House panel seeks storm documents from Texas grid operator
Source: AP
By MATTHEW DALY
WASHINGTON (AP) The House Oversight Committee is investigating the agency that operates the Texas power grid, seeking information and documents about the lack of preparation for the recent winter storm that caused millions of power outages and dozens of deaths across the state.
Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat who chairs an environment subcommittee, sent a letter to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, saying he is concerned that the loss of electric service and the resulting human suffering, deaths and economic costs will happen again unless ERCOT and the state of Texas adequately prepare for a predicted increase in extreme weather events.
Severe winter storms in Texas have occurred repeatedly over decades, and ERCOT has been unprepared for them, Khanna wrote in a letter to ERCOT CEO Bill Magness. The groups own consultant has predicted that severe winter weather events will continue to occur every decade, yet ERCOT and state officials have done little to prepare for them or build appropriate infrastructure, Khanna said.
The failures of ERCOT and the state of Texas were costly,″ he wrote. At least 49 Texans have died, and more than 4.5 million people experienced power outages.
FILE - In this Feb. 16, 2021, file photo, a woman wrapped in a blanket crosses the street near downtown Dallas. As temperatures plunged and snow and ice whipped the state, much of Texas' power grid collapsed, followed by its water systems. Tens of millions huddled in frigid homes that slowly grew colder or fled for safety. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/business-ro-khanna-storms-power-outages-weather-831f9093019e6038bd160239aa92db06
orleans
(34,071 posts)machoneman
(4,007 posts)...none of those TX operators will EVER give up any data to a Federal House investigation.
They will fight any subpoena, request to testify et all for as long as they can, In fact, watch the TX GOP start a campaign to get Texans to protest ANY and ALL Federal attempts to even begin to understand what happened. All at the same time the TX Senators and Representatives will beg Joe Biden for Federal bailout funds, not for the average Texan.....but for the utility companies and State of Texas' expenses.
Oh, hell no, we can't help the average Joe as that would go against long standing Republican principles....like fucking your neighbor in the ass for being too stupid to not understand the fine print on the energy plan they chose long ago. Nope, let them rot but please, please, PLEASE bail out our Republican pals who own those energy firms ASAP and no questions allowed!
Fools! They should have left for Cancun with Teddy-boy!