https://www.texastribune.org/about/staff/emily-foxhall/The latest news by Emily Foxhall.enWed, 03 Jan 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/03/texas-bitcoin-profit-electricity/Bitcoin miner Riot Platforms made headlines over the summer for making millions by selling pre-purchased power back to the grid. The news highlighted how the grid can benefit businesses more than consumers.Kevin Vu and Emily FoxhallWed, 03 Jan 2024 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2024/01/03/texas-bitcoin-profit-electricity/Terri Rimmer uses her computer to search for remote jobs in her Fort Worth apartment on Sept. 9, 2023. A blackout curtain on the window helps keep the room cool. Rimmer said the trauma from the February 2021 winter storm caused her to shut off her air conditioning last summer when the state grid operator asked Texans to reduce electricity use.Terri Rimmer uses her computer to search for remote jobs and browse the internet in her apartment in Fort Worth on Sept. 9, 2023. A black out curtain on the window helps keep the room cool.Evan L'Roy for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/01/texas-power-grid-ERCOT-winter-2023/Industry experts continue to argue over whether the electricity market in Texas needs to change to make the grid more reliable in winter and summer.Emily FoxhallFri, 01 Dec 2023 05:00:00 -0600https://www.texastribune.org/2023/12/01/texas-power-grid-ERCOT-winter-2023/Snow surrounds an Austin Energy station in Austin on Feb. 18, 2021 during a powerful winter storm that left millions of Texans without power or heat for days. The state's power grid operator tried to get additional power online to prepare for this winter before abandoning the effort after a poor response.Snow surrounds an Austin Energy station in Austin on Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021.Sergio Flores for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/03/texas-oyster-fishing-season/Despite fishermen’s wishes to delay the season in hopes that oyster reefs recover from years of environmental stress, the state pushed ahead with a Nov. 1 start.Emily Foxhall and Alejandra MartinezFri, 03 Nov 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/03/texas-oyster-fishing-season/Manuel Perez watches as neighboring oyster boats maneuver around the harvesting zone in Galveston Bay, outside of Texas City, on the first day of the oyster harvesting season, on Nov. 1, 2023.Manuel Perez watches as neighboring oyster boats maneuver around the harvesting zone in Galveston Bay, outside of Texas City, on the first day of the oyster harvesting season, on Nov. 1, 2023.Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/02/texas-ercot-budget-increase-public-utility-commission/The Electric Reliability Council of Texas said it needs more money to comply with new regulations, hire more employees and fight legal challenges. It said the budget increase will cost power customers less than 20 cents per month.Kevin Vu and Emily FoxhallThu, 02 Nov 2023 14:00:03 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/11/02/texas-ercot-budget-increase-public-utility-commission/https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/27/texas-solar-farm-sheep-agrivoltaics/The practice of using land for both agriculture and solar power generation, known as agrivoltaics, is becoming increasingly common in Texas and nationwide.Emily FoxhallFri, 27 Oct 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/27/texas-solar-farm-sheep-agrivoltaics/Sheep graze along a service road at Enel North America's solar farm in Haskell County on Oct. 20.Sheep graze along a service road at the Enel solar farm Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Haskell County.Trace Thomas for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/04/texas-oilfield-waste-disposal-rules-railroad-commission/The effort to update the state’s oilfield waste disposal rules was initiated by Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright, one of the state’s top oil and gas regulators who has investments in the industry.Emily Foxhall and Erin DouglasWed, 04 Oct 2023 10:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/04/texas-oilfield-waste-disposal-rules-railroad-commission/From left to right, Railroad Commission Chair Christi Craddick and fellow commissioners Wayne Christian and Jim Wright at a commission hearing in Austin on Nov. 30, 2021.Christi Craddick, Commissioner of the Texas Railroad Commission, Chairman Wayne Christian, and Commissioner Jim Wright listen during an RRC hearing in the William B. Travis Building in Austin on Nov. 30, 2021.Dimitri Staszewski for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/28/texas-ike-dike-coastal-barrier-army-corps/The latest figure is 68% higher than an earlier estimate of $34 billion, and it’s unclear when — or whether — Congress will appropriate the money