Posted on · A slate of proposed revisions to federal chemical safety rules could have prevented the leaks, but the changes have been stalled for years.
Posted on · The market redesign is ongoing, and the grid operator has already made some changes to improve reliability. Nonetheless, officials warn Texans to expect more energy conservation requests in the coming weeks as temperatures rise.
Posted on · Two priority bills for Texas Republicans -- Senate Bill 1 and House Bill 3 -- would ban drive-thru and 24-hour voting, makes mail-in voting more difficult, increase criminal penalties for voting mistakes, and give partisan poll watchers more authority at voting sites.
Posted on · The decision is expected to disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous and Latinx people, as well as seniors living on fixed incomes.
Posted on · The moratorium will be lifted on June 18, two days before a forecasted hotter-than-normal summer arrives.
Posted on · ERCOT doesn’t have the power to mandate major changes. That’s the job of the Public Utility Commission (PUC), which oversees ERCOT and regulates the grid, as well as the Railroad Commission, which regulates the natural gas sector. The Texas legislature oversees all of the organizations, and its efforts to mandate weatherization have stalled.
Posted on · The Public Utility Commission of Texas has implemented a ban on utility cutoffs for consumers who don’t pay their bills. The move does not apply to cooperatives or to municipality-owned utilities like CPS in San Antonio or Austin Energy.
Posted on · The PUC decision could allow two companies that already hold more than 70% of the market share to scoop up even more consumers, which experts worry will stifle competition and raise prices for everyone in the unregulated market in the long term.
Posted on · Report For America corps member and Texas Public Radio environmental issues reporter Dominic Anthony Walsh spoke with energy and climate consultant Doug Lewin.
Posted on · The Houston Ship Channel is the petrochemical capital of the country, but in one city, the state's environmental agency only has one air monitor. So, a group of clean-air advocates in east Harris County are taking matters into their own hands.
Posted on · Eight years ago, one of the worst chemical disasters in state history ripped apart a small town in Central Texas, just outside Waco.
Posted on · In the wake of the Intercontinental Terminals Company fire in Deer Park, some residents asked themselves: what is the state of Texas doing to keep us safe?
Posted on · In the first of episode of Fire Triangle, a new podcast from Texas Public Radio and Houston Public Media, reporters Dominic Anthony Walsh and Katie Watkins look back on the anniversary of the Watson Grinding explosion.
Posted on · This is the first story in a series about chemical disasters in Texas. Fire Triangle is produced by Texas Public Radio in collaboration with Houston Public Media.
Posted on · Part 1 of Fire Triangle drops on January 24, the one-year mark of a toxic explosion in a Houston neighborhood that killed three fathers, injured dozens and tore apart hundreds of homes as residents slept in their beds. Subscribe to this podcast feed to hear it as soon as it comes out.