“Oil and gas is the lifeblood of the Texas economy,” state Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, said on the House floor Monday.
Environment
Coverage of climate, conservation, natural resources, and environmental policy shaping the state, from The Texas Tribune.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas House advances plan to subsidize power plant weatherization
With the clock on the Legislative session ticking down, the Texas House moved to help fund power plant upgrades for extreme weather.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas House targets power grid flaw that cut electricity to natural gas facilities and worsened February blackouts
The lower chamber gave initial approval Monday to a series of bills responding to this year’s catastrophic power outages during a deadly winter storm.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Despite natural gas failures during winter storm, Texas lawmakers target renewable energy in the aftermath
As lawmakers advance bills targeting renewable energy sources, experts call the efforts “discriminatory” and “politically motivated.”
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas energy companies push back against Berkshire Hathaway’s $8 billion plan for backup power
Revenue for 10 emergency power plants would come from a monthly charge on Texans’ power bills. The proposal is just one of several bills lawmakers are considering after February’s massive power outages.
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Energy
ERCOT asked Texans to conserve power as electric grid again struggled to keep up with demand
A higher than expected amount of plant outages for maintenance created tight conditions for Texas’ power grid. It returned to normal late Tuesday evening.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas lawmakers want to ban dangerous radioactive waste. The proposal would give a nuclear waste company a big financial break.
A bill advancing in the House seeks to ban spent nuclear fuel, one of the most dangerous types of radioactive waste, from coming to Texas.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Texas lawmakers want to prevent another power crisis. But the legislation doesn’t go far enough to do that, critics say.
Some say lawmakers should go further to ensure power plants can withstand increased weather due to climate change. And they worry that much of the legislation advancing will be up to the Public Utility Commission to enforce.
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Texas Legislature 2021
Sweeping legislation to overhaul state’s electricity market in response to winter storm heads to Texas House after Senate’s unanimous approval
Senate Bill 3 would require all power generators, transmission lines, natural gas facilities and pipelines to make upgrades for extreme weather. Its prospects are uncertain in the House, which is scheduled to take up a series of related, standalone bills on Tuesday.
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Winter Storm 2021
At least 111 people died in Texas during winter storm, most from hypothermia
The newly revised number is nearly twice the 57 that state health officials estimated last week and will likely continue to grow.