The latest Texas Public Utility Commission news from The Texas Tribune.
Barry Smitherman, the only person to serve both on the Texas Railroad Commission and the state’s Public Utility Commission, will practice energy law at Vinson and Elkins, the international law firm announced Tuesday. Full Story
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Some state lawmakers are trying to cut Texas' energy use by encouraging demand response – programs under which utilities reward customers for powering down electricity guzzlers when demand peaks. Full Story
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Texas bars companies from owning or controlling more than 20 percent of the electric generation capacity in the state. A lawmaker wants to eliminate that cap. Full Story
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Texans in 2014 complained more about their electricity service than in the previous fiscal year, reversing a trend of growing satisfaction, according to a new analysis. Full Story
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Texas regulators say they have a plan to provide low-income Texans with the tools to help them interact with "smart" meters and improve energy efficiency at their homes – tapping $18.5 million of ratepayer money long earmarked for such a program. Full Story
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We're liveblogging the sessions from the 2014 Texas Tribune Festival's Energy track. The sessions include panels on the state's power grid, the potential impact of energy reform in Mexico on Texas, the debate over hydraulic fracturing and a deeper look at the state's drilling boom. Full Story
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Texas should not bank on legal action to free itself from the Obama administration’s proposal to tackle climate change, two state regulators said Friday at a Public Utility Commission workshop. Full Story
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UPDATED: The Texas Public Utility Commission on Friday unanimously rejected a petition to overturn its “small fish, swim free” rule, which gives small electricity generators an absolute defense against allegations of market power abuse. Full Story
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A North Texas rancher’s protest of a power line that splits his land — one he says was built in the wrong place — could prompt new rules addressing when a transmission company can tweak a line’s route after it is approved. Full Story
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Consumer advocates fear prepaid electricity plans could leave low-income Texans vulnerable to hidden fees and sudden electricity shutoffs. But companies that offer the plans say there is great consumer demand for them. Full Story
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UPDATED: The Texas Public Utility Commission on Friday heard oral arguments in the case of a Wise County rancher protesting a power line that he says was built in the wrong place on his property. The commission is poised to vote on the line’s fate on May 30. Full Story
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After landowners sign off on power line routes, can transmission companies install them somewhere else? The Public Utility Commission is set to consider a rancher’s complaint. Full Story
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas says the state’s peak power demand is growing more slowly than previously thought, buying time for regulators hoping to bolster reliability on the electric grid. Full Story
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Should Texas overhaul its electricity market? And if so, how much would it cost? A highly anticipated report has shed some light on those questions amid an increasingly contentious debate. Full Story
As the utilities and big energy users spar in Austin over how to best encourage the building of power plants, another important issue that is getting less public attention is about how Texas can curb its energy use. Full Story
State Sen. Wendy Davis has joined a chorus of lawmakers who are urging the Public Utility Commission of Texas to put the brakes on efforts to transform the state’s wholesale electricity market. Full Story
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At a contentious hearing on Monday, lawmakers expressed skepticism about transforming Texas' wholesale energy market in an attempt to ensure the long-term reliability of the state's electric grid. Full Story
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Over the past three decades, Texans have contributed $678 million to fund a nuclear waste project that does not exist. A federal appeals court has ordered the federal government to stop collecting such fees. Full Story
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Hey, Texplainer: There are discussions that Texas might transform its energy market, shifting from “energy only” to a “capacity” market. What does that mean, and why does it matter? Full Story
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Texas regulators signaled Friday that they would pursue a major overhaul of the wholesale electricity market in hopes of ensuring the long-term reliability of the state’s electric grid. Full Story