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.
State agency that oversees Texas power grid needs more money to do its job, Sunset Commission finds
The Public Utility Commission has about 200 employees but needs more to handle shoring up the state power grid and tackling an expanded list of regulatory duties, according to the state Sunset Advisory Commission.
GOP lawmakers accuse investment firms of breaking a law that prohibits divesting from oil and gas
At a senate committee hearing in Marshall, Texas Republican lawmakers accused investment firms of pulling back on fossil fuels, running afoul of a 2021 law that prohibits the state from contracting with or investing in companies that โboycottโ oil, natural gas and coal companies.
In defamation lawsuit against Beto OโRourke, lawyers debate whether Kelcy Warren is a public figure
Warren, a Dallas pipeline tycoon, sued OโRourke in February over accusations he made on the campaign trail that Warren effectively bribed Gov. Greg Abbott with a $1 million campaign contribution following the 2021 power grid collapse.
Itโs time to support geothermal energy production
HidalgoCounty could be a major energy provider to the Texas power grid and to other major industries 24/7 if we invest in geothermal energy production and storage. Thatโs why Iโm re-filing a bill this session that I first introduced last session to turn up the heat โ the geothermal heat โ to encourage geothermal energy production in Texas. Geothermal energy production is about energy independence, job creation and revenue for the state. Diversity is key, and geothermal energy is the next building block for energy production capabilities in Texas. In fact, the Bureau of Economic Geology, in collaboration with Texas-based geothermal energy company Sage Geosystems, was selected by the U.S. Air Force to perform a geothermal energy feasibility at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in Houston.
myrgv.comTexas lawmakers ask state agency to delay power market redesign until after 2023 legislative session
In a Monday committee hearing, lawmakers questioned whether a Public Utility Commission proposal to redesign Texasโ electricity market would lead to the building of more natural-gas-fired power plants. Regulators say it would.
Texas oil and gas agency investigating 5.4 magnitude earthquake in West Texas, the largest in three decades
The quake was the third largest in Texas history, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. An increase in seismic activity in Texas has been linked to injecting fracking wastewater underground.
Corpus Christi sold its water to Exxon, gambling on desalination. So far, it is losing the bet.
Concerns over ecological damage to Corpus Christi Bay have delayed plans to convert sea water to drinking water for years in this booming Gulf Coast city, where environmentalists see water supply as a โchokeholdโ to block new fossil fuel infrastructure.
Luke Warford tries to break the Republican hold on the Railroad Commission by focusing on the power grid and climate change
One of three seats on the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees the oil and gas industry, is up for grabs this election. Democrat Luke Warford is betting his campaign on the issues of electric grid reliability, regulatory enforcement and reducing emissions.
Texas regulators proposed cracking down on harmful plastic โnurdlesโ โ and then changed their minds
The Texas coast is a hot spot for โnurdleโ pollution, tiny plastic pellets created in the process of producing everyday products. But a plan to require proactive prevention of their release has been scrapped.
Gov. Greg Abbott touts Texas power gridโs readiness heading into fall, election season
The governor shared the favorable forecast โ which is normal for the fall months โ ahead of a competitive race in which the gridโs performance during last yearโs fatal winter storm may factor into Texansโ decisions at the polls.
EPA reverses course, rejects permit for massive oil exporting project offshore from Corpus Christi
During the Trump administration, the Environmental Protection Agency exempted a proposed oil export terminal off the Texas coast from air pollution requirements. This week it rejected the permit because of pollution concerns.
Texas bans local, state government entities from doing business with firms that โboycottโ fossil fuels
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar singled out financial firms under a 2021 state law that prohibits most state entities from contracting with companies that have reduced or cut investments in the oil and gas industry.
City council still divided on how to spend $50M of CPS windfall
The hot temperatures and higher natural gas costs have been pushing up power bills, which increases CPS Energy revenues in turn and the amount the utility passes on to the city. While city staff has proposed giving $50 million back to CPS customers - mostly through bill credits averaging $31 for residential customers- city council members havenโt all signed on to the idea..
โHe has total veto powerโ: Greg Abbott takes control over who will lead Texasโ troubled power grid, sources say
Locked in a potentially tight reelection race and facing criticism over the gridโs 2021 collapse, the governor is exerting unprecedented influence over what the state grid operator shares with the public โ and who will be its next CEO.