Phases and Stages: Season 1
Stories of our changing energy system, from the Texans living it right now
Listen to Season 1 Episodes
| Houston has been long heralded as the energy capital of the U.S. But there are some in Space City who want to rebrand the city the "energy transition capital of the world." How come? And how is something like that supposed to happen? Turns out, it's complicated. |
| There’s a place in Central Texas, a place once heralded as ‘The Town Where It Rains Money’ that’s already gone through something of an energy transition. Rockdale, population 5,300, is a cautionary tale of a community trying to figure out how to embrace what’s left from the energy industry of the past while courting economic activity that’s expecting the benefits of the energy industry of the future. |
| Midland, Texas has been known for oil and gas since the 1920s, but there's a new kind of energy popping up in town that has some folks upset about the changing times. |
| The two cities that make up ground zero for oil and gas production in the United States, Midland and Odessa, have been competing for recognition and prestige for as long as a lot of folks in town can remember. These days that cross-town rivalry has bled over into a competition for emerging industry, a developing workforce, and a boat load of tax dollars. |
| What if I told you in its heyday, Port Arthur was the place to be, and be seen. And the backdrop to all the energy and goings on in this southeast Texas town was petroleum. Times have changed, and residents will be the first to tell you that Port Arthur isn’t what it used to be, but there’s hope that the next generation of the energy industry might bring this Texas town out of the doldrums. |
| Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Alice was a distribution hub for supplies and construction materials throughout south Texas. Drilling and service companies set up oil rig yards in town, and employed locals. But oil booms are always followed by busts. When oil left in the 1980s, population and tax revenue dwindled. These days, there’s an honest hope that even if oil and gas is no longer the bread and butter of this town’s economy, Alice’s location might be enough to spur different innovators in the energy sector to set up shop here. |
| Matagorda County, with a population of a little more than 36,000 people, has a few working oil and gas wells, but it's also home to a nuclear power plant, several wind and solar farms, and could soon be the home of a hydrogen-based eFuels operation. It's less than a two-hour drive from Houston, but some in town wanted to rebrand this part of the state "The Energy Capital of Texas," and you can't really blame 'em. |
| At more than 600 megawatts…the Frye Solar Plant has more power capacity than the town it operates in has official residents. About an hour north of Lubbock in Kress, Texas - population 592 - the project is a microcosm of the energy industry expansion occurring throughout the Lone Star State. In return for a lease to construct huge energy infrastructure projects, a few landowners get a nice pay day, but what benefit do they bring to the area as a whole? |
| Season finale. We're back where we started: Austin. But more than talking about how people in Austin feel about the energy transition and the energy industry more generally, we're considering how the proceedings in Austin affect the energy portfolio throughout Texas. We'll hear from lawmakers, lobbyists, experts, and utilities about how what happens in Austin, changes the fortunes of Texans throughout the state. |
Featured on:
Listen On:
| 
| 
|
Support the Podcast & Energy Literacy
Past Programs & Media
Podcast Launch Party with KUT: Sept. 25, 2024
On Wendesday, Sept. 25, 5-7pm, The Energy Institute and Phases and Stages host Andy Uhler celebrated the show's series premiere as part of EnergizeUT. The celebration kicked off with a Q&A featuring Uhler and Mose Buchele, KUT senior energy & environment correspondent, followed by a networking reception.
Phases and Stages Preview: KUT, Aug. 23, 2024
Texas Standard host David Brown interviewed Andy Uhler on Aug. 23 and aired a preview of the Phases and Stages series premiere.
Phases and Stages Preview: BBC World Service, July 5, 2024
On July 5, listeners got a sneak peek of Phases & Stages: The Texas Energy Story, on BBC. Scroll to 37:53 to listen.