to build the massive system of gates intended to protect the Houston region from storm surge.Erin Douglas and Emily FoxhallThu, 28 Sep 2023 17:26:23 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/28/texas-ike-dike-coastal-barrier-army-corps/Galveston Beach would be built up with new dunes, Galveston Island's seawall would be raised and massive gates would protect the mouth of Galveston Bay under the proposed "Ike Dike" project.Galveston Beach on March 11, 2021.Briana Vargas for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/12/texas-power-grid-batteries/This summer, industrial scale batteries have helped boost the energy supply during critical evening hours. Battery storage represents a small fraction of Texas’ energy mix now, but it’s expected to rise sharply in coming years.Keaton Peters and Emily FoxhallTue, 12 Sep 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/12/texas-power-grid-batteries/https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/06/texas-ercot-power-grid-rolling-blackouts/ERCOT has called on generators to push all available electricity to the grid as rising demand threatens to surpass the state’s power supply. If that fails, rolling blackouts are likely to begin.Emily FoxhallWed, 06 Sep 2023 20:13:45 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/06/texas-ercot-power-grid-rolling-blackouts/https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/06/texas-power-grid-electricity-conserve/A day after declaring emergency conditions for the first time this summer, ERCOT is asking residents to reduce how much power they use between 5 and 9 p.m. Thursday as continued high temperatures push the power grid into tight conditions.Emily FoxhallWed, 06 Sep 2023 17:28:38 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/06/texas-power-grid-electricity-conserve/The state's electric grid operator issued another conservation request Wednesday, asking Texans to reduce their power use from 6 to 9 p.m.Scenes from the Seaholm Power Plant in Austin on June 21, 2021.Sophie Park/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/01/ercot-conservation-notice-how-grid-works/Record-high power demand and faltering electricity sources have tested the grid in the past month, forcing the Electric Reliability Council of Texas to dig deep into its toolbox to keep power flowing.Emily FoxhallFri, 01 Sep 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/09/01/ercot-conservation-notice-how-grid-works/Power lines crisscross the Permian Basin landscape south of Gardendale in 2018.Powerlines crisscross the Permian Basin landscape, south of Gardendale, on 2018.Jerod Foster for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/29/texas-offshore-wind-farms-leases-gulf-of-mexico-bids/Offshore wind advocates blame Texas’ antagonistic political climate for the lack of offers. A lease off the coast of Louisiana received two bids.Emily FoxhallTue, 29 Aug 2023 17:48:12 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/29/texas-offshore-wind-farms-leases-gulf-of-mexico-bids/Blades destined for wind farms in the United States arrive on the docks at the Port of Houston, where they wait to be loaded onto trucks for delivery.Equipment, including stacks of large blades, destined for wind farms in the United States, arrive on the docks at the Port of Houston where they wait to be loaded onto trucks for delivery Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012 in Houston.Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/25/texas-ercot-grid-energy-conservation-friday/The grid operator asked Texans to reduce power use from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. to avoid a power-supply emergency.Emily FoxhallFri, 25 Aug 2023 13:06:40 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/25/texas-ercot-grid-energy-conservation-friday/The Texas grid operator asked residents to conserve energy for the third time this week as demand to cool homes and businesses nearly outpaces supply.Near Sweetwater, Texas construction has started on transmission lines that will connect windy regions of the state to its population centers. The total cost of all the lines throughout Texas is estimated at nearly $7 billion.Axel Gerdau for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/24/texas-ercot-power-grid-conservation-request/The latest conservation request from ERCOT — the third in the past week — sought to reduce power demand from 3 to 10 p.m. Thursday.Emily FoxhallThu, 24 Aug 2023 13:24:58 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/24/texas-ercot-power-grid-conservation-request/The state's power grid manager has asked Texans to reduce electricity use from 3 to 10 p.m. Thursday to reduce strain on the grid.An oil rig operates nearby Texas Farm to Market Road 81 Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023 outside of Helena. An explosion of hydrocarbon