Mose Buchele
Mose Buchele is the Austin-based broadcast reporter for KUT's NPR partnership StateImpact Texas . He has been on staff at KUT 90.5 since 2009, covering local and state issues. Mose has also worked as a blogger on politics and an education reporter at his hometown paper in Western Massachusetts. He holds masters degrees in Latin American Studies and Journalism from UT Austin.
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ERCOT says that, as a division of state government, it has sovereign immunity. Plaintiffs point out that it is also an independent nonprofit, a fact the grid operator sometimes uses to its advantage.
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A seasonal report from ERCOT shows the grid should hold up under normal winter conditions. But there are scenarios in which the grid operator would need to institute blackouts like it did in 2021.
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The report also recommends the Public Utility Commission hire more of its own analysts rather than rely on industry and other outside groups to help make decisions that affect the entire state.
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State lawmakers are discussing ways to increase electric grid reliability, but some experts say the proposed changes could hurt renewable energy without bolstering the grid.
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The Railroad Commission of Texas has been called one of the most consequential climate-related offices in the country. Democrat Luke Warford is challenging incumbent Wayne Christian for his seat.
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The drought has meant a smaller than usual pumpkin crop in Texas this year. Farmers say that drop in supply will mean higher prices for pumpkins popular for fall display and Halloween carving.
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Despite unanimously rejecting a petition to strengthen standards in the state, regulators with the Public Utility Commission said they weren't rejecting the idea outright. Instead, they said they needed more time to explore the issue.
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On May 4, 1976, a power company based in Texas sent electricity from a substation in Vernon, Texas, to Altus, Okla. By doing so, they were breaking a deal among power companies in Texas to keep electricity within state borders.
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While there have been improvements to the grid over the past year and a half, some of the root causes of the blackout are still unaddressed.
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Houstonian Sandra Edwards, who lost power for four days during the blackout, started getting electric bills this spring that are almost double what they used to be. That’s because electricity has its own supply chain — and everybody needs to get paid.
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Manjula Shah died from hypothermia during the freeze. Her husband, Lalji, died four months later. She's in the state's official tally of freeze-related deaths. Like hundreds of other Texans, he is not.
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A heatwave in Texas has stressed the state's isolated electricity grid. A new podcast from KUT explores the future of the power grid and whether it'll hold up as residents use more air conditioning.