Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tells lawmakers to mandate winterization of power generators
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Texas power plants should have been ready to handle the freezing temperatures seen across the state, Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday, prompting him to announce a two new emergency items for lawmakers to consider.
Abbott is calling on Texas legislators to pass measures mandating the winterization of power generators, as well as provide funding to ensure the winter preparations and modernization occurs.
“I want everyone to know that all of us in the state of Texas believe it is completely unacceptable that you had to endure one minute of the challenges you faced,” Abbott said. “All of us agree on the necessity of action. Not just the action taken to restore your power, but the action to ensure that you never have to endure anything like this ever again.”
Abbott has slammed the Electric Reliability Council of Texas in recent days over its handling of the winter weather event that led to millions of power outages.
Abbott claimed that ERCOT, which oversees Texas’ power grid, purported to be ready for the cold weather in the days ahead of its arrival.
After freezes and blackouts in 2011, the Legislature passed a bill related to winterization for power generators. But the legislation lacks enforcement teeth and only requires generators file a weather preparation report with ERCOT that’s then sent to the Public Utility Commission.
Staff Writer Mark Dent contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
