Bill Peacock on the podcast, Pyrrhuloxias in Big Bend
A brief email blast: Final episode of Blackout Week, I'm in Dallas Monday, Pyrrhuloxia in the desert
Unplugged, on purpose.
Last month, we got unplugged in Austin during the Texas Blackouts. The weeks since have been hectic with writing, recording podcasts, and media appearances. So this week, Lorin (who’s on spring break from her job teaching art) and I decided to go off the grid. Fewer places are further off the grid than Big Bend Ranch State Park, a vast stretch of Chihuahuan Desert that takes real effort (and a stout motor vehicle) to get to. We spent four nights in park looking for birds and basking in the quietude. It was glorious. We are headed back to Austin this afternoon. (I snapped the photo above at sunset last night.) Five short items today:
Bill Peacock on the last episode of Blackout Week
Juice is still free on Roku
I’m in Dallas on Monday speaking at the Institute for Policy Innovation
The desert cardinal
David Ramsden-Wood’s #hottakeoftheday podcast
Bill Peacock on the Power Hungry Podcast talking blackouts, wind, and "corporate cronyism."
The Blackout Week podcasts have been popular. But after lasting for three weeks, it was time to wind up the series and I couldn't find a better guest to put an exclamation point on the series than Bill Peacock. He has been following energy politics in Texas for decades and is among the state’s foremost authorities on ERCOT and the electricity market. Bill, who is the policy director of The Energy Alliance, and I talked about the cause of the Texas Blackouts, the history of wind energy, and how billions of dollars in what he calls “corporate cronyism” distorted the state’s electricity market and allowed a handful of companies to collect huge amounts of federal and state subsidies. It was a great conversation. Please give it a listen.
Reminder: You can still watch Juice for free on Roku!
If you haven't seen our documentary yet, here's a quick reminder: you can view Juice: How Electricity Explains the World, on Roku, for free. Just click this link.
Lunch speech in Dallas on Monday
After the lockdowns of 2020, I’m eager to get back to talking about energy, power, innovation, and politics in front of live audiences. That’s one reason why I was pleased to accept Tom Giovanetti’s invitation to speak to the Institute for Policy Innovation on Monday at lunchtime. If you are in Dallas and want to attend, please use this link to get the details.
Pyrrhuloxia in Big Bend
Birdwatching in the Texas desert takes patience and persistence. But if you stick with it, you will likely see the “desert cardinal” which is a good nickname for the pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalus sinuatus) a common bird in Big Bend. We saw many of them as we hiked the trails and drove along the rugged roads in the park. In profile, they look a lot like the Northern cardinal (Cardinalus cardinalus). But their gray bodies and red tails set them apart from their more common cousins. It’s remarkable that animals can survive in the harsh conditions of the Chihuahuan Desert, where rainfall averages less than 10 inches per year. It’s even more remarkable that such a beautiful bird like the pyrrhuloxia can thrive there. (Photo: http://www.naturespicsonline.com/)
Media Hit
David Ramsden-Wood has an excellent energy-focused podcast called #hottakeoftheday. We had a great conversation about the Texas Blackouts, the electrify everything movement, the groups that are pushing that dangerous and regressive policy, and much more. The podcast was released on Monday. You can tune in here.
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