Category Archives: The great state of Texas

GLO to Harris County: Drop dead

Posted on May 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Hard to see this as anything but a hatchet job. Houston and Harris County officials said the Texas General Land Office informed them Thursday they would receive nothing from the more than $1.3 billion in applications they submitted for federal … Continue reading →

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How many times will we fail to fix our power grid?

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

By “we”, I mean our Legislature, and the PUC, and the Governor, and the Railroad Commission, and pretty much everyone else in charge of this state. Ten years ago, Texas power plants froze during a fast-moving winter storm, causing rolling … Continue reading →

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Of course business groups want Abbott to cut off unemployment payments

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Completely on brand. The Texas Association of Business and more than three dozen other business groups are pushing Gov. Greg Abbott to cut the additional $300 in federal benefits currently going to unemployed Texans. Nearly 1 million Texans remained unemployed … Continue reading →

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Here come the young people

Posted on May 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m just sitting here waiting for the Census data. Garima Vyas always wanted to live in a big city. She thought about New York, long the destination for 20-something strivers, but was wary of the cost and complicated subway lines. … Continue reading →

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The tiger is back in custody

Posted on May 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

What a world. After a weeklong search, Houston’s missing tiger, India, is now on his way to his new home at an animal sanctuary in Murchison, about three hours north of Houston. Noelle Almrud, senior director for the Cleveland Amory … Continue reading →

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How hot will summer be?

Posted on May 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Depends on how dependable the electricity providers are. ERCOT sought to reassure worried Texans that the state’s electricity grid will have enough power to meet record-breaking demand this summer, less than three months after a catastrophic power failure left millions … Continue reading →

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More than one way to fund the Ike Dike

Posted on May 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

As long as it gets funded, that’s what matters. When President Joe Biden proposed a nearly $2 trillion infrastructure bill, some Texas officials had high hopes that it might include funding for the long-awaited “Ike Dike” project to protect the … Continue reading →

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The Big Freeze didn’t just screw Texas

Posted on May 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I had no idea. Texas’ deep freeze didn’t just disrupt natural gas supplies throughout Lone Star country—its effects rippled across the country, extending as far north as Minnesota. There, gas utilities had to pay $800 million more than they anticipated … Continue reading →

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Please get your second shot

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I hope this is mostly a function of incomplete data. Millions of Americans — including tens of thousands of Houstonians — either have delayed or are forgoing their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccination. As of late last month, roughly … Continue reading →

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Now it gets harder to vaccinate people

Posted on April 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We reached this point pretty quickly. The hill gets steeper from here. After months of not having enough COVID-19 vaccines to meet demand, Texas suddenly appears to have plenty of shots but not as many people lining up to receive … Continue reading →

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The plight of the city-owned gas utilities

Posted on April 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s rough. In the wake of last month’s winter disaster, which nearly crashed the state’s power grid and killed more than 100 people, state lawmakers convened hearings to probe how a weeklong winter storm had crippled the state. They have … Continue reading →

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The Hobby poll on ending COVID restrictions

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A little while ago I blogged about the recent UH Hobby Center poll regarding the winter freeze and blackouts and responses to them. At the time I mentioned the poll had a separate section about Greg Abbott lifting the COVID … Continue reading →

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How our water systems failed during the freeze

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good analysis of something that has received far less attention than the blackouts that resulted during the freeze. Which is interesting because the blackouts were the main cause of the water outages and resulting boil notices. And the fix here … Continue reading →

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More interesting questions from that Matthew McConaughey poll

Posted on April 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s try this again. By 58% to 26%, Texans oppose a bill the House approved — and sent to the Senate Friday — that would allow people to carry handguns without a permit. Last month, opposition was greater — 64% … Continue reading →

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We are still managing to avoid a new COVID surge

Posted on April 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s good news, whatever the reason for it may be. More than a month has passed since Gov. Greg Abbott ended virtually all statewide restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic. Nationwide, new coronavirus cases are on the rise as new … Continue reading →

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Now it really is time for Texas to expand Medicaid

Posted on April 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good for the Biden administration putting the pressure on. The Biden administration on Friday rescinded changes to a federal funding agreement, known as a 1115 waiver, that would have extended for 10 years Texas’ health care safety net for uninsured … Continue reading →

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The infrastructure bill and Texas flooding

