McCaul joins effort to restore power for Texans
Austin, TX – Congressman Michael McCaul (TX-10) joined Texas Congressional Leaders Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D., Congressman Van Taylor, Congressman August Pfluger, Congressman Tony Gonzales, Congressman Randy Weber, Congressman John Carter, Congressman Michael Cloud, Congressman Roger Williams, Congresswoman Beth Van Duyne, Congresswoman Kay Granger, Congressman Kevin Brady, Congressman Louie Gohmert, Congressman Dan Crenshaw, Congressman Chip Roy, and Congressman Jodey C. Arrington sent 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 prevented in the future.
"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:
- How did ERCOT prepare for this weather event and anticipated energy demand prior to when the controlled blackouts began?
- It has been reported that ERCOT will adjust rates to meet demand. How will this impact future energy prices in Texas?
- How were the various types of energy generation impacted by the extreme cold weather?
- What is the likelihood of similar weather events impacting Texas's electric grid again?
- What measures can be taken to improve grid resiliency in Texas in the future?
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