The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout

The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout > All Episodes

May 14, 2025

Introducing Fumed

By: Elizabeth McQueen

Fumed is a new podcast from Public Health Watch that takes place in Channelview, an unincorporated community outside Houston in the heart of America’s petrochemical industry. It follows two stubborn Texans who, almost by accident, end up challenging the powerful companies that are taking over their once-peaceful neighborhood. What happens next tests their character, their community, and the very idea of what it means to be a true Texan.

In the first episode, you’ll meet Carolyn Stone and Greg Moss. In the 1980’s they settled into quiet lives in Channelview — an unincorporated community outside Houston, in the heart of the nation’s petrochemical industry. But within a few years, petrochemical plants and chemical barges move in, and air pollution and industrial accidents become routine. When they realize that state lawmakers and regulators aren’t going to protect them, Carolyn and Greg start fighting back themselves.

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Episodes

November 18, 2021

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?

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August 26, 2021

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.

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August 12, 2021

Bonus: The Great Dam Disaster

A huge catastrophe. Dozens dead. A city without power or water. It’s like a miniature version of the February blackouts. Except this happened more than 100 years ago in Texas — and leaders faced some of the same questions then as they do now.

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August 5, 2021

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.

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July 29, 2021

The Blackout

The story of how the worst blackout in Texas history unfolded — and left millions of people cold, hungry and with no faith in their state’s power grid. A warning: Some of what you’ll hear in this episode may be disturbing, especially if you lived through this disaster. Find a full transcript of this episode […]

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July 22, 2021

The Electricity Game

How did we get the power grid we have today? Andrew Weber has the story — and it involves football, subterfuge and a whole lot of lobbyists. You can find a full transcript of this episode here.

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July 22, 2021

The Energy Island

It was only when the lights went out in Texas that many of us realized — electrically — we are all alone. Claire McInerny brings us that story. Plus, Jimmy Maas tells us how the electricity market in Texas used to work up until about 20 years ago. Find a full transcript of this episode […]

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June 7, 2021

Trailer: The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout

Join us as we explore the reasons and decisions that ultimately left millions of Texans in the dark during the crippling winter storm of February 2021. KUT’s Mose Buchele reports on what happened, how we got the electric grid we have today and what could be done to fix it in this limited series podcast.

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