Tag Archives: Freeze 2021

Beto still seeking to dismiss oligarch’s lawsuit against him

Posted on August 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Might have better luck this time around. Remember last year when Gov. Greg Abbott’s biggest donor sued gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke for defamation, slander, and libel? Well, that’s still going on. The legal fight has moved into a state appeals … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

We’re going to have a “colder than normal” winter

Posted on August 20, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What could possibly go wrong? Savor the rest of the sweltering summer because this winter in Texas is going to be “colder than normal,” according to Farmers’ Almanac. The Almanac, which has been predicting the weather outlook for farmers and … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on We’re going to have a “colder than normal” winter

C’mon, we should get to see the city’s after-action report on the freeze

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

This is silly. Houston will not release its retrospective report on the 2021 winter freeze, citing a post-9/11 law shielding information that could be exposed by terrorists or criminals. The city drafted a report, called “After-Action Report/Improvement Plans for the 2021 Winter … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I’m sure they’ll evaluate themselves objectively

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

What could possibly go wrong? In October, Colorado-based E3 Consulting offered a plan for how the Public Utility Commission should redesign Texas’ deregulated power market. It produced a 44-page proposal, paid for by energy giants NRG and Chicago-based Exelon. Now … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Sure hope our grid can handle a bunch of crypto

Posted on May 18, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. With interest surging in digital currencies and the blockchain technology behind them, more and more investors and operators are turning to Texas, lured by its cheap energy and hands-off regulatory approach. The … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Sure hope our grid can handle a bunch of crypto

More on the oligarch suing Beto

Posted on April 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

From the Observer; I’m picking it up after the initial statements by Beto that got Kelcy Warren’s undies in such a wad: Free-speech advocates and many legal scholars have long decried these sort frivolous lawsuits—known as SLAPPs, or Strategic Lawsuits … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Houston to get federal freeze recovery funds

Posted on March 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Houston is slated to get about $30 million in disaster recovery money to help address lasting needs from the February 2021 winter storm — the largest such grant in Texas, federal officials announced Tuesday. Marcia L. Fudge, secretary of … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Houston to get federal freeze recovery funds

Beto responds to oligarch’s lawsuit

Posted on March 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. Democrat Beto O’Rourke is blasting a pipeline company executive and top donor to Greg Abbott’s re-election campaign for filing a defamation lawsuit against him as he tries to unseat the two-term Republican governor. O’Rourke’s attorney filed a legal … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Beto responds to oligarch’s lawsuit

One of Abbott’s billionaire patrons just sued Beto

Posted on March 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

OMG, this is amazing. The former CEO of one of the nation’s biggest pipeline companies and a major donor to Gov. Greg Abbott is suing Democrat Beto O’Rourke for defamation, slander, and libel for talking about his company’s role in … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

More on Abbott’s involvement in “getting the power back on”

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Also known as more from the Brazos Electric Power Co-op lawsuit against ERCOT, but that didn’t fit well in the title. The former chair of the Texas Public Utility Commission testified in court Thursday that during last year’s winter storm and blackout Governor … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on More on Abbott’s involvement in “getting the power back on”

Go ahead and blame Greg Abbott for your high electricity bills

Posted on February 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They really are his fault. The former head of the Texas power grid testified in court Wednesday that when he ordered power prices to stay at the maximum price cap for days on end during last year’s frigid winter storm and blackout, running up … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Go ahead and blame Greg Abbott for your high electricity bills

Winter storm litigation about to get busy

Posted on February 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some test cases will be underway soon. During the past year, the wrongful-death, personal injury and property damage lawsuits — nearly all consolidated before one judge in Houston — moved at a snail’s pace. Hardly any court hearings were conducted. … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Houston’s preparations for the next freeze

Posted on February 17, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We learned from the experience, which I hope will serve us well for the next time. The grid’s near collapse last February had drastic consequences for local governments, none more acute than the challenge water systems confronted in trying to … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Houston’s preparations for the next freeze

In case you’d forgotten, we still haven’t fixed the power grid

Posted on February 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It has other problems too, which we also haven’t addressed. Millions of Texans lost power in February 2021. Hundreds died as a result. Tens of billions of dollars in damages were lost. Billions were just transferred from consumers by government … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on In case you’d forgotten, we still haven’t fixed the power grid

A year after the freeze

Posted on February 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

A sobering portrait of grief and loss from last year’s freeze, from the Chron. A year ago, a blast of frigid weather swept across the state, paralyzing the power grid and setting off a catastrophe. Power generators went offline, leaving … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on A year after the freeze

