Energy

The Source: Mandatory Minimums | How Shale Oil Is Changing The World

Paul Flahive — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:14:04 +0000

In the first segment:

Last week the special session of the Texas legislature passed a bill that would institute mandatory minimums for 17 year olds convicted of capital murder.

The state of Texas has mandatory minimums for several crimes including murder, but has avoided some of the most controversial mandatory minimums with nonviolent drug offenses. States like Florida and Massachusettes have seen their prison populations swell with these nonviolent offenders.

ERCOT Predicts Another Grid-Busting Summer

Eileen Pace — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:04:52 +0000

National forecasters are predicting another hotter-than-normal summer. That could mean more of the rolling blackouts likes those San Antonio experienced in 2011.

Climatologists predict temperatures will be above normal this year and the power grid may not be able to keep up. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation projects the Texas grid will have the lowest percentage of power reserves this summer of any region in the country.

Cruz And Stockman Waste No Time Mixing It Up In D.C.

David Martin Davies — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 18:20:27 +0000

Ted Cruz and Steve Stockman have quickly established themselves as vocal and active members of Congress, and their gusto is ruffling some feathers. How much do we know about the cost of state lawmaker pensions? Apparently not much, but why not? Debate about changing the way electric utilities get paid; should they be paid for capacity? Quail hunting used to be a part of everyday life, but quail populations have been declining for the past 25 years.

CPS First To Get Smartphone App For Home Manager System

Eileen Pace — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 23:09:27 +0000

CPS customers will be the first in the nation to get a new mobile phone app to run their air-conditioning and electrical systems when it rolls out in February. San Antonio-based Consert, Inc. unveiled its new tablet device earlier this month at a utility company in Tennessee.

Consert Vice-president Jeff Ebihara said although customers have been able to access their Home Managers using their mobile devices, the new app makes the system more portable.

Firsthand Looks At Central American Migrants And Working Poor In Texas

David Martin Davies — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 17:21:39 +0000

The number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. has been declining since 2007; however, there has been an increase in migrants from other Central American countries, most of whom are teenagers. Being poor in Texas: Government assistance documentary, and a firsthand payday loan experience. Renewable energy continues to push forward as the Texas Renewable Energy Conference hits Austin next week.

Garbage Gas: Is Methane Going To Waste In Texas?

Dave Fehling — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 17:05:52 +0000

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there are 27 landfills in Texas that are producing enough methane gas to make electricity or provide fuel to power industrial equipment. The agency says another 57 landfills are candidates for such projects.

Mayor Castro Responds to CNN Story on OCI Solar Deal

David Martin Davies — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 15:50:37 +0000

San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro and CPS-Energy are responding to a CNN news story about a solar energy deal that casts the political rising star in a negative light.

When Mayor Julian Castro stepped onto the stage of the Democratic National Convention he was also stepping into a more critical arena of national politics where nearly every move is scrutinized.

And on Friday, a story on the CNN program "Erin Burnett’s Out Front" covered a CPS-Energy solar energy deal that Castro was involved in that went to a South Korean company and not a company in the United States.