Thank you for reaching out to my office. I share your frustration and anger at the failure of the power generation system. What happened was absolutely unacceptable, and immediate action is needed. Due to a high volume of correspondence regarding the outages, I am sending this letter to every constituent who has contacted me regarding the outages. I’ve included common questions and concerns, as well as a list of resources. If you still have further questions, please feel free to contact me again and I will do my best to answer your questions.
What caused the outages? Although we’re still learning about a multitude of factors that caused the outages, a few things stand out as major causes. Our energy generation system not being properly winterized and a deregulated market contributed the most to this failure. The questions of why ERCOT, power generators, and gas suppliers were so unprepared for this storm and why equipment was not winterized will be answered at the Feb. 25th joint hearing.
Why isn’t ERCOT a part of the national grid? State and energy industry officials have chosen to not join the national grid. Regardless of why this decision was initially made, we need to determine whether it is now time to ensure we are part of the national coordinated effort to ensure power is available when needed.
Is green energy to blame? The blame does not lie with any single source of energy. Renewable energy like wind power makes up very little of the reduction in power-generating capacity that has brought outages to millions of Texans across the state during a major winter storm. Indeed, it’s estimated that only 7% of ERCOT’s winter capacity was expected to come from wind power sources across the states. All sources of Texas’s energy were affected by this storm, and the majority of power generation that went offline was thermal--coal, gas, and nuclear. Additionally, as has been done in other states and frigid parts of our world, insulation can allow wind turbines to function during extremely cold conditions, but this, of course, requires funding.
Will this be a priority? Yes, this is an immediate priority of mine. As a member of the State Affairs committee, I will push for answers, accountability, and real tangible solutions. Thousands of my constituents and millions of Texans have had to endure freezing temperatures in their own homes, as well as subsequent water outages. This was unquestionably a failure, and there needs to be accountability. We need to update our infrastructure, and we need a system that prioritizes preparedness to support people over profit. Governor Abbott has also made ERCOT reform an emergency item; which means that the legislature will be able to quickly pass any reform within the first 60 days of session.
How will ERCOT keep this from happening again? The solution will be in ongoing development as we receive more information from the entire system, including ERCOT, PUC, Railroad Commission, and any other entities involved. We will have our first opportunity to begin getting answers at the February 25th joint hearing of the House State Affairs and Energy Committees. I can confidently say that any approach will require winterizing our equipment and re-thinking the deregulated energy market. Rest assured that any solution will be my top priority.
In the February 25th joint hearing, Speaker Phelan has asked the House State Affairs and Energy Resources Committees to determine factors that led to the sustained power outages. As a member of the State Affairs committee, I will press for answers, solutions, and accountability. We need tangible change so that this doesn’t ever happen again. Many questions remain unanswered as efforts are focused on restoring our energy system, but I will work towards getting to the bottom of what caused this failure. If you are interested, I would also encourage you to submit written testimony about the outages to ensure your voice is heard at these hearings. You can do so here.
I also am posting a spreadsheet of resources that my team has put together- including warming centers, open restaurants, water distribution sites, grocery stores, and more. We will update this regularly as we receive more information. You can access it here.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any further questions or concerns. Stay safe and stay warm.
Sincerely,
Donna Howard
Texas State Representative (HD 48)
