BIZARRE: 65 - You Need To See This

“Power Companies Get Exactly What They Want”: How Texas Repeatedly Failed to Protect Its Power Grid Against Extreme Weather

Texas regulators and lawmakers knew about the grid’s vulnerabilities for years, but still they furthered the interests of large electricity providers.

Texas Observer · Feb 23, 2021

Why Texas Wasn’t Prepared for Winter Storm Uri

A disaster management expert on how poor planning and communication failures deepened the crisis that left millions of Texans without power during the deep freeze.

Texas Observer · Feb 22, 2021

The Lege This Week: Out Cold

As disaster unfolded across Texas, state lawmakers were quick to blame the state’s grid operator and the public utility commission. But the Legislature will face a reckoning of its own.

Texas Observer · Feb 19, 2021

The Lege This Week: Senators Poke, Prod and Punch Paxton

The attorney general runs the gauntlet before the Senate Finance Committee, and Dan Patrick just wants to make you sing.

Texas Observer · Feb 12, 2021

Biden Plans to Ban All New Fracking Leases on Public Land. Will He Actually Do It?

The Bureau of Land Management often auctions off parcels of land to oil and gas developments. For years, Texas cities and environmentalists have sounded the alarm about the arrangements.

Texas Observer · Feb 11, 2021

How Texas Courts Went Virtual

The administrator responsible for moving hearings online during the COVID-19 pandemic talks about the future of Zoom court.

Texas Observer · Feb 10, 2021

The Sunniest City in Texas is Expanding … Natural Gas Production

After New Mexico rejected a proposal for the El Paso power plant, the Biden administration could be El Paso’s last line of defense.

Texas Observer · Feb 10, 2021

In ‘At the Ready,’ Latinx High Schoolers Train to Be Border Patrol Agents

A new documentary on the border tells the story of three conflicted young Texans contemplating becoming Border Patrol agents.

Texas Observer · Feb 9, 2021

Undetected

Too few police departments are effectively deploying their resources to stop them.

Texas Observer · Feb 8, 2021

The Lege This Week: Amid Pandemic, Abbott Prioritizes Red Meat

Texas Governor Abbott continues his war on local control while protecting businesses from COVID-19 lawsuits.

Texas Observer · Feb 5, 2021