Posted on · Texas' population is booming. But its electric grid is strained. The threat of rolling blackouts in the summer has become common. The easy answer is building more power plants to produce electricity.
Posted on · If you've filled up lately, we don't need to tell you gas prices are up. But how much of it can be blamed on oil speculators — those big investors who've been accused of manipulating the price of oil just to make a profit? Our StateImpact reporter Dave Fehling has been looking into what the government is trying to do about them.
Posted on · Texas leads the nation in making and using electricity. Which also means Texas is a leader in the air pollution from all those power plants. But now, there may be a way to reduce some of that pollution by making it disappear — underground.
Posted on · When Spicewood Beach in Burnet County became the first town to run out of water in the current drought, it raised a lot of questions. How could a town perched on the shores of Lake Travis run dry? And which town could be next?
Posted on · The Texas Supreme Court is expected to decide in coming days whether it made a mistake. A big mistake, according to pipeline companies. The court will decide whether to change an opinion it rendered on the rights of land-owners and whether pipeline companies can force their way onto private land.
Posted on · At first glance it looks like good news. Carbon emissions in the U.S. have been on the decline in recent years. Texas, the country's biggest CO2 polluter has started turning away from coal as a source of electricity. But that doesn’t mean the coal is staying in the ground. For the StateImpact Texas project, Mose Buchele reports on the growing export of U.S. coal and how it’s affecting one small Texas town.
Posted on · We all know about the boom in oil and gas drilling. It's been great for the Texas economy. But it's coming at a price. A disturbing number of the people who do the dirty work are getting injured, or worse. Our StateImpact reporter Dave Fehling has been investigating this.
Posted on · The politicians say it's the number one issue: jobs. In West Texas, a familiar industry is bring back a boom-town feel. Our StateImpact reporter Dave Fehling spent a day in Midland where there are a lot of jobs, as long as the oil keeps flowing.
Posted on · Rolling blackouts struck Texas once last year. And we went to the brink twice after that. So when an accident at the Sandy Creek power plant outside of Waco delayed more electricity from coming online, it came at exactly the wrong time. For StateImpact Texas, Mose Buchele reports.
Posted on · Fracking — the controversial way of drilling for oil and gas. In some places, officials are banning it because of fears it could hurt the environment. No such bans though in the state where fracking is going like gangbusters: Texas. More on that from our StateImpact Texas reporter , Dave Fehling.
Posted on · The federal government is preparing to allow more oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico — off the Texas coast. This comes as new regulations are taking effect. They're supposed to reduce the risk of another big spill. StateImpact Texas reporter Dave Fehling reports.
Posted on · What critics call a "billion dollar loophole" is giving Texas gas producers a big break. StateImpact Texas reporter Dave Fehling has been looking into whether the industry is paying its fair share at a time when lawmakers have had to cut billions from the state budget.
Posted on · Despite his fifth place finish in the Iowa caucuses earlier this week, Governor Rick Perry says he'll continue campaigning for president. While he's been away, Texans have grappled with the impacts of a historic drought, a newly invigorated fossil-fuel industry and seen continued battles between state policymakers and the federal government over environmental regulation.
Posted on · Dead trees are piling up by the millions across Texas. The drought has killed them. But all is not lost. From the KUHF StateImpact Texas reporter Dave Fehling.
Posted on · Bird Watchers across the country are participating in the annual Christmas Bird Count this month. But in Central Texas the tradition has a special importance this year. For StateImpact Texas, Mose Buchele reports the Wildfires in Bastrop County, and across Texas have conservationists paying close attention to local bird populations.