Claim OwnershipThe Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout
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Millions of Texans lost power during a winter storm in February 2021. Hundreds may have died. And people wondered: “How could this happen in the energy capital of the U.S.?” To understand how we got the electric grid we have in Texas today, you have to understand the electric grid we had up until a little more than 20 years ago — and how a group of power companies, environmentalists, cities and state lawmakers hatched a plan to completely remake it. Did the experiment fail? Hosted by Mose Buchele and produced at KUT & KUTX Studios.
20 Episodes
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Join us as we explore the reasons and decisions that ultimately left millions of Texans in the dark during the crippling winter storm of February 2021. KUT’s Mose Buchele reports on what happened, how we got the electric grid we have today and what could be done to fix it in this limited series podcast.
The post Trailer: The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
It was only when the lights went out in Texas that many of us realized — electrically — we are all alone. Claire McInerny brings us that story. Plus, Jimmy Maas tells us how the electricity market in Texas used to work up until about 20 years ago. Find a full transcript of this episode […]
The post The Energy Island appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
How did we get the power grid we have today? Andrew Weber has the story — and it involves football, subterfuge and a whole lot of lobbyists. You can find a full transcript of this episode here.
The post The Electricity Game appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
The story of how the worst blackout in Texas history unfolded — and left millions of people cold, hungry and with no faith in their state’s power grid. A warning: Some of what you’ll hear in this episode may be disturbing, especially if you lived through this disaster. Find a full transcript of this episode […]
The post The Blackout appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
In this mini-episode, we tell what happens next if the Texas power grid were to suffer a catastrophic failure. It almost did in February — and if it had happened, there might have been an even bigger problem. Find a full transcript of this episode here.
The post Bonus: The Black Start appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
A huge catastrophe. Dozens dead. A city without power or water. It’s like a miniature version of the February blackouts. Except this happened more than 100 years ago in Texas — and leaders faced some of the same questions then as they do now.
The post Bonus: The Great Dam Disaster appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
So what did state leaders do to make sure something like the February blackout never happens again? And what role did deregulation play in the failure of the Texas power grid? Find a full transcript of this episode here.
The post The Fallout appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
Texas lawmakers passed a law earlier this year requiring power plants to winterize — but what does that really mean? And what about winterizing other things that are needed to make sure the lights don’t go out in a storm again?
The post Bonus: The Winterizing appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
In the time since the blackout, state officials, ERCOT and power generators have tried to convince Texans that they’ve got things under control. But a lot of people aren’t convinced. And with good reason. In this episode, we’ll explore how the trauma of the blackout is still with us — and how we still haven’t […]
The post The Toll appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
Texans have seen their electric bills rise dramatically since the blackouts last year. We’ll break down all the links in the electric supply chain that each need to get paid — and explain how we’ll still be paying the costs of the blackout for decades to come. The Disconnect Season 2 is a project of […]
The post The Money appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
A year and a half after the blackout, lots of Texans are still wondering if they can rely on the power grid. After conservation alerts and one pretty close call this summer, it can seem like the grid is still on a knife’s edge. We look at what’s changed, what hasn’t and how that lack […]
The post The Fixes appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
We’ve talked about the supply-side fixes — but what about the demand side? The Disconnect Season 2 is a project of The Texas Newsroom, the collaboration among NPR and the public radio stations in the state. It received support from FRONTLINE’s Local Journalism Initiative, which is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight […]
The post BONUS: The Megawatt We Don’t Use appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
We’ve already learned how Texas (or at least most of it) is an energy island — mostly cut off from grids in other states. In this episode, we’ll hear about the time when one power company went rogue and threw a transmission line across the Oklahoma border. This is the story of why they tried […]
The post The Midnight Connection appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
Nearly two years after the big blackout in Texas, how big of an issue is the power grid in the 2022 race for governor? We talk with Julian Aguilar, a reporter for the Texas Newsroom. The Disconnect Season 2 is a project of The Texas Newsroom, the collaboration among NPR and the public radio stations […]
The post The Campaign appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
In this bonus episode, you’ll hear a panel of experts we brought together to mark two years since the 2021 blackout, where we discuss the future of the Texas grid in the face of climate change and the increasingly extreme weather linked to it.
The post The Texas Grid Under Pressure appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
In this season of The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout, we explore the history of Texas oil and gas regulation, how the industry — with the help of state officials— became largely self-regulating and what that means for energy reliability in Texas.
The post The Disconnect Season 3: Coming Feb 12 appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
Hear the story of a con man and a group of hardscrabble East Texas farmers who uncovered the biggest oilfield in U.S. history — and how that discovery forced an obscure state agency to confront the destructive forces of unrestrained oil drilling.
The post The Long Con appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
We tell the story of how the National Guard descended on the East Texas oilfield, the chaos that followed, and how a bar fight in Austin helped establish a new system of energy regulation.
The post The Bar Fight That Changed the World appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
As the Texas Railroad Commission falls from global oil dominance, the energy crisis of the 1970s strikes and one gas company cuts power to millions. What comes next brings plenty of political intrigue, and sets up a divided system of energy regulation in Texas unlike anywhere else in the country.
The post The Bull of the Brazos appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
When the 2021 blackout struck, the finger-pointing began. Electric utilities versus pipeline companies. But finding out exactly what happened is one of the most frustrating parts oil and gas regulation in Texas: getting a clear picture of who did what isn’t really possible. But there’s one man who says he can see exactly what happened. […]
The post The Greater Force: A Spaghetti Bowl Story appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.
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Super interesting and well done. Well worth a listen. Thanks for the hard work guys.