Daily morning news update from the KUT newsroom. Hot weather and a potential energy shortfall. Round Rock ISD board election.
ERCOT
Texas Standard: July 11, 2022
How hot is it? Hot enough for ERCOT to ask the state to dial back its power use at temperatures climb back into the triple digits. We’ll have the latest. Also a recent pipe burst in Odessa left the city’s hundred thousand plus residents without water for days. Now comes a warning for lots of small to midsized cities about a ticking time bomb of aging pipes and underground stressors. We’ll hear more. Also a new effort aimed at tracking drug overdoses, most of which go non-reported. And a comeback for the Guadalupe bass. And Texas versus Volkswagen: how the carmakers novel defense could put millions of dollars at stake. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 17, 2022
Is there a big push for Governor Abbott at the Texas GOP Convention? Not exactly… Sergio Martínez-Beltrán of the Texas Newsroom with the latest. Other stories we’re tracking, more warnings of record demand for electricity in coming days as Texas tries to beat the heat. While wind and solar getting credit for helping us avoid major blackouts, why these ongoing warnings? And is Texas moving quickly enough to meet constantly growing demand? Also, a new massive SpaceX rocket test cleared for liftoff in South Texas? The FAA imposes new restrictions. And reflections on Juneteenth: do Black Texans consider themselves really free? Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 14, 2022
A June heatwave across Texas testing the limits of our power grid and shattering records statewide. Any relief in sight? We’ll take a closer look. Other stories we’re tracking: with more Supreme Court opinions expected to be issued tomorrow, what a pre-Roe Texas might tells us about what could happen should the high court reverse its landmark abortion rulings. Also, the Texas Standard’s Alexa Hart reports on what’s compelled so many Texans to put their lives on hold and travel hours to visit Uvalde. And the north Texas church denied approval to appoint two pastors who identify as LGBTQ, but the church appointed them anyway. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: June 7, 2022
Record setting heat on tap for much of Texas. Will there be enough electricity to meet demand? And what about the rest of the summer? Coming up, the latest on heat warnings across Texas, and what it portends for the rest of the summer amid anxieties about whether the electrical grid can stand the strain. Also a federal judge moves to hold Texas’ foster care services in contempt as court monitors continue to find deficiencies in a system once declared unconstitutionally unsafe for children. Paul Flahive of Texas Public Radio with the latest. And what’s in a name? Some Mexico distillers say cultural appropriation. Those stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: May 20, 2022
After a two year reprieve due to the pandemic, Texas school officials announce the return of STARR tests for ranking schools; we’ll look at the implications. Also, the latest on the baby formula shortage in Texas. And, dueling claims about the potential for power blackouts this summer. These stories and more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 24, 2022
We’re keeping a watch on the situation in Ukraine and the ripple effects for Texas. Plus, with early voting ending tomorrow, what to watch for in Texas’ first-in-the-nation primaries. Also, Governor Abbott’s role in keeping energy prices high during last year’s deadly statewide freeze. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 7, 2022
A Texas official takes on listener questions about new vote-by-mail rules. Also, the energy implications of last week’s winter storm and the lingering psychological impacts of the winter storm of 2021. Those stories and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: February 4, 2022
A frigid Friday and ongoing warnings in much of North and Central Texas to stay off the roads. In the run up, this week’s winter storm was characterized by many as the first real test of the power grid following last years rolling blackouts. But was it? And do traumatized Texans feel more assured? We’ll explore. Also a butterfly sanctuary in South Texas closes its doors indefinitely following death threats and more from partisan conspiracy theorists. Plus the week in Texas politics with the Texas Tribune and more today on the Texas Standard:
Them Ol’ ERCOT Blues
Texans have (so far) not experienced widespread blackouts this winter. Still, many prepared for the worst heading into Winter Storm Landon. That was the inspiration for this Typewriter Rodeo poem.
