Texas is often associated with fossil fuels, especially oil. But it turns out a greener kind of energy is saving the state’s customers a significant amount of money. A new report from IdeaSmiths LLC found that wind and solar had generated as much as $106 billion in savings and benefits in Texas between 2010 and […]
By Jessica Corbett A crude oil spill at a Marathon Petroleum refinery in Texas City outside of Houston on Wednesday — just the latest in a series of recent leaks — sparked fresh calls for rapidly phasing out fossil fuels and transitioning to 100% renewable energy. “The crazy thing is to expect that this won’t […]
Royal Dutch Shell’s sale of all its Permian Basin fracking assets to ConocoPhillips for $9.5 billion may reduce the company’s emissions on paper, but nowhere else, experts say. Shell has come under increasing pressure to reduce its climate pollution, including a landmark ruling from a Dutch court this spring, but selling its Permian oil extraction […]
The Texas power grid is expected to see its highest power demand of 2021 this week with extreme heat expected there and across the country. The intense power demands raise concerns over the grid’s ability to keep the lights on after thousands were plunged into deadly blackouts in February following the failure of the gas […]
By Brett Wilkins In what Indigenous and environmental activists hailed as a testament to the power of grassroots organizing, a leading U.S. fossil fuel company on Monday announced the cancellation of a planned fracked natural gas terminal in southern Texas. Reuters reports liquefied natural gas developer Annova LNG said it will immediately discontinue work on […]
An independent market monitor says ERCOT, the Texas grid operator, left wholesale electricity prices at the legal maximum for two days longer than necessary, and overcharged power companies $16 billion in the process during the winter storm that caused massive grid and gas system failures and left more than 4 million Texans without electricity. Potomac […]
By Matt Casale There were many lessons to be learned from Texas’ prolonged periods of lost power during its cold snap, which saw temperatures drop into the single digits. But one many people may not recognize is that electric vehicles, or EVs, can be part of a smart resiliency plan — not only in the […]
By Jessica Corbett While millions of Texans on Monday continued living without safe drinking water and many faced storm damage and massive electricity bills, youth leaders with the Sunrise Movement rallied at the state capitol in Austin, using the current conditions across the Lone Star State to bolster their demand for a Green New Deal. […]
As the death toll mounts, secondary effects of the Texas grid failure, driven primarily by the failure of gas, coal, and nuclear plants to handle the cold, are becoming apparent. At least 16 people are dead and 2.6 million Texas customers were without power as of Wednesday evening. Gov. Greg Abbott said he did not […]