Natural Gas

Texas Gas Service says the rate hike for Austin residents is necessary to invest in infrastructure and keep up with rising costs due to inflation. But critics say this is just the latest increase implemented over the last four years.

Austin Energy says building a new natural gas plant will help meet Austin's energy needs. Members of a citizen oversight group say the utility is shirking its duty to reduce emissions and city climate goals.

The goal of the Texas Power Grid Investment Summit was to attract investors to build natural gas power plants in Texas. But it was colored by the history of BlackRock and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the two main organizers.

A bill passed by the Senate proposed setting aside $10 billion to finance 10,000 megawatts of natural gas power plants. A document shows that amount would pay for only 5,800 megawatts.

Senators want to make renewable energy in the Texas more expensive and put public money toward building more gas power plants.

Atmos, a major natural gas provider for the state, issued a conservation notice and reported low pressure issues during last week’s freeze.

Unlike in February, the supply disruption did not translate into problems for the electric grid. But, energy experts say, it shows Texas has more work to do to safeguard its energy infrastructure against weather-related blackouts.

In this episode of The Disconnect, we visit a Texas gas power plant that is preparing for winter, talk about the drama in Austin as lawmakers and oil and gas regulators square off over policy, and ask the question: Is Texas ready for another big freeze?

Several groups are investigating manipulation of the electric and natural gas markets during the Texas blackout. But the rules are different for different kinds of energy.

In Texas’ deregulated energy market, high prices during times of scarcity are often considered a sign that the market is working. But many utilities say the high price of natural gas during the winter storm was different. They're calling it price gouging.