TEXAS PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION

The Public Utility Commission of Texas adopted a rate hike in July, so some Texans can expect their phone bills to go up next month.

The governor shared the favorable forecast — which is normal for the fall months — ahead of a competitive race in which the grid’s performance during last year’s fatal winter storm may factor into Texans’ decisions at the polls.

New rules released by Texas oil and gas officials said natural gas companies in the state will have to properly prepare for future weather emergencies by Dec. 1 or face up to $1 million in fines.

Locked in a potentially tight reelection race and facing criticism over the grid’s 2021 collapse, the governor is exerting unprecedented influence over what the state grid operator shares with the public — and who will be its next CEO.

The rate increase will help replenish a state fund to maintain and operate cellphone networks in rural Texas. A court determined the state’s Public Utility Commission needed to restore $200 million in overdue money to the fund.

While wind farms in the region could help power and lower energy costs for at least 9 million homes, significant infrastructure upgrades would be needed to supply electricity from the region to other parts of the state.

The cost of electricity in Texas is tightly tied to the price of natural gas, which has more than doubled since Russia invaded Ukraine in late February.

Texas Public Utility Commission Chair Peter Lake and ERCOT President Brad Jones said the power grid is prepared for record-breaking summer electricity demand.

After last winter’s near-statewide electric blackouts, Texas lawmakers went after regulators they deemed responsible but tiptoed around the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates oil and gas. Now voters have a chance, if they want it, to send the state a message.

Texas has long refused to connect its decentralized grid to two national power networks, but Hunt Energy Network CEO Pat Wood said the state could do so without additional oversight — and without state Legislature approval.

In the state’s power grid, electricity and natural gas are co-dependent. Here’s how the winter storm last year broke the system.

Transitioning sources of electricity to cleaner fuels is one of the best tools humanity has to fight climate change — which brings severe weather that taxes the grid. But a year after the winter storm, Texas leaders aren’t talking about decarbonizing.

With the height of the winter season approaching, here are some tips to prepare an emergency kit, protect your home and stay informed.

He's been heavily involved in positive public messaging about the grid’s winter readiness, but the data aren't rosy — and experts fear the grid could fail if there's another winter storm.

Gov. Greg Abbott says he can "guarantee" there won't be blackouts this winter in Texas after one that knocked out power for some people for four days last February. That's the kind of pre-election prediction that can make a weather forecaster more useful than a political poll.

The most severe scenario considered by ERCOT for this winter — very high demand for power, extensive fossil fuel outages, and low renewable power production — does not capture the amount of power lost during February.

Next year’s primary elections start a year after a winter storm knocked out power across Texas — and the government response to that disaster could be on voters’ minds.

The state Public Utility Commission adopted a rule — which experts first recommended a decade ago following a winter storm — requiring power companies to use “best efforts” to ensure plants can operate in the winter.

Oil and gas industry groups provided a list of names to the Railroad Commission for appointment to a council formed in response to the February power crisis. All four of the industry's top choices were selected.

The state plans to use past weather data to craft rules for power plant upgrades. Scientists warn that the accelerating effects of climate change make relying on old data alone insufficient.

The state’s electricity regulators said they’re taking steps to assure a skeptical public that the power won’t go out again if Texas experiences extreme weather this summer.

AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday demanded that the Texas Public Utility Commission take immediate action to shore up the state's troubled electrical grid.

The Public Utility Commission said the state's main power grid operator will have three days — instead of 60 — to release some information about power plant outages. But that may not include why the electricity generators were offline.

A number of power plants were inexplicably offline at the same time that Texas was experiencing record June demand for electricity. ERCOT officials are still working to determine why.

Texas lawmakers passed major bills in response to the winter storm power outages that killed hundreds of Texans in February. But there’s still a lot to do.

While lawmakers took significant steps toward preventing another blackout, hardly any of the proposals passed during this legislative session will aid consumers in recovering from the February storm — but they’ll see higher utility bills.

Several billions of dollars in state-approved financing will be necessary to stabilize the state’s distressed energy market after the winter storm. Texas approves more in finance bailouts for its utilities than any other state.

The Texas House could take up its proposal to better prepare for extreme weather as soon as Sunday. The chambers have a little more than a week to wrap up remaining work.

Time is running out on a slate of other bills lawmakers are considering that stem from February's deadly winter storm.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday named Peter Lake the new chair of the Texas Public Utility Commission, the public board that regulates the state’s power grid operators and saw all three of its members resign in the wake of February’s deadly winter storm.

click to enlarge Courtesy Photo / Texas Public Utility CommissionPublic Utility Commission Chairman Arthur D'Andrea was asked to resign after being captured on an audio recording reassuring investors in the companies he was hired to regulate. Greg Abbott on Tuesday night announced the resignation of Public Utility Commission Chairman Arthur D'Andrea. "Tonight, I asked for and accepted the resignation of PUC Commissioner Arthur D’Andrea," the Republican governor said in a brief statement. Texans deserve to have trust and confidence in the Public Utility Commission, and this action is one of many steps that will be taken to achieve that goal. Last week, San Antonio's CPS Energy sued the nonprofit operator of Texas' power grid , saying it had "illegally" and "excessively" overcharged the municipally owned utility for wholesale power.The recording of D'Andrea surfaced after Lt. Gov.

Public Utility Commission Chair Arthur D’Andrea has resigned, Gov. D'Andrea was the only remaining member of the three-seat commission that regulates the state's electric, telecommunication and water and sewer utilities. The other two commissioners, including the chair at the time, DeAnn Walker, had resigned in recent weeks over fallout related to last month's winter storm. "Tonight, I asked for and accepted the resignation of PUC Commissioner Arthur D’Andrea," the governor said in a statement, adding that he plans to name "a replacement in the coming days who will have the responsibility of charting a new and fresh course for the agency." “Texans deserve to have trust and confidence in the Public Utility Commission, and this action is one of many steps that will be taken to achieve that goal,” Abbott said.

During her testimony before the House and Senate, Walker had tried to play down the extent of her regulatory powers over both ERCOT, which operates the state electric grid, and the electric power industry. Greg Abbott appointed Walker as chair of the commission, making her the top official in Texas overseeing the electric industry. Consumer advocates and government watchdogs say that the constant whirling of the revolving door may weaken the integrity of the Commission’s oversight duties. But this wasn’t Urban’s first trip through the revolving door between the agency and the industry it’s charged with regulating. “The good news is that when they come back, they often have a far greater understanding of the nature of the electric industry,” Smith says.

It also doesn't prevent shut-offs for small businesses such as bars and restaurants, which have taken deep financial blows from the pandemic. What's more, the measure doesn't address reconnecting residents who have already been switched off.For its part, San Antonio's CPS Energy announced March 11 that it's suspending customer disconnects. From local politics and culture to national news that hits close to home, San Antonio Current has been keeping San Antonio informed for years. If quality journalism is important to you, please consider a donation to San Antonio Current. Every reader contribution is valuable and so appreciated, and goes directly to support our coverage of critical issues and neighborhood culture.