Attorney general investigating CenterPoint Energy after Hurricane Berylโs long-lasting power outages
The companyโs power outages in July have drawn the ire of state leaders. Hereโs what you need to know.
A federal utility assistance program favors cold-weather states, giving less money to hot places like Texas
The program helps low-income people with heating and cooling bills, but advocates say it disadvantages Texas and other warm-weather states, even though extreme heat is a key cause of weather-related deaths.
Abbott reprimands CenterPoint and calls for an investigation into the utilityโs response to Beryl blackouts
Abbott demanded that the utility company produce a plan by the end of July outlining how it will improve power reliability ahead of future storms.
CenterPoint exudes chaos, but also appears to be restoring power faster than it previously has
According to state filings, the utility is restoring power at a relatively quicker pace than after prior storms. Texans are still fed up.
Abbott appointee resigns as chair of power grid regulator
Public Utility Commission chair Peter Lake had spearheaded a plan to help the stateโs power grid withstand weather disasters, but the plan lacked support in the Texas Legislature.
Appeals court says state agency set electricity prices too high during 2021 winter storm
The actions by the Public Utility Commission led to billions of dollars of overcharges, the Austin-based court found. Itโs not yet clear if the ruling will affect consumers.
How to know the difference between a local power outage and rolling blackouts
Power outages are a possibility during any severe weather event. But a local power outage is different from a larger power grid problem.
Texans face skyrocketing home energy bills as the state exports more natural gas than ever
The cost of electricity in Texas is tightly tied to the price of natural gas, which has more than doubled since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.
Analysis: A power test for Texas voters
After last winterโs 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.
Texas could connect to national power grids without losing autonomy, former grid regulator says
Texas has long refused to connect its decentralized grid to two national power networks, but Hunt Energy Network CEO Pat Wood said the state could do so without additional oversight โ and without state Legislature approval.
How Texasโ power grid failed in 2021 โ and whoโs responsible for preventing a repeat
In the stateโs power grid, electricity and natural gas are co-dependent. Hereโs how the winter storm last year broke the system.
Texas grid vulnerable to blackouts during severe winter weather, even with new preparations, ERCOT estimates show
The most severe scenario considered by ERCOT for this winter โ very high demand for power, extensive fossil fuel outages, and low renewable power production โ does not capture the amount of power lost during February.
Analysis: 2022 primary elections in Texas merit a severe weather alert
Next yearโs primary elections start a year after a winter storm knocked out power across Texas โ and the government response to that disaster could be on votersโ minds.
Oil industry helped handpick members of Texas advisory group for electric grid reliability, emails show
Oil and gas industry groups provided a list of names to the Railroad Commission for appointment to a council formed in response to the February power crisis. All four of the industry's top choices were selected.
Analysis: When Texas legislators admit they donโt know what theyโre doing
When lawmakers find something in the law that they donโt like โ or that their voters donโt like โ they can always say they didnโt know what they were voting on. It happens more than youโd think.
Analysis: The Texas electric grid and the improvements that didnโt come
Texas lawmakers passed major bills in response to the winter storm power outages that killed hundreds of Texans in February. But thereโs still a lot to do.
Everyday Texans overlooked in state lawmakers' response to power outages during winter storm
While lawmakers took significant steps toward preventing another blackout, hardly any of the proposals passed during this legislative session will aid consumers in recovering from the February storm โ but theyโll see higher utility bills.