Low-Income Texans Already Face Frigid Temperatures at Home. Then the Winter Storm Hit.
Power plants without insulation failed, leading to sustained blackouts. But poor insulation in homes across the state made it even harder to stay warm.
Amal Ahmed
Amal Ahmed is a freelance environmental reporter. Originally from Dallas, she has a journalism degree from Northwestern University and previously worked at Texas Monthly, the Texas Observer, and Floodlight News.
Articles by Amal Ahmed
Why Texas Wasn’t Prepared for Winter Storm Uri
A disaster management expert weighs in on how poor planning and communication failures deepened the crisis that left millions without power during the deep freeze.
The Sunniest City in Texas is Expanding … Natural Gas Production
After New Mexico rejected a proposal for the El Paso power plant, the Biden administration could be El Paso’s last line of defense.
Teens for a Green New Deal
Sixteen-year-old climate organizer Chanté Davis on how change could start with young people in Texas.
Solar Energy is Hitting a Growth Spurt. So Is The Disinformation Around It.
Anti-renewable energy campaigns are nothing new in the Lone Star State. A new wave of disinformation could spell trouble for the state’s fledgling solar industry.
Bringing the Dead Home
Thirty years after Congress passed the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, only a fraction of human remains held by Texas’ museums and universities have been returned.
Texas Has Elected A Climate Change Denier to the Railroad Commission
Newly elected commissioner Jim Wright will be one of three people in charge of regulating the state’s oil and gas industry. He doesn’t believe that flaring contributes to climate change.
Illegal Air Pollution is Skyrocketing in Texas, But State Regulators are Ignoring Complaints
An environmental watchdog submitted evidence of dozens of violations, but the state’s environmental agency rarely followed up.
Millennials and Gen Zers are Breaking Voter Turnout Records in Texas
By the end of early voting, 1 million voters under the age of 30 had cast their ballot. Will they turn Texas blue?
Lulu Seikaly Wants to Flip One of Texas’ Most Conservative Suburban Districts
In Collin County, the political newcomer is betting big on Asian American voters—and Republicans who are tired of Trump.