Energy
January 6, 2022
This Gas-Burning Power Plant Near Galveston Bay Could Change the Future of Clean Energy
NET Power says it can deliver zero-emission electricity to the Texas grid, but is its sustainable-energy business sustainable?
Energy
Reporting and commentary on the Texas energy industry and innovations shaping its future
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Health
December 6, 2021
It’s Hard Out Here—Way, Way, Way Out Here—for a Medic
Oil-field medics face long hours, grisly accidents, desolation, and low pay. So why do they do it?
Business
October 8, 2021
Why Tesla Is Moving to Texas
Elon Musk’s company aims to transform the energy business. So, of course, it’s relocating to the energy capital.
Energy
September 24, 2021
Natural Gas Prices Are Surging. Why Aren’t Texas Drillers Taking Advantage?
The state’s shale fields are quiet, keeping supply tight and energy bills higher.
Energy
September 12, 2021
Fracking Has a Bad Rep, but Its Tech Is Powering a Clean Energy Shift
Texas start-ups are harnessing know-how born of the shale boom in pursuit of a greener future.
Business
August 26, 2021
Elon Musk Wants to Sell Texans Electricity
Tesla has filed to become a Texas power retailer in a move that could shake up an already fast-changing market.
Energy
June 18, 2021
Is There an “Ethical” Temperature at Which to Set Your Thermostat?
It’s a question we are once more forced to ponder—and one for which we have an answer!
Energy
June 18, 2021
What Is Wrong With the Texas Grid?
Our electric system can’t deliver the power we need when we need it most. But political leaders don't seem all that interested in fixing the problem.
Energy
June 15, 2021
Did Lawmakers Fix Texas’s Electric Grid?
Governor Greg Abbott said the Lege has done everything necessary to prevent future blackouts. We ask four experts whether that’s true.
Energy
June 9, 2021
Griddy Argues It Was, in Fact, a Champion of Consumers
The much-maligned—now bankrupt and outlawed—electricity provider offered just the sort of experiment Texas’s energy deregulation sought.
Energy
May 27, 2021
ExxonMobil and Its Rivals Learn They Can’t Ignore Climate Activists
Major setbacks this week may force the oil giants to speed efforts to curb carbon emissions and invest in renewables—and perhaps even abandon the search for new fossil-fuel plays.
Energy
May 20, 2021
Texas’s Oil and Gas Industry Is Defending Its Billions in Subsidies Against a Green Energy Push
The state's energy business has long counted on tax breaks and other largesse. Whether renewables or fossil fuels get more depends on how you do the math.
Energy
May 20, 2021
Haunting Images of the Permian Bust
Famed portrait photographer Dan Winters shifted his focus to a new character, the Permian Basin, as the storied region weathered a historic oil bust.
Energy
March 31, 2021
America’s Offshore Wind-Powered Future Begins in a Texas Shipyard
In announcing an ambitious renewable-energy push this week, the Biden administration highlighted a vessel under construction in Brownsville as proof of the economic opportunities of going green.
Politics & Policy
March 17, 2021
Dan Patrick Declares War on “Green” Wall Street Investors
The lieutenant governor wants to require state pension and education funds to divest from financial giants that are trimming their investments in oil and gas—but he hasn’t thought through the potential consequences.
Business
March 16, 2021
Some on Wall Street Profited off Texas Blackouts. In a Private Call, a Top Regulator Pledged He Would Try to Protect Their Windfall.
Public Utility Commission chairman Arthur D’Andrea apologized to investors last week for the “uncertainty” around its profits.
Business
March 4, 2021
Despite Losing Power for Days, Texans Will Pay Higher Power Bills—Perhaps for Decades to Come
The bankruptcies and staggering electricity charges are beginning to arrive. Could it go from bad to worse?
Energy
March 3, 2021
The Great Texas Blackout Was Caused by a Failure to Ensure Supplies of Natural Gas
State leaders have pointed fingers at everything from windmills to the bureaucrats at ERCOT. But the real issue is the electric grid’s reliance on a lightly regulated natural gas production industry.
Energy
February 27, 2021
Texas’s Independence Didn’t Cause the Power Crisis
There’s plenty that needs fixing to avoid another electricity disaster, but our isolated grid isn’t the problem.
Politics & Policy
February 25, 2021
Who’s Responsible for the Texas Blackouts?
Our governor and lawmakers want to blame everyone but themselves for the February blackouts, the latest crisis of their own making.
Energy
February 19, 2021
El Paso Heeded the Warnings and Avoided a Winter Catastrophe
The West Texas city was spared the worst effects of this week’s storms, thanks to its preparations in the wake of a devastating 2011 deep freeze.
Politics & Policy
February 19, 2021
The Texas Blackout Is the Story of a Disaster Foretold
Those in charge of Texas’s deregulated power sector were warned again and again that the electric grid was vulnerable.
News
February 17, 2021
What Went Wrong With Texas’s Main Electric Grid and Could It Have Been Prevented?
An energy expert explains why some four million Texans suffered a barrage of winter storms without heat in their homes.
Energy
February 17, 2021
Lights, Camera, Reaction: Lit-Up Downtown Skylines Are Enraging Powerless Texans
Texans on social media have kept warm by burning the fuel of white-hot rage.
Energy
February 15, 2021
For Frozen Houstonians, Hurricane Reflexes Kick In
But when will the overseers of our so-called Electric “Reliability” Council learn?
Energy
January 28, 2021
Can Biden Really Be Any Worse for the Oil Patch Than Trump?
The new president’s energy-related executive actions have stirred opposition in Texas and other oil-producing states. But Biden’s moves are dwarfed by the larger forces that have battered, and will transform, the industry.
Energy
January 19, 2021
How the Most Hyped U.S. Oil Merger in a Decade Went Bust
As CEO of Occidental Petroleum, Vicki Hollub made the biggest deal the oil business had seen in years. Will it also go down as the biggest failure?
Business
November 10, 2020
ExxonMobil’s Failure to Go Green Could Worsen Its Financial Future
As other major oil companies have invested in renewable energy, the Irving-based producer has stubbornly stayed the course.
Health
September 2, 2020
In Port Arthur, Creating COVID-19 Medical Equipment Puts Residents’ Health at Risk
Local petrochemical facilities pump out essential plastic goods—for gloves, masks, gowns, and more—as well as harmful pollutants.
Energy
June 18, 2020
The “Mother Fracker” Reckons With the Mother of All Oil Busts
Pioneer CEO Scott Sheffield has been through more ups and downs than just about anyone in the business. This bust, he says, will change everything—forever.
Energy
June 18, 2020
Can a Renewables Boom Put Texans Back to Work?
After the oil bust, wind and solar energy might be the Permian Basin’s best hope.
Boomtown
April 30, 2020
Boomtown Follow-up: The One-Two Punch
Christian Wallace talks to some familiar faces from the Boomtown series in an attempt to understand what happened on April 20, 2020—when oil prices went negative for the first time in history.
Boomtown
April 24, 2020
Boomtown Host Christian Wallace on a New Reckoning for Texas Oil
On a special edition of ‘The National Podcast of Texas,’ the West Texas native and former roughneck explains this week’s record-setting price plunge and weighs its long-term impact on the state’s once-thriving energy business.
Energy
April 23, 2020
For a While This Week, Oil Was Cheaper Than Dirt. Should We Be Worried?
Producers, who failed to anticipate how quickly storage would fill up this month, are now scrambling to turn off the taps—at least those who can.
Energy
April 23, 2020
Tim Dunn Is Against the Nanny State—Except When It Might Help His Oil Business
The ultra-conservative financier wants the government out of the pandemic business, but is open to a bailout of the oil industry.
News
April 15, 2020
Texas Officials Were Warned Six Years Ago to Prepare for a Pandemic. They Didn’t.
And they've been dangerously slow to respond to the coronavirus.
Energy
March 18, 2020
The Most Unexpected Revelation From RuPaul’s Recent NPR Interview? He Might Be Fracking
One energy company allegedly working with the drag star is based in Texas.
Politics & Policy
March 18, 2020
Is Climate Change Denial Thawing in Texas?
Surprising statements by oil industry leaders have grabbed headlines. But the bigger change is underway more quietly, among young Republicans.
Politics & Policy
March 17, 2020
How Will the Oil Bust and the Coronavirus Affect the Texas Budget?
Historically, the Lege has met shortfalls with tax increases or spending cuts. Whether Dems or the GOP are in power makes all the difference.
Energy
March 10, 2020
Houston Is Not Prepared for the Oil Bust
Get those $400 fajitas while you can, because Houston's boom is over.
Boomtown
February 18, 2020
Boomtown, Episode 11: The Last Frontier
Record-breaking oil production in the Permian Basin has brought the boom to the Big Bend’s doorstep for the first time. Is it too late to save this pristine landscape?
Boomtown
February 11, 2020
Boomtown, Episode 10: The Mitchell Paradox
No oil and gas baron since John D. Rockefeller has made more of an impact on society than George P. Mitchell. But this son of poor Greek immigrants who died a billionaire wanted to leave a legacy beyond oil and gas.
Boomtown
February 4, 2020
Boomtown, Episode 9: A Dark Horizon
Christian talks with renowned business writer Bethany McLean about how the finances of fracking aren't what they're cracked up to be.
Boomtown
January 28, 2020
Boomtown, Episode 8: Wild West Texas
The uneasy alliance between ranchers and the oil industry goes all the way back to the early wildcatting days in West Texas. But today, that relationship is more fraught than ever.
Boomtown
January 14, 2020
Boomtown, Episode 6: A Thin Line
During booms, the Permian Basin sees a rise in prostitution charges. But misperceptions and stereotypes about sex work have led to policies that may actually harm the women involved.
Boomtown
January 7, 2020
Boomtown, Episode 5: Boobtown
We explore a different kind of boom in the Permian Basin. Meet the women working at a lingerie coffee shop, a “breastaurant,” and two area strip clubs.
Boomtown
December 31, 2019
Boomtown, Episode 4: Life and Death on the Rig
Working in the oil patch is incredibly dangerous. But March 10, 2015, brought unimaginable tragedy for one Andrews family.
Boomtown
December 24, 2019
Boomtown, Episode 3: Dust to Dust
A devastating bust transforms the Permian from the promised land into a wasteland.
Boomtown
December 17, 2019
Boomtown, Episode 2: The Rise of the Permian
The Santa Rita oil well, named after the patron saint of impossible dreams, launched the first Permian Basin boom and has been fueling the dreams of West Texas wildcatters ever since.
Boomtown
December 10, 2019
Listen to the First Episode of Boomtown: “Highway to Hell”
In the first episode of our new podcast series, host Christian Wallace takes us back to his hometown in the Permian Basin, which is nearly unrecognizable to him today. We meet a few of the people whose lives have been upended by the biggest oil boom in U.S. history.