Texas Tribune seeks energy and economy reporter

The Texas Tribune is seeking a Houston-based reporter to cover energy and the economy.

From a perch in the Energy Capital of the World, this reporter will keep an eye on oil booms and busts, innovations in renewable energy and the curiously named agency — the Railroad Commission — tasked with regulating the state’s oil and gas industry and ensuring pipeline safety. The ideal reporter will cover this beat in a people-focused way. That could mean anything from examining how skyrocketing electricity costs affect farmers to looking through oil workers’ eyes to report on oversight of industrial facilities that pollute.

This reporter will also take a broader look at the Texas economy, of which energy is a key part. There are plenty of great stories to tell at the intersection of politics, policy and the economy in a state that would have the 10th-largest economy in the world if it were its own country. The reporter will monitor fluctuations in jobs and business, and what they mean for Texas families, communities, traffic, pollution and housing affordability.

In addition, the reporter will track how major state issues play out in the nation’s fourth-largest city. He or she will work with our Dallas-based urban affairs reporter to keep an eye on challenges facing the state’s large metro areas — and the people living in them — in a rapidly diversifying state that is home to six of the nation’s biggest cities. There may also be opportunities to partner with other news organizations to tell stories.

This position requires occasional travel to the Tribune’s headquarters in Austin, as well as to other parts of Texas. The reporter would also play a key role in our state budget coverage.

To apply, go here.