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Mitchell Ferman covered energy and the economy from 2020 to 2022, based in Houston. Before joining the Tribune he was a reporter for The Monitor in McAllen, where he covered cross-border trade, politics and the city of McAllen. He also regularly freelanced from the Rio Grande Valley and beyond for The New York Times, Texas Monthly and Reuters, writing about topics including the family separation crisis and unexpected consequences of the border wall. He graduated from the University of Missouri.
The Public Utility Commission ignored its independent monitor’s recommendation to retroactively reduce the market price for power for at least part of the week of the winter storm. Full Story
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An independent market monitor for the Public Utility Commission of Texas wrote in a letter that the power grid operator kept market prices too high for nearly two days after widespread outages ended. Full Story
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Bill Magness is the latest official to depart following the winter storm catastrophe. Full Story
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Arthur D'Andrea replaces DeAnn Walker, who resigned earlier this week as chair of the Public Utility Commission. The governor appoints commissioners to lead the PUC, which oversees the state’s grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Full Story
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The former top White House physician defended his actions in a statement to The Texas Tribune, calling the Defense Department inspector general report "a political hit job because I stood with President Trump." Full Story
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Abbott’s order will leave it to business owners to decide whether to require customers wear masks inside their establishments. Some say they will keep coronavirus restrictions in place, but some business owners worry those decisions could anger potential customers. Full Story
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Texas lawmakers have questioned and criticized the Electric Reliability Council of Texas for days about the near-collapse of the state’s power grid last week. Full Story
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Who are the major players and how do they manage the power grid in Texas? Full Story
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Lawmakers grilled public regulators and energy grid officials about how power outages happened and why Texans weren't given more warnings about the danger. Full Story
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Lawmakers and analysts say it is too soon for an exact estimate, but the financial damage from the storm has left state lawmakers scrambling to account for the storm in the middle of the 2021 legislative session. Full Story
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