Wednesday, February 17th, Congressman August Pfluger joined his fellow Republican members of the Texas Delegation, led by Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D., in sending a letter to Bill Magness, President and Chief Executive Officer of Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) seeking answers for the reason millions of Texans are without power during this winter weather emergency, what is being done to restore power, and how this will be prevented in the future.
Other signers of the letter include Texas GOP Representatives Michael McCaul, Van Taylor, Tony Gonzales, Randy Weber, John Carter, Michael Cloud, Roger Williams, Beth Van Duyne, Kay Granger, Kevin Brady, Louie Gohmert, Dan Crenshaw, Chip Roy, Jodey C. Arrington, Ronny Jackson, Troy E. Nehls, and Pat Fallon.
"While it appears the significant mismatch in energy supply and demand during this cold snap was caused by a variety of factors, various narratives have begun to surface that must be addressed. Texas residents deserve to know the root causes of their power outages and how they can be prevented in the future," the Members wrote in the letter.
Besides asking questions for why this happened, the Members wanted to ensure that ERCOT had the resources necessary to quickly turn things around and get the lights back on for the millions of Texans without power.
The members asked to be provided written answers to the below critical questions immediately upon the conclusion of this emergency:
1. How did ERCOT prepare for this weather event and anticipated energy demand prior to when the controlled blackouts began?
2. It has been reported that ERCOT will adjust rates to meet demand. How will this impact future energy prices in Texas?
3. How were the various types of energy generation impacted by the extreme cold weather?
4. What is the likelihood of similar weather events impacting Texas’s electric grid again?
5. What measures can be taken to improve grid resiliency in Texas in the future?