Energy and Environment Reporting for Texas That project is finished, but this page continues to share those stories.
StateImpact Texas began as a collaboration among Texas public radio stations K*T Austin, KUHF Houston and NPR to explain the effects of state energy and environmental policy on people’s lives.
Alligators are not usually associated with Austin, but they are part of our local lore. A while back I started looking into them for . I had no idea what a wild ride it would become.
Austin is not often associated with alligators. But gators do loom large in our local history.
Onward! Through the smog!
Smoke from agricultural fires may have cleared out from Austin. But Saharan dust could be fast on its heels.
Here's why air quality has been significantly worse than usual.
Usually, Austin can expect a day or two a year when smoke in the air rises to a level deemed dangerous for some people. We've already had eight such days this year, and it's only May.
Texas power grid watchdog steps down after clashing with ERCOT officials over "artificial" energy costs.
The grid's independent market monitor has resigned after saying grid operators had "artificially" inflated energy prices.
A deep dive into the history of the Texas grid, and the cause of February's catastrophic blackout. Hosted by K*T's Mose Buchele, this new series is full of exclusive interviews, incredible storytelling, and mind blowing production. Don't miss it.
https://kutkutx.studio/category/the-disconnect-power-politics-and-the-texas-blackout
Millions lost power. Hundreds died. How did this happen? K*T's Mose Buchele explores what happened during the worst blackout in Texas history, how we got the electric grid we have today and what could be done to fix it.
Texas regulators are loosening rules for storing oil in underground caves and for plugging shut-down oil wells (among others!)
https://www.kut.org/post/texas-oil-regulators-loosen-rules-and-waive-fees-dont-cut-production
For months, the state agency that regulates oil and gas in Texas has considered reducing the amount of crude companies can pump from the ground .
When you can't sell your oil, and you can't store your oil. That's when you start paying other people to take your oil.
https://www.kut.org/post/oil-prices-have-gone-negative-how-does-even-happen
For the first time in history, a barrel of West Texas oil was so worthless Monday that oil companies would pay you to take it. Oil prices have been low for
The head of the Texas Oil and Gas Association said Tuesday his group agrees fossil fuels contribute to global warming and that the industry will find ways
People read a lot into how Georgetown's green fortunes have turned. Important to remember that in a competitive energy market there will be winners and losers no matter what type of energy you're trading in.
https://www.kut.org/post/once-hailed-renewable-mecca-georgetown-hires-shell-manage-its-energy-portfolio
The City of Georgetown earned international attention a few years ago by becoming the largest city in the U.S. to run completely on renewable power . Now,
Landowners see the large awards they're receiving as evidence that Kinder Morgan is using the threat of eminent domain to take advantage of people.
https://www.kut.org/post/hill-country-landowners-say-kinder-morgan-lowballing-them-special-courts-are-agreeing
Kay Pence owns a ranch in the Hill Country town of Fredericksburg. About a year ago, she got a call from the pipeline company Kinder Morgan. The caller
Have crickets invaded your hometown lately? Here's why.
https://www.kut.org/post/why-are-there-so-many-crickets-around-austin-time-year
Every year they invade Austin in loud swarms – eating, drinking, mating. No, it’s not the throngs of ACL or South by Southwest. We’re talking about the
Another pipeline is in the works through the Texas Hill Country.
https://www.kut.org/post/hill-country-landowners-get-ready-another-pipeline-fight
Charles Chaney Jr. has Utopia on his mind. The Texas City resident is a month away from retirement, and Utopia is the name of the scenic Hill Country town
In Austin, hundred degree days keep coming later and later in the year.
https://www.kut.org/post/was-austins-hottest-september-ever-recorded-and-it-wasnt-even-close
Mention the year 2011 to any Austinite who lived here then, and expect to get an earful. It was the hottest year recorded in Austin's history – so hot and
Flood disclosure rules have changed in Texas. News you can use if you ever hope to buy or sell a house.
https://www.kut.org/post/if-youre-selling-house-texas-you-now-need-disclose-if-it-has-ever-flooded
If you’re looking to buy a house in Texas, the homeowner is now required to tell you if it has ever flooded. Likewise, if you own a home that’s flooded, be
Some cities are getting hotter faster than others. At least five are in Texas.
https://www.kut.org/post/austin-makes-top-10-list-us-cities-greatest-increase-hot-days
The triple-digit heatwave hitting Austin is becoming one for the record books. On Wednesday, it became the fifth longest ever recorded in the city's
Your pizza could be the next battleground in Trump's trade war.
