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Kate Galbraith covered energy and environment for the Tribune from 2010 to 2013. Previously she reported on clean energy for The New York Times from 2008 to 2009, serving as the lead writer for the Times' Green blog. She began her career at The Economist in 2000 and spent 2005 to 2007 in Austin as the magazine's Southwest correspondent. A Nieman fellow in journalism at Harvard University from 2007 to 2008, she has an undergraduate degree in English from Harvard and a master's degree from the London School of Economics. She is co-author of “The Great Texas Wind Rush,” a book about how the oil and gas state won the race to wind power.
The board of the Dallas-based utility company Oncor recently authorized a $17 million payment to its chairman and chief executive, Robert Shapard, according to an SEC filing on Nov. 21, the day before Thanksgiving. Full Story
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Some Texans in rural areas face double- or even triple-digit rate increases from private water providers. On Wednesday they urged the Senate Committee on Natural Resources to address the problem, and lawmakers seemed receptive. Full Story
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Though Texas has been promised at least $100 million for coastal restoration after the BP oil spill, the process of disbursing funds for projects like protecting marshland is facing delays. Full Story
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Millions of "smart" electricity meters have been installed in homes, but now some Texans say the program should be optional. And some lawmakers are listening. Full Story
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Despite its “Keep Austin Weird” slogan and passion for clean energy, Austin is increasingly attracting oil and gas companies thanks to its entrepreneurial bent and reputation as a fun place to live. Full Story
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Whether the Legislature will take action to shore up the state's water supplies, and what that action will be, are the questions that everyone in the water world is asking. The Speaker of the House appears ready to push. Full Story
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Ongoing efforts to fix the strained Texas power market will almost certainly have an effect on the monthly power bills for ordinary Texans. But there has been little discussion, or study, of the impact on ratepayers. Full Story
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Texas schools have gotten creative about water education, sometimes even giving students low-flow shower heads and other water-saving devices to install at home. But funding is a perpetual challenge. Full Story
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Wholesale electricity prices on the Texas power grid will be allowed to go twice as high as is currently possible, following a vote Thursday by the Texas Public Utility Commission. What this move means for Texans' electric bills is unclear. Full Story
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In West Texas, the dry desert air makes for bright stars. But light pollution remains a problem as fast-growing cities, plus a distaste for regulation, mean that light diffuses into the night sky. A few towns in West Texas and the Hill Country are trying to change that. Full Story
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