The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout

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Introducing Fumed May 14, 2025

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Fumed is a new podcast from Public Health Watch that takes place in Channelview, an unincorporated community outside Houston in the heart of America’s petrochemical industry. It follows two stubborn Texans who, almost by accident, end up challenging the powerful companies that are taking over their once-peaceful neighborhood. What happens next tests their character, their community…

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Introducing the Energy Capital Podcast Apr 30, 2025

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The Energy Capital Podcast focuses on Texas energy and power grid issues, featuring interviews with energy professionals, academics, policymakers, and advocates. In this episode host Doug Lewin sat down with Mose Buchele to discuss Season 3 of the Disconnect. They also talked about what needs to happen next to ensure reliability as Texas faces skyrocketing demand from AI data centers…

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Introducing Sea Change Apr 16, 2025

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Sea Change, from WWNO and WRKF, is a podcast that dives deep into the environmental issues facing coastal communities on the Gulf Coast and beyond. Right now, in the US, there is a GAS BOOM. A liquified natural gas boom — or LNG. The US produces the most LNG in the world. And the epicenter of this massive expansion? It’s here on the Gulf Coast. For the last year…

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The Choice Apr 02, 2025

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Texas leaders would have you believe there are two options: a reliable grid or a sustainable grid. In our season finale, we explore how those two things aren’t mutually exclusive. And how — if left alone — the Texas electricity market might make the decision on its own. Written, reported, produced and co-hosted by Mose Buchele Co-hosted and produced by Audrey McGlinchy Produced and edited by Matt…

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The Greater Force: A Spaghetti Bowl Story Mar 12, 2025

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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. Now he just has to prove it in court.

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The Bull of the Brazos Feb 26, 2025

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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. We talk about what that means for everyday people and energy reliability right up to today.

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The Bar Fight That Changed the World Feb 19, 2025

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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. Then we talk about World War II, and how the deal struck between Texas regulators and oil companies positioned the US to run the world of energy in the post-war era. Written, reported…

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The Long Con Feb 12, 2025

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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. Written, reported, produced and co-hosted by Mose Buchele Co-hosted and produced by Audrey McGlinchy Produced and edited by Matt Largey Production…

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The Disconnect Season 3: Coming Feb 12 Jan 30, 2025

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One of the main causes of the 2021 blackout in Texas was the failure of natural gas infrastructure. Still, that industry has avoided increased oversight to protect against future failures. In fact, natural gas remains one of the least regulated parts of our energy system. In this season of The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout, we explore the history of Texas oil and gas…

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The Texas Grid Under Pressure Mar 10, 2023

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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.

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