https://www.kut.org/post/get-ready-pay-more-tomatoes
Consumers could see a sharp rise in the cost of tomatoes if the U.S. Department of Commerce pulls out of a trade agreement it has maintained with Mexico
Some see "unprecedented" efforts to curb or end renewable energy incentives at Texas capitol this year.
https://www.kut.org/post/battle-over-renewable-energy-takes-shape-texas-capitol
Wind power in Texas is often seen as one of the state’s great success stories. It’s grown so much in the last 20 years that the state now leads the country
A huge spring migration of monarch butterflies is flying over Texas right now.
https://www.kut.org/post/biggest-spring-migration-monarch-butterflies-years-passing-through-austin
The annual return of the monarch butterfly is underway. They started showing up in Austin about a week ago, according to the crowdsourced online tracker at
Feral hogs aren't only a problem in the rural parts of the state. http://www.kut.org/post/austin-feral-hogs-may-be-closer-you-think
When it comes to invasive wild pigs, Texas is No. 1. There are at least 2 million feral hogs roaming the state – about half the animal's national
http://www.kut.org/post/its-been-bad-year-texas-wildfires-it-will-probably-get-worse
Four large wildfires have broken out in Central Texas just about a week. It’s part of a bad year for Texas fires, and climate researchers say the uptick in
http://kut.org/post/coal-plant-closures-could-raise-electricity-rates-austin-or-maybe-not
The announcement that three coal power plants in Texas plan to close next year is likely good news for the environment , but bad news for the people who
An island is rising from Austin's Lady Bird Lake.
http://kut.org/post/whats-austins-newest-piece-real-estate-island-rising-lady-bird-lake
A new island has risen up near the boardwalk on the south shore of Lady Bird Lake. I noticed it on a recent jog, and I’m not the only one.
Trump's pick for top environmental job brings a missionary zeal to her defense of coal, oil and gas.
http://kut.org/post/trumps-pick-key-environmental-post-texan-who-really-really-likes-fossil-fuels
Kathleen Hartnett White was a top environmental regulator in Texas from 2001 to 2007. Now, President Trump has chosen her to lead the Council on
One of the coal units being closed is under 10 years old and was championed by then-Governor Rick Perry. A remarkable reversal.
http://kut.org/post/3-takeaways-unprecedented-texas-coal-plant-closures
Energy company Luminant says it’s shutting down three of its coal-fired power plants in Texas by early next year. The sudden closure of so many plants is
http://kut.org/post/two-lions-tiger-and-some-monkeys-escaped-harvey-find-new-home-austin-zoo
It wasn’t just people who found themselves displaced after Hurricane Harvey flooded parts of Texas. Animals escaped the floodwaters, as well – and not just
Interruptions in supply have cause some stations to run out.
http://kut.org/post/gas-shortages-begin-harvey-shutters-southeast-texas-refineries?nopop=1
Tropical Storm Harvey has brought the mighty Texas oil refining industry to its knees, at least temporarily, and Texas drivers are just starting to feel
Austin's Iconic Barton Springs at risk of Zebra Mussel infestation.
http://kut.org/post/how-zebra-mussels-will-change-austin-lakes-and-maybe-barton-springs-forever?nopop=1
The invasive zebra mussel has been moving south for years, leaving destruction its wake. Now, it’s in Lake Travis (update: and Lake Austin ), and it will
http://kut.org/post/local-milk-people-express-concern-over-trumps-immigration-policies
When transcripts of President Trump’s conversations with foreign leaders about refugee policy leaked to the press last week, one line got a lot of
Austin has always been hot in the summer – it is Texas after all – but just not this hot.
http://kut.org/post/austin-used-be-cooler-literally
People love to wax nostalgic about the Austin of decades past. The rents were cheaper, the traffic was lighter, the music was live-r. Some of that talk may
It took an oil bust for people to notice the pipeline in the 1990s. Will a recent pipeline bust have the same effect?
http://kut.org/post/crude-oil-pipeline-runs-right-under-south-austin?nopop=1
There’s almost enough pipeline transporting crude oil and other chemicals buried under Texas to reach the moon and back. Last week, one small section of
Program used by Texas cities to clean contaminated land on the chopping block.
http://kut.org/post/epa-program-austin-uses-clean-polluted-land-could-be-slashed
The legacy of Austin’s polluting past still lives in its soil. Parcels of land, especially on the city’s East Side, carry contamination from businesses and
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