Energy

Biden Infrastructure Plan Aims To Please Both Labor And Environmentalists

9:40am March 06, 2021

by Don Gonyea

President Biden is enlisting union support for his plan to rebuild infrastructure. Labor leaders say he'll have a difficult balancing act if he wants to be the most labor-friendly president ever.

Queue Listen Now

Bill Magness, the former president and CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, was removed from his post Wednesday following last month's winter storm that resulted in days-long blackouts for more than 4 million Texans.

National

ERCOT CEO Refuses $800K Payout Following Firing

7:09am March 05, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas CEO Bill Magness was removed from his post Wednesday. He informed the organization he will not accept his $800,000 severance.

Water for flushing toilets was being distributed at seven sites in Mississippi's capital city — more than 10 days after winter storms wreaked havoc on the city's water system because the system is still struggling to maintain consistent water pressure,

National

Like 'Peanut Brittle': Mississippi Water Crisis Highlights Infrastructure Problems

3:45am March 03, 2021

The water outages in Jackson, Miss., began Feb. 15 as a winter storm swept across the state. An untold number of residents are still without clean water weeks later.

"As Texans struggled to survive this winter storm, Griddy made the suffering even worse as it debited outrageous amounts each day," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said as his office sued the company. Here, electrical lines run through a neighborhood in

Texas Attorney General Sues Griddy, Saying Electricity Provider Misled Customers

1:52pm March 01, 2021

by Bill Chappell

The state says it received more than 400 complaints about Griddy in less than two weeks. One woman who was hit with $4,677 on her credit card said, "I do not have the money to pay this bill."

Millions of Texans lost power when the winter storm hit the state and knocked out coal, natural gas and nuclear plants that were unprepared for the freezing temperatures.

National

Texas Energy Co-Op Files For Bankruptcy After Storm, High Bill

12:00pm March 01, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

Brazos Electric Power Cooperative cites a massive bill from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas as the reason for the bankruptcy filing.

A windfarm near Velva, North Dakota. Two counties in the state have enacted drastic restrictions on new wind projects in an attempt to save coal mining jobs, despite protests from landowners who'd like to rent their land to wind energy companies.

North Dakota Officials Block Wind Power In Effort To Save Coal

5:58pm February 25, 2021

by Dan Charles

Across the country, coal plants are shutting down. Wind turbines are going up. But the transition can be rocky. In North Dakota, some officials are trying to defend coal by blocking new wind turbines.

Queue Listen Now

National

Advocates Call For Updated Power Infrastructure In Light Of Weather-Related Outages

4:46pm February 25, 2021

by Jeff Brady

The Texas blackout is a reminder that climate-driven extreme weather stresses the U.S.'s power system in many ways. Much is needed to harden the grid for the future as the number of outages increase.

Queue Listen Now

National

Thousands In Texas Still Don't Have Power As Lawmakers Investigate ERCOT

6:17pm February 24, 2021

by Dominic Anthony Walsh

As more Texans get their water restored, fallout from the mass blackout continues. There have been resignations from the body that oversees the grid, and lawmakers open their investigation tomorrow.

Queue Listen Now

Five out-of-state members of a major Texas electricity grid operator are resigning following winter storm Uri that hit the state and knocked out coal, natural gas and nuclear plants that were unprepared for the freezing temperatures brought on by the stor

National

Board Members Resign From Texas Electric Grid Operator After Mass Power Outages

4:01am February 24, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has been heavily criticized after last week's winter storm left more than 4 million Texans without power for several days.

Rep. Deb Haaland, D-N.M., during her Senate hearing Tuesday to be Interior Secretary. If confirmed, she would be the first Native American to hold the post.

Interior Nominee Deb Haaland Faces Tough Questions On Climate Goals

10:58pm February 23, 2021

by Nathan Rott

Despite Biden's ambitious climate plan, Haaland told lawmakers the country would not abandon fossil fuels "overnight." If confirmed, she would be the first Native American Cabinet secretary.