Oilfield companies helped to craft Texasโ new waste rules for 2 years before the public got to see them
The effort to update the stateโs oilfield waste disposal rules was initiated by Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright, one of the stateโs top oil and gas regulators who has investments in the industry.
Texasโ environmental agency enables companies to increase oilfield wastewater disposal in rivers
Researchers are still studying the chemical makeup of โproduced waterโ from Permian Basin oil fields. But regulators say theyโre ready to issue permits to discharge the water into rivers and creeks.
For Texans, fighting state-regulated oilfield waste dumps can be a costly, do-it-yourself effort
Some Texans who challenge oil and gas waste sites must spend significant sums and time on investigating what they say the Texas Railroad Commission should examine. Will new regulations for handling waste increase oversight or just maintain the status quo?
Texas oil and gas agency investigating 5.4 magnitude earthquake in West Texas, the largest in three decades
The quake was the third largest in Texas history, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. An increase in seismic activity in Texas has been linked to injecting fracking wastewater underground.
Wayne Christian retracts โonly Christian on the ballotโ slogan after outcry from Jewish opponent Luke Warford
Christian, whoโs running for reelection to the Texas Railroad Commission, said he did not realize Warford was Jewish and would stop using the slogan, which heโs used for previous campaigns.
Luke Warford tries to break the Republican hold on the Railroad Commission by focusing on the power grid and climate change
One of three seats on the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees the oil and gas industry, is up for grabs this election. Democrat Luke Warford is betting his campaign on the issues of electric grid reliability, regulatory enforcement and reducing emissions.
West Texas rancher pours $2 million into Sarah Stognerโs underdog campaign for statewide oil and gas board seat
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 Commissionโs chair, Wayne Christian, in the runoff.
Analysis: A power test for Texas voters
After last winterโs 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.
400,000 Texas homes and businesses could lose power over financial dispute between energy companies
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.
Analysis: Betting a Texas election on a weather forecast
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.
Texas regulators pass rule aimed at preventing natural gas producers from having power cut off during future winter storms
But Texas oil and gas regulators addressed only part of the problem that led millions of Texans to lose power for days after Februaryโs winter storm, and gas producers likely wonโt be required to weatherize until 2023.
Power companies required to better prepare plants for winter in first phase of rule approved by Texas regulators
The state Public Utility Commission adopted a rule โ which experts first recommended a decade ago following a winter storm โ requiring power companies to use โbest effortsโ to ensure plants can operate in the winter.
Oil industry helped handpick members of Texas advisory group for electric grid reliability, emails show
Oil and gas industry groups provided a list of names to the Railroad Commission for appointment to a council formed in response to the February power crisis. All four of the industry's top choices were selected.
Sweeping legislation to overhaul stateโs electricity market in response to winter storm heads to Texas House after Senateโs unanimous approval
The Texas Senate on Monday unanimously approved a sweeping bill that would overhaul the stateโs electricity industry and infrastructure, including mandating that power plants prepare for extreme weather and outlawing risky indexed retail electric plans. Senate Bill 3, filed by Republican state Sen. Charles Schwertner of Georgetown, now heads to the Texas House where its prospects are uncertain. Experts say the process of retrofitting the stateโs power plants for winter could be difficult and costly, but not impossible, depending on the types of upgrades eventually mandated by regulators. Known as TERC, the board coordinates state energy regulators, electricity generators and the natural gas fuel industry to ensure reliable gas distribution for electricity. The PUC regulates the Electrical Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the stateโs main power grid.
Texas' natural gas and power generators would have to prepare for extreme temperatures under bill Senate committee approved
A bill that would overhaul Texasโ energy industry โ including mandating weatherization for natural gas and power generators โ was approved by a Texas Senate committee on Thursday. Many power generators and gas companies were ill-suited for the freezing temperatures in February, which led gas pipelines to freeze and power transmission to falter. AdA Texas House committee earlier this month passed a similar weatherization bill. โIโm convinced that weโre making a big mistake by attacking a problem that isnโt a problem, just because we feel like it is a problem.โEarlier this month, the state Senate scrambled to pass Senate Bill 2142. Dan Patrick, who leads the Texas Senate, called for the resignation of its three members in the aftermath of the winter storm.
Oil and gas interests left to โself-regulateโ in aftermath of winter storm as Texas politicians pile on to ERCOT
The political fallout from the long-lasting Texas power outages have hit both entities hard after Gov. AdYet politically powerful natural gas companies, along with their regulators, appear so far to have escaped the wrath of the governor and the Legislature. Natural gas is the largest source of generation on Texasโ grid, especially during the winter. Lawmakers spent relatively little time questioning natural gas production and transportation executives. During the House committee hearing, lawmakers asked Staples and natural gas pipeline companies to more aggressively prepare for emergencies.
Heres whats happening in the week ahead in the Houston area
Here are some of the things happening in the week ahead:Early voting in the Texas primary runoff begins MondayTexas Gov. Voters participating in the Democratic primary will decide the outcome in two statewide races. Most notably, state Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, is facing decorated Air Force veteran MJ Hegar in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat. The other statewide Democratic primary runoff is for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, a regulatory agency that oversees the oil and natural gas industry. Space Center Houston scheduled to reopen to the public WednesdaySpace Center Houston is reopening its doors to the public on July 1.
Monday is your deadline to register to vote in the Texas primary runoff
Eddie Gaspar/The Texas TribuneTexans who want to vote in the upcoming Texas primary runoff election have until Monday, to register. Greg Abbott delayed the upcoming primary runoffs from May to July after the coronavirus pandemic hit the state of Texas. The other statewide Democratic primary runoff is for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, a regulatory agency that oversees the oil and natural gas industry. Voters who voted in the Republican primary in March cannot cross parties and vote in the Democratic primary and vice versa. See the primary runoff ballot here and add key Texas 2020 election dates to your calendar here.