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The government of Greg Abbott held a meeting with other state leaders on Saturday to discuss the peaks that some Texans see in their energy bills after a massive winter storm that caused power outages across the country.
The meeting came after numerous reports of Texans receiving exorbitant electric bills, despite lacking energy during the storm. A Texan, according to The New York Times, received a $ 16,752 electricity bill. Not every resident they will see the peaks in their bills.
In a statement, Abbott called the meeting productive and said leaders were “moving quickly to alleviate the issue and will continue to work collaboratively over solutions this week.” The meeting took place by telephone conference.
Winter storm February 2021
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When will my water return? How can I get water in the meantime?
We do not know. State and city officials are asking for patience – and telling Texans who have running water to boil it. Take the necessary steps to prepare yourself for a few days without water. Austin officials, for example, said Feb. 19 that restoring water services would likely be a multi-day process for the entire city. We have a few resources here, but the best bet to find free water is to check your local media.
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Will I receive a large energy bill?
May be. People across the state have received high energy bills. A resident, according to The New York Times, received a $ 16,752 electricity bill. Gov. Greg Abbott said his office is working with lawmakers to cut bills. Not everyone will face huge bill increases. Austin, for example, has fixed base rates. If you are worried, consult your utility provider. Read more here.
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How can I receive updates?
Sign up for news updates from us by sending “hello” to 512-967-6919 or accessing this page.
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I was powerless for more than a day. Why do people resort to these interruptions?
When the state’s grid operator began implementing outages at 1:25 a.m. CT on Feb. 15, they were intended to be a temporary measure to deal with an extremely winter event. Instead, some Texans run out of energy for much longer, facing days without electricity instead of the 45 minutes originally planned at one point. But some of the energy sources that power the grid in the summer are offline in the winter. So when the Texans stayed home during Sunday’s storm and demanded record amounts of electricity, the state’s electricity grid could not keep up.
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Wait, do we have our own electricity grid? Why?
Yes, Texas has its own power grid run by an agency called ERCOT, the Texas Electric Reliability Council. The story is long, but the short version is: Texas has its own grid to avoid dealing with federal regulations. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Federal Power Act, which accused the Federal Energy Commission of overseeing electricity sales between states. But Texas utilities do not cross state lines. ERCOT was formed in 1970 following a major disruption in the Northeast in November 1965 and was tasked with managing the reliability of the network in accordance with national standards. Keep in mind that Texas is not on the same power grid. El Paso is on another network, as is the Upper Panhandle and a piece of East Texas.
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I read online that wind turbines are the reason I lost power. It’s true?
Not. The lost wind power is only a fraction of the reduction in power generation capacity, which has disrupted millions of Texans. A Texas Electric Reliability Council official said on Feb. 16 that 16 gigawatts of renewable energy, mostly wind, was offline. Almost twice as much, 30 gigawatts, had been lost from heat sources, which include gas, coal and nuclear power. “Texas is a gas state,” said Michael Webber, a professor of energy at the University of Texas at Austin. “Gas is failing in the most spectacular way right now.”
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How can I stay warm? How can I help others?
The National Meteorological Service encourages people to close the blinds and curtains, to gather in one room, if possible, and to close the doors of others and to stuff towels in the cracks under the doors. Wear loose layers of warm, light clothing. Eating snacks and staying hydrated will help warm the body. Some cities offer heating and transportation centers as needed – find local resources here. If you have the resources or can make financial donations, find non-profit organizations that help people here.
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See more coverage
Along with Abbott, the heads of the Senate and the House – Republicans Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and, respectively, the Speaker of the House, Dade Phelan, were also on appeal.
Members of both chambers also attended the meeting, including chairs of Senate funding and room allocation committees, as well as chairs of Senate committees on business and commerce and the House’s energy resources.
The discussion with parliamentarians, according to the governor’s office, focused on calculating the cost of these rising energy bills and “how the state can help reduce this burden.”
Abbott’s office also announced Sunday that the governor will provide an update at 2:30 p.m., central time, on efforts to secure water and other supplies for communities across the state.
Later this week, House and Senate committees will meet to investigate how the disruptions and roles played by entities such as the Texas Electric Reliability Council in these power failures took place.
“The questioning of stakeholders involved on Thursday begins to find out if something went wrong, what went wrong, who is to blame and, more importantly, what solutions we can make as state legislature … to make sure this doesn’t happen. it never happens again, “said Craig Goldman, a Fort Worth Republican who heads the House Energy Committee during a NBC-DFW interview on Sunday.
Disclosure: The New York Times was a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a non-profit, non-partisan news organization funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial backers play no role in Tribune journalism. Find a complete list of them here.