Gov. Greg Abbott declares ERCOT reform emergency item in Texas Legislature

AUSTIN, Texas – Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday declared the reform of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) an emergency item this legislative session.

In declaring this item an emergency, Abbott is calling on the legislature to investigate ERCOT and ensure Texans never again experience power outages on the scale they have seen over the past several days.

“The Electric Reliability Council of Texas has been anything but reliable over the past 48 hours,” Abbott said. “Far too many Texans are without power and heat for their homes as our state faces freezing temperatures and severe winter weather. This is unacceptable. Reviewing the preparations and decisions by ERCOT is an emergency item so we can get a full picture of what caused this problem and find long-term solutions. I thank my partners in the House and Senate for acting quickly on this challenge, and I will work with them to enhance Texas’ electric grid and ensure that our state never experiences power outages like this again.”

Abbott is the second high-ranking Texas official to call for an investigation into ERCOT.

Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan on Tuesday requested that the House State Affairs and Energy Resources committees hold a joint hearing to review the factors that led to megawatts of electric generation being dropped off the ERCOT system and the subsequent statewide blackouts that affected millions of Texans across the state.

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