Shelly Botkin’s departure comes a week after the commission’s chair, DeAnn Walker, also stepped down.
Environment
Coverage of climate, conservation, natural resources, and environmental policy shaping the state, from The Texas Tribune.
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Winter Storm 2021
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.
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Winter Storm 2021
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.
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Winter Storm 2021
Watch: Texas farmers start to replant after winter freeze left “total devastation”
Johnson’s Backyard Garden, an organic farm near Austin, lost almost its entire crop during February’s devastating winter storm.
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Winter Storm 2021
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.
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Winter Storm 2021
Texas workers struggle to pay for groceries and rent after losing wages during winter storm
Many hourly wage employees across the state lost working hours last week during the storm and power outage disaster. Now, they’re left with a choice between paying for rent or groceries.
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Winter Storm 2021
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.
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Winter Storm 2021
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.
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Winter Storm 2021
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.
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Winter Storm 2021
Gov. Greg Abbott, in statewide address, promises answers on winter weather disaster
“Tragic does not even begin to describe” the suffering Texans endured, Abbott said Wednesday evening.