgrade will provide 18 additional megawatts, enough to power 10,000 homes.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
This was Texas’ warmest December since 1889
Ongoing La Niña conditions have brought warm, dry weather and deepened drought conditions across the state. Full Story
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![Cars pass by the the Llano County Courthouse on Monday, Dec. 14, 2021 in Llano, TX. The Commissioners Court for Llano County voted to close the public library to "inventory and catalog" their books after community pushback related to books that some deemed offensive. The pushback also led to a decision to immediately shut down an online library of thousands of books out of fears that children could access material not appropriate for children.]()
Credit: Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribune -
The 2021 winter storm caught Texans by surprise. Here’s how to prepare this year.
With the height of the winter season approaching, here are some tips to prepare an emergency kit, protect your home and stay informed. Full Story
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![Customers look through nearly empty shelves of produce inside a Central Market grocery store in North Austin on Feb. 17, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Texas natural gas production dropped during recent cold front, reviving concerns about electric grid
Energy experts said the production drop during a relatively ordinary cold front could be a bad sign for the grid if the state is struck by extreme winter weather again. Full Story
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott intervened to put a positive spin on Texas' power grid
He's been heavily involved in positive public messaging about the grid’s winter readiness, but the data aren't rosy — and experts fear the grid could fail if there's another winter storm. Full Story
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![Snow at the Capitol in Austin on Feb. 15, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: The Texas storms — actual and political — of 2021
Here are a dozen of my columns from 2021: highlights on the winter storm, redistricting, the state’s finances and on issues that could figure into this next round of elections. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol on June 28, 2020.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Generators can cause deadly carbon monoxide poisoning. But the industry resists rules to make them safer.
Portable generators are among the deadliest consumer products. Two decades after the government identified the danger, and as climate change leads to more power outages, people are left vulnerable by a system that lets the industry regulate itself. Full Story
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Credit: Laila Milevski/ProPublica -
Texas electricity regulators say most power generation facilities are ready for winter. That alone won't stop a blackout.
In the first status report of how electricity companies are preparing for winter, electric regulators expressed confidence in improvements made since February’s deadly storm. But the changes address only part of the power grid supply chain. Full Story
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![Reliability Coordinator Mark Skipper monitors power use during a tour of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) command center in Taylor on August 14, 2012.]()
Credit: Julia Robinson via REUTERS -
Analysis: Texas’ electric grid is half-ready for another winter freeze
Chances are, winter weather won’t be as bad as it was last February. Chances are, Texas won’t have the electric blackouts that caused so much misery then. And chances are, whatever happens will have some influence on the 2022 elections. Full Story
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texas energy regulators, gas industry try to reassure the public that the state’s power grid is ready for winter
As state regulators and the companies that power the grid take steps to avoid another catastrophe like February’s winter storm, climate experts say this winter will likely be milder. Full Story
Credit: Michael Gonzalez/The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Texas braces for the next winter storm and a new COVID-19 variant
In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Mitchell, James and Karen about the status of the power grid and the pandemic heading into winter. Full Story
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![A long line wraps around an HEB Grocery Store in San Marcos where residents waited up to 3 hours for their groceries on Feb 17, 2021. The store was without power most of the day and completely out of perishable items, allowing customers to purchase only five items from their dry goods section.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas Democrats see focusing on power grid failure as a winning campaign strategy heading into 2022
Republican leaders defend their record on the power grid, pointing to more than a dozen laws passed during this year’s legislative session to address the grid’s reliability. Gov. Greg Abbott has staked his reputation on a promise that the lights won't go out this winter. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol during the winter storm on Feb. 16, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Betting a Texas election on a weather forecast
Gov. Greg Abbott says he can "guarantee" there won't be blackouts this winter in Texas after one that knocked out power for some people for four days last February. That's the kind of pre-election prediction that can make a weather forecaster more useful than a political poll. Full Story
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![Power lines along a row of homes in South Austin. Many residents experienced power outages due to the winter storm that rolled through Texas. Feb. 16, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas regulators pass rule aimed at preventing natural gas producers from having power cut off during future winter storms
But Texas oil and gas regulators addressed only part of the problem that led millions of Texans to lose power for days after February’s winter storm, and gas producers likely won’t be required to weatherize until 2023. Full Story
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![Wayne Christian, Chairman of the Texas Railroad Commission, and Commissioner Jim Wright listen during an RRC hearing in the William B. Travis building in Austin on Nov. 30, 2021.]()
Credit: Dimitri Staszewski for The Texas Tribune
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