Posted on April 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s more than just the Ike Dike. President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan includes $50 billion to fortify states against future extreme weather events such as the droughts, floods and hurricanes that caused up to $200 billion in damage in Texas … Continue reading →

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ERCOT roundup

Posted on April 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Just a few stories of interest that I didn’t feel like putting in their own posts… ERCOT will argue it is immune from lawsuits. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas will argue that it has governmental immunity that protects it … Continue reading →

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When the vaccine problem becomes more about demand than supply

Posted on April 13, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Or to put it another way, what are we gonna do with the people who refuse to get vaccinated? Low vaccination rates in counties that are whiter and more conservative could be impairing Texas’ ability to quickly reach herd immunity … Continue reading →

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It was worse in Harris County during the freeze

Posted on April 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. Harris County residents were far more likely to have lost electricity and water during February’s winter storm and blackout crisis than residents of other Texas counties, a survey by the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs … Continue reading →

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Leave me out of the ballgame

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

What a snowflake. Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday announced he would not throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Texas Rangers’ home opening game and would boycott any other Major League Baseball events, citing the league’s decision to pull … Continue reading →

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Chron analysis puts freeze death total at 194

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Sobering, to say the least. The deaths of nearly 200 people are linked to February’s cold snap and blackouts, a Houston Chronicle analysis reveals, making the natural disaster one of the worst in Texas this past century. The tally, which … Continue reading →

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The infrastructure bill and the Ike Dike

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is encouraging. President Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan sure seems to be considering building the Ike Dike. His $2 trillion plan includes improving and strengthening infrastructure in coastal areas most vulnerable during hurricane season. Biden pitched part of the American … Continue reading →

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The infrastructure bill and the power grid

Posted on April 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan could help rebuild Texas highways and ports and push broadband into rural parts of the state, where up to 31 percent of residents do not have access to high-speed internet. It … Continue reading →

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Expanding telemedicine

Posted on April 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like a good idea. Last year, rules temporarily changed in Texas allowing for additional types of doctor appointments to happen virtually. As the state returns to more normalcy, there are questions about whether that broader use of telemedicine will … Continue reading →

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Winter storm death count now at 111

Posted on March 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A revision of the numbers. Expect this to happen at least once more. At least 111 Texans died as a result of last month’s winter storm, according to updated numbers released Thursday by the state Department of State Health Services. … Continue reading →

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The vaccination eligibility list is about to be wide open

Posted on March 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Go ahead and get on it, though be prepared to wait as the supply issues work themselves out. Everyone age 16 and older, regardless of occupation or health status, will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Texas starting March … Continue reading →

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COVID vaccination road trips

Posted on March 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s a thing that happens. With more vaccine supply flowing into Texas, the statewide mask mandate rollback and businesses reopening at 100 percent capacity, some Houstonians unable to get a COVID-19 vaccine close to home are making the drive two … Continue reading →

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The vaccination rate keeps inching up

Posted on March 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Making progress. A quarter of Texas residents 16 and older have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Wednesday afternoon, state data shows. A Chronicle analysis found that the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna … Continue reading →

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Our rinky-dink critical infrastructure

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good Lord. On Valentine’s Day, the major utility that supplies electricity to West Texas readied for a severe winter storm. Hired contractors prepared to fix power lines, managers started up the storm emergency center, and operators reviewed the list of … Continue reading →

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The state of the Public Utility Commission

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

News item #1: While many Texans last week were worried about sky-high electric bills from February’s winter storms, the state’s sole utility commissioner was privately reassuring out-of-state investors who profited from the crisis that he was working to keep their … Continue reading →

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Winter storm death count at 57

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is likely to rise as we get better data. At least 57 people died in Texas as a result of last month’s winter storm, according to preliminary data the state health department released Monday. The largest number of deaths … Continue reading →

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The freeze was hard on the trees

Posted on March 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Palm trees in particular. Galveston’s majestic palm trees could be another casualty of Texas’s four-day freeze last month. The cold snap that left millions of Texans without power and caused burst pipes across the state has also had a pronounced … Continue reading →

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Vaccine progress

Posted on March 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good news. Texas will surpass more than 7 million COVID-19 vaccination doses administered today, top public health officials told the Texas Senate as Gov. Greg Abbott lifted all capacity limits for businesses and ended government-imposed mask mandates in the state. … Continue reading →

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