Articles by Michelle Ma and David R. Baker

Hydrogen Wildcatters Are Betting Big on Kansas to Strike It Rich

A new Gold Rush is taking shape on a quiet stretch of Kansas prairie. There, a clutch of startups backed by the likes of Bill Gates are searching below the surface for naturally occurring hydrogen, a fuel that can generate …

Milton’s Surprise Was the Damage Unleashed by Powerful Winds

Storm Weakened But Still Brought 120-mph Winds to St. Petersburg Area Hurricane Milton’s devastating path across Florida has left at least 10 dead, millions without power, and destroyed homes and crops, as authorities warn it could take days to assess …

Houston Struggles With Beryl’s Blackouts and Searing Heat

Houston is struggling through Hurricane Beryl’s chaotic aftermath, with blackouts, blocked roads, internet disruptions and spotty access to gas expected to linger well after the storm’s floodwaters recede. More than 1 million homes and businesses are likely to be without …

Most of Houston Loses Power as Hurricane Beryl Delivers Latest Blow

Much of Houston remained without power in Tropical Storm Beryl’s wake, and authorities warned the blackout could last days even as heat builds across the battered region. Beryl left the nation’s fourth-largest city a morass of flooded streets, downed trees, …

Texas Governor Wants to Double Gas-Plant Fund to $10 Billion

Texas Governor Greg Abbott wants to double a newly created loan program for building gas-fired power plants to $10 billion in order to meet the state’s growing demand for electricity. Voters last year approved the Texas Energy Fund, offering $5 …

Huge Texas Blaze Shows Power-Line Fires Are a Widespread Threat

Massive wildfires sparked by power lines used to be a California problem, one many utility executives considered safely confined to the Golden State. No more. Texas officials on Thursday blamed the state’s largest-ever fire on electrical lines sparking in dry …

Huge Texas Blaze Shows Power-Line Fires Are a Widespread Threat

Massive wildfires sparked by power lines used to be a California problem, one many utility executives considered safely confined to the Golden State. No more. Texas officials on Thursday blamed the state’s largest-ever fire on electrical lines sparking in dry …

California Wildfires Are Exhausting 10,000-Strong Army Fighting Them

There are over 10,000 firefighters battling unprecedented blazes in California, but that isn’t enough, and the state is having a hard time finding more as flames rage across the western U.S. and Canada. Twelve major wildfires now burn in the …

Three Disasters Show Gaps in Infrastructure Plan

Three times this year, major pieces of U.S. infrastructure have failed: first the Texas power grid, then the East Coast’s main gasoline pipeline, then a freeway bridge over the Mississippi River. The crises disrupted businesses and lives, cost billions and …

How Everybody Ends Up Paying for Climate Crisis

Fallout from last month’s deadly deep freeze in Texas has quietly spread to people living hundreds of miles away. Minnesota utilities have warned that monthly heating bills could spike by $400, after the crisis jacked up natural gas prices across …