ENERGY

It is the latest example of how Texas Democrats are on edge over the administration’s approach to high gas prices.

The state’s grid operater was able to maintain supply without needing to call for any conservation.

Daniel Alexander was enslaved when he founded a farm before the Civil War. 175 years later, his family is fighting to keep it intact as Texas plans to expand U.S. Highway 183.

Christian beat Sarah Stogner in the Republican primary runoff for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission after she accused him of corruption during the campaign.

Texas Public Utility Commission Chair Peter Lake and ERCOT President Brad Jones said the power grid is prepared for record-breaking summer electricity demand.

Officials with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas and the Public Utility Commission will hold a press conference to discuss the readiness of the Texas power grid for the 2022 summer season, according to a release.

Climate change and other factors are shortening the window when aging Texas power plants can make repairs to run at full strength in hot summer months.

Ashley Watt, who owns a 75,000-acre ranch in the Permian Basin, is helping bankroll a substantial TV ad buy in the final two weeks before Stogner faces the Railroad Commission’s chair, Wayne Christian, in the runoff.

ERCOT has issued an Advanced Action Notice Tuesday for Texas power plants to prepare for higher than usual customer demand due to the high temperatures forecasted for Mother’s Day weekend.

Texas is a great state, but there’s a lot of work to do, and it starts with the public — and what Texans really want. The political class isn’t going to do this on its own.

LyondellBasell announced Thursday its decision to cease operation of its Houston Refinery no later than December 31, 2023.

“The team’s coverage of a large winter storm was not just hard-hitting accountability journalism, it was public service at its best,” judges for the Investigative Reporters and Editors award wrote.

Utility companies and key oil and gas transportation hubs are on high alert as Russian hackers have been probing energy infrastructure’s digital networks for weak points.

Labor shortages, supply chain issues, hesitant financial backers and a frosty relationship with the Biden administration have limited how much Texas oil and gas companies are ramping up production.

A new law prohibits the state from contracting with or investing in companies that divest from oil, natural gas and coal companies.

After last winter’s near-statewide electric blackouts, Texas lawmakers went after regulators they deemed responsible but tiptoed around the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates oil and gas. Now voters have a chance, if they want it, to send the state a message.

After 2021’s winter storm electric blackouts, Texas lawmakers worked to shore up the state’s electric grid. But they’re not finished, despite what you might hear from campaigning politicians.

The chair of the Texas Railroad Commission fell short of winning at least 50% of the vote and will face oil and gas attorney Sarah Stogner in May.

Energy markets responding to the war with higher oil and gas prices also means energy consumers will likely pay more on their utility bills and at the gas pump.

One year later, dozens of Texans from around the state shared their memories about an unforgettable storm.

Texas has long refused to connect its decentralized grid to two national power networks, but Hunt Energy Network CEO Pat Wood said the state could do so without additional oversight — and without state Legislature approval.

In the state’s power grid, electricity and natural gas are co-dependent. Here’s how the winter storm last year broke the system.

Transitioning sources of electricity to cleaner fuels is one of the best tools humanity has to fight climate change — which brings severe weather that taxes the grid. But a year after the winter storm, Texas leaders aren’t talking about decarbonizing.

On this first day of early voting in the Democratic and Republican primaries, take a moment to think through the issues — whether the candidates are talking about them or not — before you cast your ballot.

A year ago next week, a winter storm devastated Texas. The family members of one storm victim say her adventurous life shouldn’t have ended by freezing to death in an assisted living facility.

Last February’s winter storm left millions of Texans without power for days in subfreezing temperatures. Watch how one family whose home suffered extensive damage is preparing for the next round of cold weather.

Experts say it’s unclear whether changes mandated by Texas lawmakers to prevent widespread power outages like those last February made a significant difference during a weaker winter storm.

The surge in seismic activity from increased underground pressure is shaking the West Texas ground and rattling longtime residents.

In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Mitchell and James about how Texas held up during the wintry weather, plus the struggles of the National Guard during their border deployment.

As winter weather moved in this week, the state’s elected leaders worked to regain Texans’ confidence in the electric grid that failed last year. A few days earlier, some of those same leaders were undermining confidence in something else they oversee: elections.

This week’s freezing weather isn’t expected to be as severe as last year’s storm. But Texans remain anxious about the electricity grid.

Texas faces a new winter storm a year after a deadly freeze left millions without power. Here’s the latest.

The weather is not expected to be as severe or last as long as last year’s freeze. Texas leaders do not expect systemwide blackouts, but they have warned that local power outages are possible throughout the state.

This week’s cold weather forecast triggers memories of the electricity blackouts that left millions in the dark during a polar vortex and killed hundreds of Texans last year. It’s triggering politicians’ memories, too, during the primary election.

Gov. Greg Abbott said he could not guarantee power would stay on throughout Texas this week, just two months after he promised the lights would stay on this winter.

The new development ends the immediate threat that up to 400,000 customers could lose power, but the underlying financial dispute between two energy giants stemming from last February's winter storm remains unresolved.

Vistra Corp. asked the Railroad Commission of Texas to prevent Energy Transfer LP from cutting off fuel to five of its power plants on Monday. Vistra said the power supply to at least 400,000 homes and businesses could be impacted.

Ongoing La Niña conditions have brought warm, dry weather and deepened drought conditions across the state.

With the height of the winter season approaching, here are some tips to prepare an emergency kit, protect your home and stay informed.

Energy experts said the production drop during a relatively ordinary cold front could be a bad sign for the grid if the state is struck by extreme winter weather again.

He's been heavily involved in positive public messaging about the grid’s winter readiness, but the data aren't rosy — and experts fear the grid could fail if there's another winter storm.

Here are a dozen of my columns from 2021: highlights on the winter storm, redistricting, the state’s finances and on issues that could figure into this next round of elections.

Faster adoption of renewables and expanded use of nuclear power would bolster the continent’s security and help the climate, too.

Chances are, winter weather won’t be as bad as it was last February. Chances are, Texas won’t have the electric blackouts that caused so much misery then. And chances are, whatever happens will have some influence on the 2022 elections.

As state regulators and the companies that power the grid take steps to avoid another catastrophe like February’s winter storm, climate experts say this winter will likely be milder.

In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Mitchell, James and Karen about the status of the power grid and the pandemic heading into winter.

Republican leaders defend their record on the power grid, pointing to more than a dozen laws passed during this year’s legislative session to address the grid’s reliability. Gov. Greg Abbott has staked his reputation on a promise that the lights won't go out this winter.

Gov. Greg Abbott says he can "guarantee" there won't be blackouts this winter in Texas after one that knocked out power for some people for four days last February. That's the kind of pre-election prediction that can make a weather forecaster more useful than a political poll.

But Texas oil and gas regulators addressed only part of the problem that led millions of Texans to lose power for days after February’s winter storm, and gas producers likely won’t be required to weatherize until 2023.

We want to hear from Texans about how this catastrophic event is still affecting their lives.

Natural gas powers the majority of electricity in Texas, especially during winter. Some power companies say the state’s gas system is not ready for another deep freeze.

Surging prices aren’t a result of anti-carbon policies so much as the outcome of a battered global economy on a bumpy road to recovery.