Austin’s city manager fired over botched winter storm response
Spencer Cronk, who headed the city since 2018, fell out of favor with council members after communication failures that mirrored problems from the 2021 winter storm. Full Story
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![Austin City Manager Spencer Cronk sits in a special called city council meeting at Austin City Hall on Feb. 15, 2023.]()
Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune -
Lawsuits pile up two years after Texas’ devastating winter storm
Thousands are accusing power companies, distribution companies, electric grid operators and others of failing to prepare properly for the February 2021 storm, creating a catastrophe. Full Story
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![Cherrilyn Nedd, whose home was damaged during 2021’s Winter Storm Uri, poses for a portrait in Houston, Texas, U.S., on Friday, February 10, 2023. Lawyers expect thousands of cases will be filed against power companies, transmission and distribution utilities and ERCOT as two-year statute of limitations on Uri-related cases approaches.]()
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Rural Central Texas’ plentiful trees make power outages a frustrating fact of life after storms
Leon County’s judge wants the state to help clear trees around power lines after residents again go without electricity following another storm. Full Story
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![A snapped tree limb hangs precariously in the yard behind where Eric Calder and his son work, in northwest Austin on Feb. 2, 2023.]()
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How freezing rain, tree-lined neighborhoods and above-ground power lines prolonged Austin power outages
Tens of thousands of Austin households and businesses went days without electricity after a winter storm wreaked havoc across Texas. Full Story
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![Whitney Morrow serves dinner, cooked on a propane camping stove, by a battery-powered desk light used for working from home in Wooten, Austin on Feb. 6, 2023.]()
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Texas’ teacher pension fund divested from investment firms accused of “boycotting” oil and gas industry
The Teacher Retirement System of Texas was following a new state law targeting investment firms that seek to invest in companies that don’t worsen climate change. Full Story
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In South Texas, opponents say planned natural gas export facility’s carbon capture promises are “greenwashing”
A company planning to build a massive liquefied natural gas export facility near Brownsville says carbon capture technology will reduce its pollution, but some locals say it’s a “Band-Aid on a bullet hole.” Full Story
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![NextDecade claims a gas export terminal near Port Isabel will be the ‘greenest in the world’, but opponents say its carbon capture plans will negate only a tiny fraction of its climate impact.]()
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Some Austin homes may not get electricity back for another week, city says
Nearly 95% of the city has electricity after last week’s winter storm. But Austin Energy says the remaining outages are the most complex and time-consuming. Full Story
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![Austin Energy crew leader Forrest Gifford communicates with line worker Brian Behrens during power line maintenance on Feb. 4, 2023.]()
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“Hunting for warm places to go”: Austinites cope as outages linger
While families search for warmth, light and distractions, line workers race to restore normal life. Full Story
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![On day four without power, Justin Havird and Vernon, 2, build with Lego bricks at the Austin Central Library on Feb. 4, 2023.]()
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Gov. Greg Abbott issues disaster declaration for Texas ice storm
Abbott declared disaster in seven Texas counties hard hit by this week’s winter storm. Austin has been the epicenter of a power crisis as tens of thousands wait for electricity to be restored. Full Story
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![Dora Portello, right, hands out boxes of free food to help people outside of their store, Brianna’s Home Decor Thrift Shop, during the winter weather that went through Dallas on Feb. 2, 2023.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Is Texas uniquely bad at disaster preparedness?
In this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with University of Texas at Austin professor Michael Webber and environment reporter Erin Douglas about the state’s widespread power outages. Full Story
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![A tree limb rests atop a car after an ice storm caused power outages across Austin on Feb. 2, 2023.]()
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Texas is well-positioned to weather a potential national recession, Dallas Fed economist says
Despite worries of a national recession, Texas’ robust labor force and strong energy sector could help it fare relatively well in a potential 2023 slowdown. Full Story
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![Construction in downtown Austin's warehouse district on May 2, 2017.]()
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Austin makes progress restoring power, but tens of thousands still without
The city originally said it would restore all power by 6 p.m. Friday. But more than 57,000 customers are still without electricity Saturday night. Full Story
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![Icicles hang from telephone poles and power lines after an ice storm in North Austin on Feb. 1, 2023.]()
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Texas cities debate costly infrastructure investments in age of extreme weather
Experts say local governments should prioritize extreme weather preparedness. Cost can be a deterring factor. Full Story
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![Holly Phillips, an employee at 7-Eleven, finally waits for a bus to get home after she was stuck in the store for two nights as the roads iced over and other employees were not able to come in to take over her shift as winter weather moved through Dallas on Feb. 2, 2023.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ tech capital again fumbles digital communication amid a power crisis
As tens of thousands of households and businesses face a third day in the dark, Austin leaders say they will improve emergency communications. But residents and critics have little patience for bungled warnings. Full Story
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![A fallen tree blocks most of Barton Skyway in South Austin, Texas, U.S., during a winter storm on Feb. 1, 2023.]()
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Critics say state tax break helps petrochemical companies and hurts public schools
In December, legislators killed a controversial tax abatement program known as Chapter 313, but its effects will last decades. Full Story
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![Corpus Christi Ship Channel on April 17, 2022.]()
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Company that wants to build oilfield dump in East Texas gave $53,750 in campaign donations to regulators
McBride Operating LLC and its owner, Joseph McBride, contributed to the political campaigns of the three commissioners on the Texas Railroad Commission now considering his request. Full Story
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![Two wells of the Paxton Water Supply Corporation sit about 1,000 yards away from the proposed dumpsite on Jan. 18, 2023.]()
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Austin doesn’t know when it’ll fully restore power as hundreds of thousands of Texans remain in the cold
Close to 325,000 electricity customers statewide lacked power Thursday evening. Austin’s main power provider said it can no longer promise full restoration by 6 p.m. Friday. Full Story
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![Crews from Pedernales Electric Company work to repair downed power lines in Buda on Feb. 1, 2023.]()
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In East Texas, a town fights to keep an oilfield waste dump from opening near wetlands and water wells
The Texas Railroad Commission has rejected the proposal twice over water contamination concerns, but locals are dismayed that the commissioners keep giving the developer more chances to alter its application. Full Story
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![Janet Ritter, a local cattle ranch owner, points to the planned dump site illustrated in McBride's permit application on Jan. 19, 2023.]()
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State regulators approve controversial Texas electricity market reform
The substantial change in the way the state’s market works will first be reviewed by the Legislature. Full Story
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![The Decker Creek Power Station, a natural gas power plant northeast of Austin on February 28, 2021.]()
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EPA moves away from Permian Basin air pollution crackdown
The oil industry pushed hard against the proposal to issue an ozone nonattainment designation, which would have required that companies reduce oilfield emissions. Full Story
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![A natural gas flare operates less than 200 yards away from a family home on March 14, 2022 in Midland.]()
Credit: Eli Hartman for The Texas Tribune
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