industry arrived in Karnes County around 2007 upon the discovery of the Eagle Ford Shale, one of the United State’s three largest shales rich in oil and natural gas.Eli Hartman/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/21/texas-new-law-electric-vehicle-fee/The new registration fee is meant to make up for the state’s lost revenue from gasoline taxes that are used to pay for road construction and maintenance.Emily FoxhallMon, 21 Aug 2023 05:00:00 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/21/texas-new-law-electric-vehicle-fee/While waiting for the battery in his Tesla to charge, a traveler cleans the windshield at a service station in Childress. Starting Sept. 1, electric vehicle owners in Texas will have to pay state fees aimed at making up for lost gasoline taxes.While waiting for the battery in his Tesla EV to charge, a traveler cleans the windshield on his vehicle at a service station in Childress on Aug. 23, 2022.Photo by Steven Clevenger/Sipa USAhttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/17/texas-electric-grid-ercot-conservation-request/This is the second voluntary conservation notice issued this summer by ERCOT, which hopes to lower electricity use and avoid tight grid conditions amid an ongoing heat wave.Emily FoxhallThu, 17 Aug 2023 12:11:12 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/17/texas-electric-grid-ercot-conservation-request/The state's grid operator has asked Texans to cut back on their electricity use from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday to prevent tight grid conditions.Power lines at Seaholm Power Plant in Austin on June 21, 2021.Sophie Park/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/16/texas-solar-farm-ban-counties-attorney-general/The opinion comes as communities across the country fight solar and wind development, which play an important role in slowing climate change but use a lot of land.Emily FoxhallWed, 16 Aug 2023 16:17:57 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/16/texas-solar-farm-ban-counties-attorney-general/Jerry Cooper, a Franklin County commissioner, drives past solar panels near Cunningham on April 10. The state attorney general’s office told the county that it doesn’t have the power to ban solar developments under state law.Jerry Cooper, County Commissioner District 1 of Franklin County, drives past solar panels near Cunningham on April 10, 2023. "I don't like the term 'solar farm', it feels disingenuous to me," said Cooper, "I realize things are changing, but this feels like an awful fast change."Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/20/texas-gulf-mexico-wind-farm-leases-bidding/Some oil companies have expressed interest in bidding to build wind turbines off the Texas coast, which could help reduce emissions that cause climate change but still come at an environmental cost.Emily FoxhallThu, 20 Jul 2023 10:33:49 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/20/texas-gulf-mexico-wind-farm-leases-bidding/The federal government on Thursday announced the first three offshore wind energy leases in the Gulf of Mexico. Companies can now bid on the leases, which are located off the Texas and Louisiana coasts.The offshore wind park of Saint-Nazaire is pictured off Le Croisic, western France, on September 22, 2022.Pool/ABACA via Reuters Connecthttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/14/texas-houston-worker-protest-water-breaks-law/The protesters called House Bill 2127 the “law that kills” and said it will leave those who labor outdoors at the mercy of their employers.Emily Foxhall and Francisco UrangaFri, 14 Jul 2023 16:56:12 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/14/texas-houston-worker-protest-water-breaks-law/Members of Fe y Justicia Worker Center hold signs in protest of House Bill 2127, a new state law that will eliminate many local worker-related protections, during a press conference at Houston’s City Hall on Friday.Members of Fe y Justicia Worker Center hold signs in protest of HB-2127 during a press conference at Houston’s City Hall on Friday, July 14, 2023. HB-2127 is a new state law that eliminates many worker protections.Douglas Sweet Jr. for The Texas Tribunehttps://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/06/texas-electricity-grid-federal-grant-extreme-weather/The Texas Division of Emergency Management will decide how to use the money.Emily FoxhallThu, 06 Jul 2023 15:20:34 -0500https://www.texastribune.org/2023/07/06/texas-electricity-grid-federal-grant-extreme-weather/The main switchyard at a Midlothian power plant. The federal government is sending Texas more than $60 million to strengthen the state’s power grid.The main switchyard at Vistra Corp.’s Midlothian Power Plant on October 15, 2021. This is where the power produced at this plant is transformed into usable energy.Shelby Tauber for The Texas Tribune