Phases and Stages: The Texas Energy Story

Phases and  Stages: The Texas Energy Story is a podcast that airs monthly from The Energy Institute. In Season 1, host Andy Uhler visits a different Texas location each month to explore the changing energy landscape across the state. 

The energy industry has played a defining role in our state for over a century. Largely centered around oil and gas, it has driven Texas’ economy, shaped our culture and landscape, and established our identity on the national and global stages. But things are changing. 

Today, Texas leads the nation in combined wind and solar production and will soon be home to a Gulf Coast hub promising to expand the clean hydrogen industry. New energy ventures are proliferating across the state as entrepreneurs seize the opportunity to leverage Texas’ energy infrastructure and expertise to bring promising new innovations to market. Even oil and gas companies are expanding into nontraditional sectors, as advanced technologies open up new possibilities. “Carbon sequestration” and “geothermal exploration” are now part of the vernacular in the state’s energy corridors.

Our state hasn’t seen a transformation as rapid and dramatic as this since the 1930s, when oil and gas money built out our young cities and electrification transformed our countryside. Will Texas’ new energy expansion be similarly transformational for everyday Texans? How is it changing our lives and our communities? And what about the people who are taking part in this transition every day—how are they affected by these changes? And what about the jobs sure to be gained and lost? 

Here in Texas, nearly 1.4 million are directly or indirectly supported by the oil and gas sector, according to the state’s oil and gas trade organization. Wildcatters and roughnecks remain front of mind for many observers. But those images tell only part of the Lone Star State’s energy story.

To borrow a line from Willie Nelson (whose 1974 studio album is where we got the name for this podcast), Phases and Stages goes beyond the familiar circles, cycles, and scenes that we've all seen before. Traveling the state to gather first-hand accounts beyond the oil rig and the boardroom, award-winning public radio correspondent Andy Uhler speaks with farmers, school teachers, community members, and everyone in between to get a sense of what the energy transition means for Texans and their communities.

To borrow a line from Willie Nelson: There are many stories to be told. Let me tell you some more.

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