AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday declared the reform of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas an emergency item this legislative session.
According to the Governor, by declaring the item an emergency, he is calling on the legislature to investigate ERCOT and ensure Texans never again experience power outages on the scale they have seen over the past several days.
“The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has been anything but reliable over the past 48 hours,” said Governor Abbott. “Far too many Texans are without power and heat for their homes as our state faces freezing temperatures and severe winter weather. This is unacceptable. Reviewing the preparations and decisions by ERCOT is an emergency item so we can get a full picture of what caused this problem and find long-term solutions. I thank my partners in the House and Senate for acting quickly on this challenge, and I will work with them to enhance Texas’ electric grid and ensure that our state never experiences power outages like this again.”
State Representative Jeff Leach of Plano applauded Governor Abbott for his decision.
“What this decision from the Governor reflects is that he is listening to and being responsive to the concerns of Texans,” said Rep. Leach. “He knows that Texans are mad. He is mad.”
ERCOT attributes controlled power outages to a continued strain on the power grid. ERCOT officials said this week that the controlled outages are meant to avoid potentially widespread blackouts. But what were intended to be sporadic rolling, rotating outages have turned into hours upon hours without power for many Texans.
Listen to Clayton Neville’s story below:
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