Texas Standard: February 3, 2022
Winter Storm Landon wreaking havoc across Texas. We’ll be checking in with Dallas, Lubbock, Midland, Austin and more as we track the effects of what has been described as the first big test of the state’s power grid since last year’s winter storm that left millions in the dark. Also Mose Buchele, who’s been tracking the power grid and changes to the power infrastructure since last years deadly storm, brings us the latest on where we stand with blackouts and electricity supply and demand. All that and much more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 24, 2021
In the aftermath of a historic winter storm and deadly rolling blackouts came recriminations – but are we any more ready for this winter? Before the Texas power crisis of last February there were warnings about the power grid. After the storm came the promises for change, to fix the problems and to be better prepared for the next time. What did state leaders do to make sure something like the February blackout never happens again? And what role did deregulation play in the failure of the Texas power grid? From the podcast The Disconnect – answers to those questions and much more on a special edition of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 23, 2021
It was an event that left an indelible mark on Texans – what exactly happened as a winter storm and blackouts rolled across the Lone State State? There had been warnings for years that Texas’ power grid was vulnerable. Yet on a mid-February morning in 2021, the lights went out for millions of Texans – leading to shortages of food, water, heat – and hundreds of deaths. A step-by-step look at how a grim chapter in Texas history unfolded earlier this year – leading to questions we’re still grappling with today. From the podcast The Disconnect, the 2021 Texas power crisis as it unfolded, on this special edition of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 22, 2021
After the storm and deadly rolling blackouts – a major question remains: why was Texas’ power grid so vulnerable? In February, a winter storm brought the energy capital of the world to its knees, leading to millions of Texans without power, a death toll well into the triple digits – and many questions such as how the power grid could have succumbed so suddenly, without apparent warning. There’s a history that’s unique to Texas’ power grid – one that involves football, subterfuge, and a whole lot of lobbyists. From the podcast The Disconnect, the story of the Texas power grid – on a special edition of the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: December 21, 2021
Millions of Texans lost power, hundreds died – months later, the question lingers: how did this happen? They call Texas the energy capital of the world, which makes it all the more a mystery. As a winter freeze gripped the state in February, a text message sent statewide in the middle of the night was the first hint most Texans had that extended blackouts were coming – an event that would bring the Lone Star State to its knees. From the podcast The Disconnect – an attempt to reconnect the dots behind one of the worst power-related disasters in Texas history, on a special edition of the Texas Standard:
Bonus: The Winterizing
Texas lawmakers passed a law earlier this year requiring power plants to winterize — but what does that really mean?
And what about winterizing other things that are needed to make sure the lights don’t go out in a storm again?
The Fallout
So what did state leaders do to make sure something like the February blackout never happens again?
And what role did deregulation play in the failure of the Texas power grid?
Find a full transcript of this episode here.
Bonus: The Black Start
In this mini-episode, we tell what happens next if the Texas power grid were to suffer a catastrophic failure. It almost did in February — and if it had happened, there might have been an even bigger problem.
Find a full transcript of this episode here.
Texas Standard: July 23, 2021
After the winter outages, Texans have been demanding a rethink of the Texas electricity market. Is it finally coming? Weathering criticism for its handling of winter outages, The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, announces a redesign of the electricity market. We’ll explore the planned changes and what they add up to. Also, is Mexico breaking the free trade agreement with its Mexico-first oil policy? A bipartisan group of Texans asks President Biden to intervene. And endangered sea turtles on the Texas coast, now facing a new threat. Those stories and a whole lot more today on the Texas Standard:
Texas Standard: July 22, 2021
Sounding new alarms over COVID-19… As state health experts warn of new cases, are the warnings enough? Experts see the COVID-19 data in Texas pointing an ominous direction, and though warnings for masking and vaccination continue, concerns mount over whether that will be sufficient to head off another dangerous spike in the pandemic. Today, our conversation with the Texas’ chief epidemiologist. Also the fight over COVID-19 disinformation. And after years of calls for changes, medicaid is being expanded to help new moms in Texas. The implications of that change plus much more today on the Texas Standard: