Texas Tribune: Texas lawmakers back U.S. ban on Russian oil imports and call for increased domestic production
March 8 — Texas Republicans spent much of Monday demanding nearly unfettered drilling and pipeline usage across North America — policies Biden officials refused to endorse.
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Dallas Business Journal: More insurance companies sue ERCOT, energy providers over billions in winter storm damage
March 7 — ERCOT is having a very bad two weeks in court. And things just got worse for power providers in Texas, too.
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WFAA: Texas Senate committee holds hearing to review recent power grid changes, concerns over regulation
March 9 — Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Wayne Christian came in for some tough questioning from lawmakers during a Texas Senate committee hearing reviewing changes made since last February’s devastating winter storm that left millions without power.
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Texas Climate News: Millions of Texans lack home weatherization that can save energy, lives
March 8 — “There’s a huge number of homes out there that cannot hold a [set temperature] for even a minute – if the AC shuts off, that house is getting hot,” a Texas energy efficiency expert said.
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CBS Austin: Texas Senate committee hears from ERCOT, others about electric grid reliability
March 9 — It’s a year later, and the devastating February winter storm is still sparking many conversations on the state’s preparedness. Today, the Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce heard from ERCOT and others with a hand in the electric grid on whether they’re accomplishing that.
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El Paso Times: Mediation fails to settle El Paso Electric’s $41.8M rate increase request
March 10 — Mediation has failed to settle El Paso Electric’s $41.8 million rate increase request — sending the case back to a state hearing for resolution. A Feb. 24 virtual mediation session with representatives of the city of El Paso and others opposed to the proposed rate increase and company representatives failed to bring a settlement, state mediators recently reported in a filing with the Texas Public Utility Commission.
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Beaumont Enterprise: Texas has most untapped wind potential in the US
March 9 — Texas has the most untapped wind potential in the U.S., according to Stacker, a data journalism site. Data from the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shows the Lone Star State has a potential wind energy capacity of 1.35 million megawatts as of the fourth quarter of 2020, almost double that of the next closest state, Montana.
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Reuters: Trial over Texas co-op’s $2 billion energy bill paused for mediation
March 3 —The largest electric cooperative in Texas and the state’s energy grid operator on Thursday agreed to mediate their dispute over a nearly $2 billion bill stemming from last year’s historic winter storm that knocked out power for millions of Texans.