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Mitchell Ferman is a reporter for The Texas Tribune covering energy and the economy from a base in Houston. Before joining the Tribune he was a reporter for The Monitor in McAllen, where he covered cross-border trade, politics and the city of McAllen. He also regularly freelanced from the Rio Grande Valley and beyond for The New York Times, Texas Monthly and Reuters, writing about topics including the family separation crisis and unexpected consequences of the border wall. He graduated from the University of Missouri.
Texas lawmakers have questioned and criticized the Electric Reliability Council of Texas for days about the near-collapse of the state’s power grid last week. Full Story
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Who are the major players and how do they manage the power grid in Texas? Full Story
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Lawmakers grilled public regulators and energy grid officials about how power outages happened and why Texans weren't given more warnings about the danger. Full Story
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Lawmakers and analysts say it is too soon for an exact estimate, but the financial damage from the storm has left state lawmakers scrambling to account for the storm in the middle of the 2021 legislative session. Full Story
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Five board members, including the chair, who do not live in Texas will resign. A candidate for another position on the board has withdrawn his application. The vacancies will not immediately be filled. Full Story
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Some utility companies that deliver electricity to Texans are telling customers to expect power outages through Monday night and potentially into Tuesday. Full Story
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Gov. Greg Abbott urged Texans to stay alert as the National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings or watches for most of the state. Experts fear that electricity demand during the frigid temperatures could cause power outages. Full Story
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A global push toward a cleaner climate and safer environment — from the free market and not just the White House — has not kept Texas lawmakers from criticizing the new president. Full Story
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The minimum wage in Texas pays $7.25 an hour, well below a livable wage and far lower than the minimum hourly pay in most states. Full Story
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U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, unsuccessfully pushed for similar federal legislation. Abbott's support comes as Texas intensive care units are filling up with coronavirus patients. Full Story
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The proposals are about $7 billion over the amount Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar said lawmakers have to spend during the 2021 legislative session. Full Story
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State Rep. Charlie Geren filed legislation that would let restaurants battered by the coronavirus pandemic permanently sell alcohol to go. The measure already has backing from top state officials. Full Story
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Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar estimated that lawmakers have $113 billion to spend when they write the next two-year budget. Full Story
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Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also said, “Texans should hold Sen. Ted Cruz accountable for this fiasco.” Full Story
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Texas’ uncertain economic recovery is tied to the coronavirus vaccine, Hegar said, as state lawmakers convened this week to begin working on a new state budget with less money than they had to spend during the last legislative session. Full Story
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President Donald Trump has suggested he will veto COVID-19 aid legislation, creating uncertainty about when assistance may reach Americans. Meanwhile, Texans are living in cars and the state is sitting on unspent relief money. Full Story
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Although normally ineligible, gig workers and independent contractors qualified for unemployment aid during the pandemic. The assistance is set to expire at the end of December. Full Story
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Miller said he will quarantine at his ranch. He's the second Texas statewide elected official to confirm testing positive for the virus. Full Story
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Adelson's Las Vegas Sands has built a stable of high-powered lobbyists for the session, which starts in January, and the company acknowledged Tuesday that it is serious about bringing casinos to Texas. Full Story
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Despite details released from the Paycheck Protection Program this week, a full snapshot of the program remains unclear. Full Story
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