City and county spending has outpaced growth in population and inflation, leading to an increase in the tax burden on Texan taxpayers. Key points: Local government spending continues to outstrip increases in both population and inflation. From 2014 to 2023, local government spending rose by 61.2%, whereas population and inflation increased by only 42.7%. Elevated...
Part 1: The Evolution of the Texas Grid since Winter Storm Uri in 2021 As the five-year anniversary of Winter Storm Uri approaches, this analysis by Dr. Brent Bennett examines whether the ERCOT grid is truly prepared for the next major winter storm. Despite widespread perception that the grid has become more resilient, the data...
Part 2: Projecting Winter Outage Risk Through 2030 As Texas approaches the five-year anniversary of Winter Storm Uri, the ERCOT grid faces growing vulnerability to winter power outages. This analysis projects that by 2030, the same type of storm that would cause approximately 12 hours of outages today could result in nearly 24 hours of...