Natalie Weber

New data centers won’t be able to join the Texas power grid until state regulators complete a review of their energy and water usage, under a new directive from the governor.

Texas experienced its warmest winter on record since 1895 and the state's farmers say those high temperatures hampered their peach harvest.

ERCOT and the PUCT said they've already taken steps to regulate large energy consumers and called for the state legislature to expand their authority.

Summertime means peach season in Texas. But some fruit stands have had to import the fruit from other states after the combination of a warm winter and a late spring freeze wiped out much of the local crop.

Beef prices are continuing to rise due to drought, low herd sizes and concerns about the new world screwworm in the United States, but business owners in Texas say that raising prices could drive away customers.

Texas has been flooded with data center requests to join its power grid. The state seeks to sort out who actually wants to do business in Texas -- and which projects are purely speculative.

The governor said the Public Utility Commission of Texas and ERCOT must take steps to prevent the cost of data center infrastructure from being passed on to electricity customers.

Energy experts say a growth in renewables will help the state's power grid meet increasing demand this summer.

The state's grid operator will vote Tuesday on whether to begin a study of data centers, known as "Batch Zero," that would use a new evaluation process for adding projects to the grid.

Gas prices just hit a 4-year record, and the price of jet fuel has doubled. NPR speaks to industry executives and energy experts to explain the areas in which Americans are feeling the pinch.