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Winter has officially arrived, and officials with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas say the Texas power grid is expected to hold up through most weather conditions, the Houston Chronicle reported. However, the boom in data centers across the state increases the risk of rolling brownouts to 1% to 2% through February.
Pablo Vegas, ERCOT’s CEO, said the power grid it oversees, which covers about 90% of the state’s electric load, added 11 gigawatts of new capacity since last winter, enough power for nearly 2.8 million homes.
“2025 is going to represent a year with tremendous supply growth on the ERCOT grid,” Vegas said at a quarterly board meeting last week.
However, if the state experiences a winter storm similar to the one in 2021, power demand could exceed capacity, necessitating rolling blackouts. ERCOT notes the probability of that happening is “well under one percent.”
Texas legislators passed a law this year that gives ERCOT the power to shut off “non-critical” energy users, including data centers, when rotating outages are ordered.
Paxton sues energy company linked to state’s largest wildfire
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing Xcel Energy, the power company whose two decayed utility poles sparked the Smokehouse Creek fire in 2024. That became the largest wildfire in state history, burning more than 1 million acres in West Texas, killing three people and thousands of livestock and causing more than $1billion in damages, according to The Texas Tribune.
Paxton is seeking monetary damages and restitution, claiming the Minnesota-based company knew one of the poles was defective but decided not to replace it.
“Xcel ignored the warning and chose to place marginal profits — amounting to only a few thousand dollars — above the safety and well-being of Texans, the State’s property, and the natural resources enjoyed by all People,” the lawsuit read.
The company confirmed in 2024 that it owned the utility poles that caused the Smokehouse Creek fire but has denied negligence allegations.
Texas Democrats fill every state, federal race on ballot
For the first time in modern state history, a Democrat is running in every state and federal race on the Texas ballot in 2026 — a feat neither party had previously accomplished, The Tribune reported. A network of the state’s top Democratic politicians and groups recruited 104 candidates to fill every congressional, state House and state Senate seat, as well as statewide judicial and State Board of Education races.
“No Republican gets a free ride in Texas,” Texas Democratic Party Chair Kendall Scudder said in an interview. “If you are a Republican and you want to hold public office in this state, you’re going to have to fight us for it.”
Longtime Republican strategist Dave Carney said the Democrats’ slate was “just a gimmick, if they don’t back it up with serious resources.” Carney is Gov. Greg Abbott’s chief strategist. Abbott has vowed to use his considerable campaign resources in a bid to flip Harris County red, recruiting Republicans to run in every state House in that county.
Analysis sheds light on latest migration patterns
Texas and Florida continue to lead the nation in attracting the most new residents. An analysis of 18 million national moves provides more data on migration patterns, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
Some migration statistics:
• Annual Texas moves from outside and inside the state: 1,403,786 people
• Annual Texas population gain from other states: 265,112 people
• Average monthly Texas population gain from other states: 22,092 people
• Average daily Texas population gain from other states: 726 people
Despite those numbers, Texas ranked 19th for net migration, gaining 14.1 more residents per 10,000 than it lost. Leading the nation in net migration per 10,000 was South Carolina at 95.08.
The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area had the largest population growth, adding more than half a million new residents. The figures were compiled between June 2024 and May 2025.
Black bear population on the rise in West Texas
Sightings of black bears in West Texas have jumped from nearly 80 in 2020 to at least 130 this year, the Texas Standard reported. That has caused some challenges and concern as bears visit neighborhoods in search of food and pose a threat to livestock and pets.
“I don’t mind the bears coming back, we don’t want them wiped out, that’s for sure,” said Pam Clouse, who lives in Alpine, an area that’s seen a number of bear encounters in recent years. “You know, they were almost extinct.”
Wildlife biologists emphasize removing food and anything that might attract a hungry bear. As they prepare to find a den in which to hibernate, bears go through great effort to consume 20,000 calories daily.
“They have a great sense of smell, much better than our own,” said Raymond Skiles, former wildlife biologist at Big Bend National Park in West Texas. “So, number one, they can smell food when you and I would never have a clue.”
As the bear population in Big Bend increases and the park reaches what is called “carrying capacity,” they are heading north in search of food.
“And when you’re over carrying capacity, there’s not [enough] resources on the natural landscape for those animals,” explained Krysta Demere, a wildlife biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. “So, then they begin to move out and search for new food sources.”
Miller issues warning on new pest plaguing pastures
Ranchers and hay producers in more than 20 South Texas counties are reporting a new pest damaging their grass, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller announced recently. The pasture mealybug has never been reported before in North America. It causes expanding patches of yellowing and ultimately dead grass and was first noted in Australia.
“This is a completely new pest to our continent, and Texas is once again on the front lines,” Commissioner Miller said. “If the pasture mealybug spreads across Texas grazing lands like it has in eastern Australia, it could cost Texas agriculture dearly in lost productivity and reduced livestock capacity.”
Research is underway to determine the best pest management options, but no effective insecticide has been identified for pasture mealybug.
Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: [email protected].
