Texas breaks power demand record during June heat wave
The state’s grid operater was able to maintain supply without needing to call for any conservation. Full Story
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![A lifeguard watches people at a public pool in Austin on July 2, 2020.]()
Credit: Allie Goulding/The Texas Tribune -
Decades after Texas took part of its historic farm, a family fights again to save its land from a highway expansion
Daniel Alexander was enslaved when he founded a farm before the Civil War. 175 years later, his family is fighting to keep it intact as Texas plans to expand U.S. Highway 183. Full Story
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![Bringing flowers to her family cemetery, Rosalind Alexander-Kasparik visits her parents, Marcellus Winston and Juanita Smith, in a shared grave.]()
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Wayne Christian secures GOP nomination for another term on the commission regulating Texas’ oil and gas industry
Christian beat Sarah Stogner in the Republican primary runoff for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission after she accused him of corruption during the campaign. Full Story
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![Incumbent Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian listens to opponent and candidate Sarah Stogner speak during a Republican Railroad Commission Forum hosted by the Republican Women of Red River Valley at Celebrate It, an event hall in Paris, Texas, on April 26, 2022.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
Texas power grid leaders say they’re confident the lights will stay on this summer
Texas Public Utility Commission Chair Peter Lake and ERCOT President Brad Jones said the power grid is prepared for record-breaking summer electricity demand. Full Story
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![Brad Jones, interim president and CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), speaks at a press conference about the grid on May 17, 2022.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Texas’ grid operator told a power plant to delay repairs ahead of a May heat wave. It was among six that crashed.
Climate change and other factors are shortening the window when aging Texas power plants can make repairs to run at full strength in hot summer months. Full Story
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![Plant manager Curt Terry walks media through the weatherization process of Vistra Corp.’s Midlothian Power Plant on October 15, 2021.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
West Texas rancher pours $2 million into Sarah Stogner’s 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 Commission’s chair, Wayne Christian, in the runoff. Full Story
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![Railroad Commissioner candidate Sarah Stogner waits to speak at a Republican Railroad Commission Forum alongside incumbent Wayne Christian at Celebrate It, an event hall in Paris, Texas, on April 26, 2022.]()
Credit: Ben Torres for The Texas Tribune -
Texans asked to limit electricity use after six power plants go down ahead of a hot weekend
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is asking electricity consumers to keep their thermostats at 78 degrees or above and avoid using large appliances between 3 and 8 p.m. from Friday through Sunday. Full Story
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![A boat traveled along Lake Travis during a drought in the summer of 2011. Drier than normal weather in Texas with no precipitation for several months had caused lakes and rivers to run dry.]()
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T-Squared: We won our first-ever awards from Texas Managing Editors
The Texas Tribune was recognized, along with ProPublica and NBC News, for coverage of carbon monoxide poisoning during the 2021 winter storm. Full Story
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![Impact, Recognition and Awards]()
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Analysis: Texas is great — and ought to be better
Texas is a great state, but there’s a lot of work to do, and it starts with the public — and what Texans really want. The political class isn’t going to do this on its own. Full Story
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![An aerial view of the Capitol in Austin on Jan. 6, 2022.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
T-Squared: The Texas Tribune and ProPublica share IRE Award for coverage of 2021 winter storm
“The team’s coverage of a large winter storm was not just hard-hitting accountability journalism, it was public service at its best,” judges for the Investigative Reporters and Editors award wrote. Full Story
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![An eastbound view of East Stassney Lane in south Austin on Feb. 15, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
Texas power grid, energy sectors facing elevated Russian cyber threats during war in Ukraine
Utility companies and key oil and gas transportation hubs are on high alert as Russian hackers have been probing energy infrastructure’s digital networks for weak points. Full Story
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![An employee of Vistra Corp.’s Midlothian Power Plant adjusts the wiring of power unit on October 15, 2021. Energy providers like Vistra are preparing their plants for extreme weather conditions following the February winter storm Uri, which disrupted the Texas electric grid and led to the deaths of more than 200 people.]()
Credit: Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune -
In Texas, calls to boost U.S. oil production after Russian invasion run into hard realities
Labor shortages, supply chain issues, hesitant financial backers and a frosty relationship with the Biden administration have limited how much Texas oil and gas companies are ramping up production. Full Story
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![A pumpjack operates near a crude oil reserve on March 14, 2022 outside Midland, as rising gas prices begin to affect the Permian Basin.]()
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Texas warns firms they could lose state contracts for divesting from fossil fuels
A new law prohibits the state from contracting with or investing in companies that divest from oil, natural gas and coal companies. Full Story
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![The Texas Capitol in Austin on Aug. 12, 2021.]()
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Analysis: A power test for Texas voters
After last winter’s 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. Full Story
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![A gas meter with icicles on it in South Austin on Feb. 18, 2021.]()
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Analysis: Whatever the campaigns say, the Texas electric grid isn’t fixed yet
After 2021’s winter storm electric blackouts, Texas lawmakers worked to shore up the state’s electric grid. But they’re not finished, despite what you might hear from campaigning politicians. Full Story
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![Food pantry manager Farrah Rivera maps out routes to resident rooms at the Rebekah Baines Johnson Center in Austin on Feb. 17, 2021.]()
Credit: Montinique Monroe for The Texas Tribune -
Wayne Christian, incumbent commissioner overseeing oil and gas industry, is headed to a runoff
The chair of the Texas Railroad Commission fell short of winning at least 50% of the vote and will face oil and gas attorney Sarah Stogner in May. Full Story
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![Incumbent Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian will face Sarah Stogner in the Republican runoff.]()
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U.S. plans new safety rules to crack down on carbon monoxide poisoning from portable generators
The announcement comes two months after an investigation by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and NBC News detailed the deadly cost of the government’s failure to regulate portable generators. Full Story
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Texas oil and gas producers to see short-term profits after Russia invades Ukraine
Energy markets responding to the war with higher oil and gas prices also means energy consumers will likely pay more on their utility bills and at the gas pump. Full Story
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Ted Cruz ends block on Biden appointments after sanctions issued for Russian gas pipeline
As the Ukraine crisis intensifies, President Joe Biden issued sanctions against a pipeline company. Cruz previously blocked State Department nominees because Biden wouldn’t oppose the project. Full Story
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![U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, R-TX, leaves a U.S. Senate classified briefing on the ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, at Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 3, 2022.]()
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“It looked like the end of the world”: Listen to the stories of Texans who lived through 2021’s historic winter storm
One year later, dozens of Texans from around the state shared their memories about an unforgettable storm. Full Story
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![An eastbound view of East Stassney Lane in South Austin on Feb. 15, 2021.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune
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