How the grid held up

Posted on February 8, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Basically, this cold front wasn’t anything like last year’s cold front. Texas’s power grid passed its biggest test since last year’s deadly blackouts, keeping most lights on during a wintry blast. This storm, however, was far less severe than last … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on How the grid held up

The noble sacrifice of the coin miners

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

You’re welcome. Chad Harris got an urgent phone call during last February’s epic Texas winter storm, something he was expecting as the operator of the single largest bitcoin mining and hosting facility in North America. “You need to shed your … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Okay, so maybe there will be some blackouts

Posted on February 2, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. With freezing weather expected to hit a large portion of Texas this week, Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday tried to assure Texans that the state is better prepared this year than last, but said there could be local power … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Who’s worried about electricity in Texas?

Posted on January 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

The guy who writes The Watchdog for the DMN, for one. The people with real power in this state, not so much. I was lonely. For more than a decade, it was as if I were the only North Texas … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Who’s worried about electricity in Texas?

The cities and the freeze

Posted on January 15, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Well, at least some government entities are trying to learn from the February disaster, even if they’re having a rough go of it. Ten months after the freeze, Texas cities have made some headway on storm preparedness, an oft-neglected area … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on The cities and the freeze

We are so screwed if there’s a real cold front

Posted on January 13, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

[bangs head on desk]. During Texas’ first strong cold front of the winter this past weekend, natural gas production in the state’s top energy-producing region dropped by about 25%, according to a report from S&P Global. And while the lights … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on We are so screwed if there’s a real cold front

The final official death toll from the big freeze

Posted on January 4, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

It’s undoubtedly an underestimate. Texas has added 36 more deaths to the official death toll from the February snow and ice storm, bringing the total to 246 in what was one of the worst natural disasters in the state’s history. … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Nobody bullshits like Greg Abbott

Posted on December 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Some stories I blog about require subtle thought and detailed analysis. Others pretty much speak for themselves. The two most powerful people overseeing Texas’ electric grid sat next to each other in a quickly arranged Austin news conference in early … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Climate change and freezing weather

Posted on December 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A little science for you. It was the coldest February Texas had seen in more than four decades, and the sustained blast of arctic air knocked out much of the state’s power grid for several days, causing hundreds of deaths … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

ERCOT and PUC swear there will be no blackouts this winter

Posted on December 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Do you believe them? The Public Utility Commission and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas on Wednesday pledged that the “lights will stay on” this winter as it inspects power generators and enforces other requirements to avoid a deadly power … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on ERCOT and PUC swear there will be no blackouts this winter

A brief look at the winter storm litigation

Posted on December 7, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This story is actually about the judge who will be presiding over winter storm cases, but it caught my eye for a reason that will be apparent. Sylvia A. Matthews presided over more than 175 jury trials and 160 bench … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It’s the power grid, stupid

Posted on December 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s also a campaign theme. Texas Democrats want to talk about the power grid. Specifically, they want to talk about how it failed in February, how they don’t think enough has been done to fix it and why they believe … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Greg Abbott’s bet

Posted on December 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

What, me worry about blackouts? Gov. Greg Abbott promised that the state’s electric grid would be able to withstand pressures caused by any potential winter storm that occurs this year in a television interview Friday. “Listen, very confident about the grid. … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

We’re still vulnerable to blackouts

Posted on November 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

So says ERCOT. Electricity outages in Texas could occur this winter if the state experiences a cold snap that forces many power plants offline at the same time as demand for power is high, according to an analysis by the … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

FERC report on the freeze

Posted on November 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It was lack of weatherization all along. A shortage of natural gas during the winter storm that swept Texas and other states in the south central United States in February was primarily caused by the oil and gas industry’s failure … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on FERC report on the freeze

Those pesky high utility rates

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Still a problem. Those of us who lived through Winter Storm Uri have hardly forgotten the experience, of course. But we’ll have a little reminder of it on our gas bills. Every month. For the next decade. At least. And … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Ten years after the Bastrop fire

Posted on November 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The headline on this story asks whether Texas is ready for the next big fire. I think we know the answer to that. Ten years ago, Texas experienced it’s worst wildfire disaster in the state’s history. Over 31 thousand fires … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Luke Warford announces for Railroad Commissioner

Posted on November 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He’s got the right idea about what to run on. A 32-year-old former top staffer for the Texas Democratic Party is running for a spot on the three-person commission regulating the state’s oil and gas industry, hoping to unseat Republican … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Maybe there won’t be another freeze this winter

Posted on November 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Views differ. Love it or hate it — winter looks especially warm in Texas this year. Federal forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center said last week that much of the country is likely to see … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments