Memory of Deadly Freeze Looms Large in Texas Oil-Regulator Election
Early voting across the state begins Monday on the first anniversary of the historic collapse of energy infrastructure that blacked out millions of homes.
A neighborhood in Waco, Texas, covered in ice and snow on Feb. 18, 2021.
Photographer: Matthew Busch/AFP/Getty ImagesWhen Texans cast their ballots this election cycle, they won’t just be choosing candidates: They’ll be broadcasting whether they think the sitting politicians during last year’s deadly freeze share any of the blame.
The battle to join the Texas Railroad Commission—which, despite its name, is one of the world’s most powerful energy regulators—is now under way. The race is the closest thing yet to a referendum on the handling of a historic storm that killed more than 200 people and paralyzed the second-largest U.S. state for almost a week.