The Disconnect has been nominated for Best Podcast in the Politics and Media section of the Austin Chronicle’s 35th Annual Best of Austin Readers Poll. You can vote for the podcast, and for your other favorite things in Austin at https://vote.austinchronicle.com/

The post The Disconnect in the Austin Chronicle’s Best of Austin Readers Poll! appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

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, and the very idea of what it means to be a true Texan.

In the first episode, you’ll meet Carolyn Stone and Greg Moss. In the 1980’s they settled into quiet lives in Channelview — an unincorporated community outside Houston, in the heart of the nation’s petrochemical industry. But within a few years, petrochemical plants and chemical barges move in, and air pollution and industrial accidents become routine. When they realize that state lawmakers and regulators aren’t going to protect them, Carolyn and Greg start fighting back themselves.

Listen to Fumed

The post Introducing Fumed appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

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, industrial growth, extreme heat, and population increases. The grid is changing, but is it changing fast enough?

Find out more about the Energy Capital Podcast.

The post Introducing the Energy Capital Podcast appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

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, Sea Change traversed Louisiana trying to uncover what this growing LNG industry means for the state. But, after talking with everyone – from shrimpers to energy insiders – they realized that the stakes were far bigger. If they really wanted to tell the whole story, they had to travel even farther. In this 3-part series, Sea Change follows the journey of American gas around the world to find out if LNG is the miracle fuel it’s claimed to be. If it really can prevent a climate apocalypse. Or is it a carbon bomb waiting to go off?

Part one starts in Louisiana — ground zero. Is this big bet on LNG worth it?

Check out Sea Change on WNNO

The post Introducing Sea Change appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

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 Largey
Production help from Rene Chavez and Jake Perlman

The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support our work by becoming a sustaining member at supportthispodcast.org.

The post The Choice 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. Now he just has to prove it in court.

Special thanks to Rachel Adams-Heard, an energy reporter for Bloomberg who appears in this episode.
Her reporting on Texas pipelines was invaluable.

Written, reported, produced and co-hosted by Mose Buchele
Co-hosted and produced by Audrey McGlinchy
Produced and edited by Matt Largey
Production help from Rene Chavez and Jake Perlman

The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support our work by becoming a sustaining member at supportthispodcast.org.

The post The Greater Force: A Spaghetti Bowl Story 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. We talk about what that means for everyday people and energy reliability right up to today.

Written, reported, produced and co-hosted by Mose Buchele
Co-hosted and produced by Audrey McGlinchy
Produced and edited by Matt Largey
Production help from Rene Chavez and Jake Perlman

The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support our work by becoming a sustaining member at supportthispodcast.org.

The full transcript of this episode of The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post The Bull of the Brazos 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. 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, produced and co-hosted by Mose Buchele
Co-hosted and produced by Audrey McGlinchy
Produced and edited by Matt Largey
Production help from Rene Chavez and Jake Perlman

The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support our work by becoming a sustaining member at supportthispodcast.org.

The full transcript of this episode of The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post The Bar Fight That Changed the World 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.

Written, reported, produced and co-hosted by Mose Buchele
Co-hosted and produced by Audrey McGlinchy
Produced and edited by Matt Largey
Production help from Rene Chavez and Jake Perlman

The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout is a listener-supported production of KUT & KUTX Studios in Austin, Texas. You can support our work by becoming a sustaining member at supportthispodcast.org.

The full transcript of this episode of The Disconnect: Power, Politics and the Texas Blackout is available on the KUT & KUTX Studio website. The transcript is also available as subtitles or captions on some podcast apps.

The post The Long Con appeared first on KUT & KUTX Studios -- Podcasts.

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 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.