ERCOT - We're A Public Entity Immune From Lawsuits! We're Also Private, Don't Have To Provide Info!

[hatrack]

Last edited Wed Jun 16, 2021, 08:49 AM - Edit history (1)

Millions lived in freezing temperatures for days. Many of them dealt with broken pipes and flooding homes. And by some estimates, 200 people died. Ever since the power grid failure caused a statewide crisis in February, power companies have tried blocking the release of information that could shed light on what went wrong.

But they're not the only ones putting up a fight. WFAA’s investigative team has received dozens of denial letters from power companies and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the state's power grid manager. Each object to releasing information that would give insight to the public on the reasons behind the power grid failure.

The reasons? They say releasing the information requested by WFAA and other media would reveal things like "trade secrets" or “would cause substantial competitive harm." “The fact that you can't know what's going on is problematic,” said Arif Panju, a board member of the Transparent and Accountable Government Coalition (TAG). “For people at home, they want answers. and the easiest way to get those answers is with the Public Information Act.”

EDIT

In court documents obtained by WFAA, ERCOT claims it is a public entity and therefore, is "entitled to sovereign immunity,” meaning it has limited liability and can't be sued for certain things. Yet time and again, when ERCOT also receives media and public requests to release information, it claims that it is not a public entity and therefore not subject to transparency under state open records laws. “The bottom line here is that ERCOT wants to have its cake and eat it too,” Panju said. “You can't have both governmental immunity and reject every open records request. I think what that does is lift the veil on the fact that there's probably some information that people would be interested in knowing that perhaps ERCOT does not want people to know.”

EDIT

https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/investigates/lack-of-government-transparency-in-power-grid-failure-leaves-public-out-in-the-cold/287-b13a9814-b41b-4665-bb39-534291853fa7

[SheltieLover]

1. Wait till 1/2 of world's bitcoin miners being expelled from China set up in TX

[ShazamIam]

24. I don't know much about bitcoin, but who pays the power bill, the company that supports the

servers used for the mining?

edit add: Naturally I looked it up.


https://cointelegraph.com/news/bitcoin-minings-electricity-bill-is-it-worth-it

[Baitball Blogger]

2. Immunity is the defense of scoundrels.

We had lawyers in the city in the nineties who were claiming immunity for similar reasons. It took someone to sue them to show them how wrong they were.

But that's the key. Someone had to drop half a million dollars in order to challenge them.

What a sweet deal though. Lawyers who have private interests take over public agencies and then claim immunity.

[CurtEastPoint]

3. 'trade secrets?' It's f'ing electricity. What secrets? Greedy Repubes.

[3Hotdogs]

5. Well, ya see, you get yourself a kite, tied to a string. And then yo .....

Wait. If we have to tell you how to do this shit, the rubes are gonna make your own power plants in their backyards and they won't need us anymore.

[knightmaar]

21. Trade Market Manipulation

"Don't make us tell you how we manipulate the price of electricity for profit! That's a SECRET!"

[CurtEastPoint]

23. BINGO!

[mac2766]

4. We are the Corporate Federation of these United States and....

We have assumed control.

[Ingersollman]

8. Brings

back memories:
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=rush+we+have+assumed+control&docid=608023608080624612&mid=586239AF32AF08B3922B586239AF32AF08B3922B&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

[mac2766]

13. That's where my comment came from.

I saw them open for Kiss in Terre Haute, in in the 70's when "Working Man" was their hit.

[ancianita]

6. Exactly what life under fascism is like -- Corporations with governmental power & no accountability.

Corporations can ONLY be public when they are owned by the public. ERCOT is not. It is a network of private corporations that only seem to have a governmental sweep.

Where are the lawyers. This attorney general is not looking out for the people of Texas.

[jaxexpat]

10. The key to all this is, look it up under "totally corrupt", the Texas state legislature.

Ever since the Spindletop Dome met a Philadelphia lawyer, vigilante ranchers had to take second place as the most powerful element of corruption in the lone star state. Those special politicians willing to do their bidding are, themselves, up for bid at any given time. It's a tradition going back to the Coahuila y Tejas days.

The accepted term for this arrangement is, traditionally, "Yee-Haw".

[ancianita]

14. The key to undermining all government is through buying up politicians. Money. Its tradition

goes further back than Coahuila and Tejas days. That said, I totally agree with you. But this is all part of the larger fascist strategy waged under cover of 'domestic tools of patriotism.' To that end, ERCOT is only clever by half.

[jaxexpat]

17. Texas is, alas, special.

Beginning with it's origin as Andrew Jackson's wet dream it has stood for years with more than it's share of bad habits in high places. Remove the nazi wannabes and it's a beautiful place with a great diversity of charm. I loved living there years ago.

[rownesheck]

18. The older I get,

the more I wish I could go back in time, find the first of my ancestors who said "hey! Let's move to Texas!", and beat the ever loving shit out of them.

[jaxexpat]

20. I'm sure it's grown more difficult to stomach as the years roll.

I left Galveston county in 1982, the waning days of Bill Clements first term. Those bygone days of predictable graft and general disregard for the citizen's interests seem innocent, almost pristine in the light of today's shit show.

[KS Toronado]

7. Typical republicans in charge...NOTHING TO SEE HERE

Just like Jan 6th.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

9. These positions are not consistent

[AllaN01Bear]

11. trade secrets. nonsense . immunity. nonsense. go fly a kite in a thunderstorm and find out what

happens.
this is where the electrical industry was born. see below.
https://www.ssplprints.com/image/82562/the-voltaic-pile-sent-to-michael-faraday-1800

[duhneece]

12. It reminds me of private prisons

They, too, don’t want to provide information while doing a job that is governmental. Grrr

[mac2766]

15. I believe that all of the political mis-direction and media propaganda is

a diversion. It's all meant to keep us focused on the nonsense while they take control of the country. My hope is that I'm dead and long gone before they're able to seize control.

[tanyev]

16. I saw that report last night.

I do think ERCOT was a convenient scapegoat in the winter freeze for a systemic problem that is much bigger than them. However, this "we're a public entity when it benefits us and not one when it doesn't" stance is shady AF.

[IronLionZion]

19. Failing infrastructure, mass shootings, voter suppression, pandemic hot spots

Texas GOP: I can't hear you over all this free dumb!

[ck4829]

22. Huh

Last edited Tue Jun 29, 2021, 12:31 PM - Edit history (1)

Critical Race Theory