Uncategorized

March 22, 2021

Even Texans with fixed electricity plans may face high energy costs due to this fee

Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“I didn’t have any concerns for myself,” Helton said. “It didn’t even cross my mind that I, as a fixed rate customer with a big company, […]
March 21, 2021

Texas This Week: League of Women Voters Texas discusses ‘election integrity’ bills

KVUE ABC
On Monday, the Senate suspended numerous rules to file, vote out of committee and then approve Senate Bill 2142 with bipartisan support. It orders the PUC […]
March 18, 2021

TEXAS VIEW: ERCOT, PUC can’t just shrug off $16 billion in overcharges

OA Online
Dozens of natural gas companies failed to do the paperwork that would keep their facilities powered during an emergency, so utilities cut their electricity at the […]
March 18, 2021

Electricity Problems Are Bigger in Texas

The Regulatory Review
The legislation, however, appears to have done little to push state regulators towards learning from their past mistakes. Despite a decade to act, state regulators repeatedly […]
March 18, 2021

Ousted Public Utility Commission chairman admits he favors helping investors, not the public

The Dallas Morning News
This is what corruption looks like.  In a leaked recording of a 48-minute conference call with investors, first reported by Texas Monthly, Public Utility Commission Chairman […]
March 18, 2021

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Calls On Gov. Greg Abbott To Reverse ERCOT Overcharges, Exposing Major Policy Difference

CBS DFW
This week, Patrick championed the quick passage of a bill by the State Senate that would reverse ERCOT’s overcharges.  The Lt. Governor said that could save […]
March 17, 2021

Power giant NRG Energy expects a $750 million hit from the Texas cold crisis

The Dallas Morning News
Gutierrez said the estimates could be revised again as NRG has received resettlement data for 80% of its commercial and industrial load, compared with 99% for […]
March 17, 2021

Texas utility regulator ousted after comments to investors disclosed

Reuters
The resignation came soon after the disclosure of inflammatory comments by the Public Utility Commission Chair Arthur D’Andrea in a March 9 call with Bank of […]
March 17, 2021

Some on Wall Street Profited off Texas Blackouts. In a Private Call, a Top Regulator Pledged He Would Try to Protect Their Windfall.

Texas Monthly
“I apologize for the uncertainty,” D’Andrea said, promising to put “the weight of the commission” behind efforts to keep billions of dollars from being returned to […]
March 16, 2021

Texas House rejects bill to reprice electricity sold during winter storm

Houston Chronicle
“In a statement, House Speaker Dade Phelan made it clear he does not agree with repricing electricity to minimize damage done by an estimated $16 billion in […]
March 16, 2021

Texas House leader signals opposition to retroactive power price cuts

Reuters
“Power costs soared to $47 billion, pushing three Texas electricity companies into bankruptcy and sparking a battle between lawmakers and the PUC over the handling of […]
March 16, 2021

North Texans Face More Big Electric Bills in Aftermath of Winter Storm

NBC Fort Worth
“Several people who get their power through the nonprofit Navarro County Electric Cooperative contacted NBC 5 Responds about electricity bills ranging from around $400 to nearly […]
March 16, 2021

Some on Wall Street Profited off Texas Blackouts. In a Private Call, a Top Regulator Pledged He Would Try to Protect Their Windfall.

Texas Monthly
“Texas Monthly has obtained a recording of a 48-minute call on March 9 in which Texas Public Utility Commission chairman Arthur D’Andrea discussed the fallout from […]
March 15, 2021

Texas state Senate passes bill to cut $5.1 billion in winter storm power fees

Reuters
“Those 32 hours resulted in inaccurate and excessive charges to the tune of billions of dollars,” Hughes said. “The Senate bill directed D’Andrea and ERCOT to […]
March 9, 2021

Just Energy files for creditor protection in Canada after Texas freeze hit

Reuters
“Last week, Texas’ largest and oldest electric power cooperative, Brazos Electric Power Cooperative Inc, filed for bankruptcy protection in Houston, citing a disputed $1.8 billion debt […]
March 8, 2021

Even Texans with fixed electricity plans may face high energy costs due to this fee

Star Telegram
“I didn’t have any concerns for myself,” Helton said. “It didn’t even cross my mind that I, as a fixed rate customer with a big company, […]
March 5, 2021

Texas won’t fix ERCOT’s $16 billion power billing mistake

KWTX
“Texas’ utility regulator had an opportunity Friday to eliminate some of the $16 billion that the state’s grid operator erroneously overcharged power companies during last month’s […]
March 4, 2021

‘Where did the money go?’ Grid crisis sparks investigations

E&E News
A second issue may be taken up later this week by the PUC — the potential repricing of day-ahead clearing prices of ancillary services from Feb. […]
March 4, 2021

Despite Losing Power for Days, Texans Will Pay Higher Power Bills—Perhaps for Decades to Come

Texas Monthly
A year from now, it’s almost certain that Texans will have fewer electricity providers to choose from, and those that remain are more likely to be […]