Homeowners typically pay $2,300 a year for a Texas Windstorm Insurance Association policy. The rate increase would bump premiums by 10%.
Environment
Coverage of climate, conservation, natural resources, and environmental policy shaping the state, from The Texas Tribune.
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Energy
CenterPoint CEO promises improvements as Texas scrutinizes company’s Beryl response
Jason Wells told regulators the company will launch a new outage tracker by Aug. 1. It will also trim more tree limbs near power lines and hire an executive to focus on emergency response.
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Environment
In Beryl’s wake, heat-related Texas deaths climb after millions left without power
So far, 23 people have died after Beryl made landfall on July 8.
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Energy
A federal utility assistance program favors cold-weather states, giving less money to hot places like Texas
The program helps low-income people with heating and cooling bills, but advocates say it disadvantages Texas and other warm-weather states, even though extreme heat is a key cause of weather-related deaths.
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Energy
Residential solar is growing in Texas amid worries about reliable power during events like Hurricane Beryl
In Harris County, more federal money is available to help low- and moderate-income residents install rooftop solar.
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Environment
As the Rio Grande runs dry, South Texas cities look to alternatives for water
Many of the solutions are costly, putting them out of reach for small towns. But the region’s most populous cities are getting innovative.
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Hurricane Beryl
Why Texas’ mass power outages continue to happen
Repairing electricity infrastructure after storms usually costs customers. So could strengthening it before the next weather event.
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Environment
A Texas school built to segregate Mexican American students becomes a national park
The school is in Marfa, about 45 miles east of the U.S.-Mexico border. It was closed in 1965 with the integration of the Marfa school district.
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Broken Pipes
After three citywide water outages, Odessa will invest $25 million to fix infrastructure
The Odessa City Council approved the budget to replace nearly 200 water valves and 17,000 feet of pipe.
Posted in
Hurricane Beryl
Beryl power outage updates: More than 98,000 Texas electricity customers remain without power a week after Beryl
Tens of thousands of households and businesses aren’t expected to have electricity for most of this week.