Power out at your house? You’ve got good company — 400,000 other Texans, as of noon today. But as of this afternoon, the lights (and heat) should be coming back on. The demand for power exceeded generation capacity around midnight last night, causing more than 50 generators to shut down statewide
Environment
Coverage of climate, conservation, natural resources, and environmental policy shaping the state, from The Texas Tribune.
Posted in
Environment
Michael Williams on Climate Change
The 2012 U.S. Senate candidate on whether he believes climate change exists.
Posted in
Demographics
A Conversation With Michael Williams
For our latest TribLive conversation, I sat down with the soon-to-be-ex railroad commissioner and declared 2012 U.S. Senate candidate to talk about why he’s running, what he thinks of his potential primary opponents and how his campaign will or won’t be impacted by his race.
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Energy
Slideshow: Native Grasses
A slideshow of Bill Neiman’s seed-cleaning facility near Junction.
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Energy
Bill Neiman Discusses Native Seeds
Bill Neiman, owner of Native American Seed in Junction, Texas, talks about how his career focus evolved from conventional landscapes to native plants.
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Energy
The Constant Gardeners
From the highways of Texas to the San Jacinto Battleground, state agencies now aim to maximize the use of native grasses rather than opting for whatever was cheapest or fastest-growing, as they did decades ago.
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Energy
The Power Puzzle
When Texans turn on lights or plug in iPads, they are getting an increasing amount of power from the wind — and from coal plants. Last year, nearly 8 percent of the power on the state’s electric grid was generated by wind, far above the national average. And coal plants produced more power than any other electricity source. The big loser was natural gas.
Posted in
Energy
Transmission Accomplished
At the heart of Texas’ wind-power boom lies a conundrum: Plenty of ranchers are eager to host wind turbines but few want to allow the unsightly high-voltage transmission lines needed to carry the power to distant cities. But state regulators are moving forward — and yesterday they approved a contentious project that runs through the Hill Country.
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Energy
TribBlog: Smitherman Takes On the EPA
During a meeting today of the Public Utility Commission, chairman Barry Smitherman said that the Environmental Protection Agency was attempting to “disarm the U.S. economy,” with a raft of rules covering everything from fly-ash waste from coal plants to new rules on greenhouse gases.
Posted in
Energy
TribBlog: The Drilling Grilling
More than 40 people crammed into the Texas Railroad Commission’s hearing today on what caused two water wells in Parker County to become contaminated by natural gas. Missing: the Environmental Protection Agency.