Just one Public Utility Commission member remains after another resignation in aftermath of winter storm
Shelly Botkin's departure comes a week after the commission's chair, DeAnn Walker, also stepped down. 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 lawmakers plan slate of bills in response to power outages, but experts skeptical there will be meaningful change
Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday also said he wants lawmakers to prioritize correcting any ERCOT-related billing errors, including inaccurately high electricity charges. That came after the Public Utility Commission said it will not fix ERCOT's $16 billion power billing mistake. Full Story
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![Snow at the Capitol in Austin on Feb. 15, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: After the blackouts, a whiff of the 2022 elections in Texas
A proposed remodeling of the state’s electricity grid from Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller might be more than it seems. It reads like a campaign’s position paper. Full Story
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![Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller addressed delegates at the Texas Republican Convention. June 16, 2018.]()
Credit: Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune -
A Mexican restaurant in Houston is keeping its mask rule. People threatened to call ICE on the staff.
Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to lift the statewide mask mandate has not come easily for many businesses that are navigating enforcement of mask rules while facing backlash. “It was just horrific,” said Monica Richards, co-owner of Picos. Full Story
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![A sign outside of a store in Downtown Austin asking customers to wear a mask inside the business on March 3, 2021.]()
Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune -
Watch: “It’s getting worse.” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner discusses the fight against climate change.
Turner was named chair of the Climate Mayors coalition in January. At a Texas Tribune event Thursday, he discussed preparing cities for climate emergencies. Full Story
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Oil and gas interests left to “self-regulate” in aftermath of winter storm as Texas politicians pile on to ERCOT
Politically powerful natural gas production and transportation companies, along with their regulators, appear to have so far escaped the wrath of the governor and the Legislature in the aftermath of the Texas power outages. Full Story
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![A gas flare burns bright on a production site northeast of Andrews, Texas.]()
Credit: Jerod Foster for The Texas Tribune -
Texas will not fix ERCOT's $16 billion power billing mistake
The Public Utility Commission ignored its independent monitor’s recommendation to retroactively reduce the market price for power for at least part of the week of the winter storm. Full Story
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![An Austin Energy truck heads eastbound on East Stassney Lane in Austin after a severe snowstorm hit Texas on Feb. 15, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Fired ERCOT leader refuses more than $800,000 severance pay in storm aftermath
According to the terms of his employment contract, Bill Magness' severance pay would have been equivalent to one year of his current base salary. Full Story
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![A home in South Austin is lit only by candlelight near the front door as much of Austin was still without power on Feb. 18, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
ERCOT overcharged power companies $16 billion for electricity during winter freeze, firm says
An independent market monitor for the Public Utility Commission of Texas wrote in a letter that the power grid operator kept market prices too high for nearly two days after widespread outages ended. Full Story
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![An aerial view of the Dove Springs neighborhood in South Austin after a severe snowstorm dumped heavy snow and plummeted temperatures. Feb. 17, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Watch: “Let’s stop with the dang excuses.” Two state lawmakers on the winter storm and the power grid.
State Rep. Craig Goldman and state Sen. José Menéndez talk with Texas Tribune CEO Evan Smith about the Texas Legislature's next steps following the February winter storm and the impact on the energy industry. Full Story
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CEO of Texas power grid operator terminated in aftermath of winter storm
Bill Magness is the latest official to depart following the winter storm catastrophe. Full Story
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![ERCOT CEO Bill Magness.]()
Credit: Texas A&M Smart Grid Center -
Gov. Greg Abbott taps new head of Texas utility regulator in wake of power outages
Arthur D'Andrea replaces DeAnn Walker, who resigned earlier this week as chair of the Public Utility Commission. The governor appoints commissioners to lead the PUC, which oversees the state’s grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Full Story
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![Arthur D’Andrea Chair of Public Utility Commission of Texas.]()
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U.S. House Oversight Committee investigating operator of Texas’ power grid
A subcommittee chair wrote in a letter to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas that the grid’s failures were “costly” and disproportionately affected low-income communities and communities of color. Full Story
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![The U.S. Capitol. Democratic members of the House prepare articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 12, 2021.]()
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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sues electricity retailer Griddy over exorbitant bills
Griddy claims it billed some customers tens of thousands of dollars due to skyrocketing wholesale electricity prices. Meanwhile, Brazos Electric Power Cooperative Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday calling those price increases "devastating." Full Story
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![Residents evacuate the Rebekah Baines Johnson Center in Austin on Feb. 17, 2021. The center lost power as a result of the winter storm that hit the state.]()
Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune -
Griddy customers moved to other electricity providers after ERCOT boots it from Texas market
Griddy made headlines for sending massive bills to customers after a winter storm sent wholesale electricity skyrocketing. Full Story
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![Scenes from McKinney during the winter storm affecting the entire state. The storm brought snow, ice, and freezing temperatures that are causing hazardous driving conditions and electrical outages.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Another ERCOT board member resigns as lawmakers criticize power grid operator for massive electricity outages
Texas lawmakers have questioned and criticized the Electric Reliability Council of Texas for days about the near-collapse of the state’s power grid last week. Full Story
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![Firefighters clear snow and ice from a side walk outside of the Rebekah Baines Johnson Center in East Austin on Feb. 17, 2021. Elderly residents were evacuated because of a power outage.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Watch live: Texas House and Senate holding hearings about last week's winter storm
Lawmakers will continue asking a litany of officials and executives how last week's power outages happened. Legislators in both chambers spent more than 12 hours investigating the disruptions Thursday. Full Story
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![A committee hearing room featuring plexiglass dividers on Jan. 4, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
How Texas’ power grid works
Who are the major players and how do they manage the power grid in Texas? Full Story
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![Diagram showing the components of Texas' power grid.]()
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Catastrophic Texas power outages prompt finger pointing and blame shifting at legislative hearings
Lawmakers grilled public regulators and energy grid officials about how power outages happened and why Texans weren't given more warnings about the danger. 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 -
Winter storm could cost Texas more money than any disaster in state history
Lawmakers and analysts say it is too soon for an exact estimate, but the financial damage from the storm has left state lawmakers scrambling to account for the storm in the middle of the 2021 legislative session. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol during the winter storm on Feb. 16, 2021.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune