After hearing reports of some Texans receiving massive electrical bills, the state’s utility regulator said it’s investigating companies that offer their customers rates that fluctuate based on the spot price of wholesale electricity. The Public Utility Commission of Texas on Wednesday announced the probe into what are known as indexed retail electric providers. While these …
“Please support us”: Texas’ citrus and dairy farmers urge patience as they rebuild after the winter storm
Well before the sun finally broke through the cloudy and icy haze in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley last week, Dale Murden knew he was in for a bad spell. After a few days of clearer skies and warmer weather let him assess the damage to his grapefruit orchard in Harlingen more closely, the South Texas …
Resigning ERCOT board members acknowledge “pain and suffering” from extreme power grid strain that caused outages for millions of Texans
In the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ first meeting since a historic winter storm caused the near-collapse of Texas’ power grid, the director of the board acknowledged the “pain and suffering” that millions of Texans experienced during prolonged power outages — then resigned along with five other board members. Leaders of ERCOT on Wednesday briefed …
Watch live results here for Tuesday night’s special election to replace Drew Springer in the Texas House
Voters in northern Texas are going to the polls Tuesday to fill the last vacant seat in the Texas Legislature. Republicans David Spiller and Craig Carter are facing off in a special election runoff to fill the state House seat vacated by Rep. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, who recently was elected to the state Senate. You …
Gov. Greg Abbott sets May 1 special election to fill seat of late U.S. Rep. Ron Wright
Gov. Greg Abbott has selected May 1 as the date for the special election to succeed late U.S. Rep. Ron Wright, R-Arlington. Wright died earlier this month after a yearslong struggle with cancer and testing positive for COVID-19 in January. The candidate filing deadline for the special election is March 3, and early voting starts …
ERCOT board members who live outside of Texas are resigning in the aftermath of the power outage, winter storm
Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Five board members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas — the entity that manages and operates the electricity grid that covers much of Texas — will resign on Wednesday, according to a notice to …
At least six people experiencing homelessness died during the winter storm. That number could rise.
Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. As temperatures reached 20 degrees Feb. 15, Harris County sheriff deputies found a 60-year-old man dead in a van under an overpass east of Houston. According to the agency, members of their homeless outreach team …
“Power companies get exactly what they want”: How Texas repeatedly failed to protect its power grid against extreme weather
This article is co-published with ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for ProPublica’s Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox as soon as they are published. Also, sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential …
Here’s how Texans can apply for federal help to recover from the devastating winter storm
Texans in more than 100 counties can begin applying for federal assistance to help them recover from last week’s massive winter storm that caused widespread power outages, water disruptions and building damages from burst pipes. And the number of counties whose residents qualify for such aid could grow “as more work is done to evaluate …
Gov. Greg Abbott says power is almost fully restored statewide and grocery stores will soon be restocked
Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday said power should soon be fully restored across the state and that grocery stores will be restocked for Texans in the wake of a massive winter storm that left many …
Texas officials block electricity providers from sending bills, disconnecting utilities for nonpayment
Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Gov. Greg Abbott said he and other state leaders are working fast to find solutions for homeowners and renters facing steep electricity bills after a winter storm left many Texans without power for days. After …
“One thing after another”: Rural Texans faced the same storm — with unique hardships
As humanitarian aid workers in Armenia and South Sudan, Jerry and Meaghan Kenney have huddled around wood stoves to keep warm and bathed with buckets for lack of water. But the couple didn’t expect they’d need such survival skills to get through the winter storm at their home outside Hudson, in deep East Texas. The …