DEANN WALKER

The former head of the Texas power grid on Wednesday testified that he was ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott to keep power prices at the maximum price cap during last winter's winter storm, the Houston Chronicle reports.Driving the news: Bill Magness, the former CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, said that former Public Utility Commission Chair DeAnn Walker told him that he was to do whatever necessary to prevent additional blackouts.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic

The nomination comes the same week that ERCOT asked Texans to cut back their electricity use to avoid outages. Cobos’ term will last until Sept. 1

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)AUSTIN, Texas – Bill Magness, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas CEO who was terminated by his board Wednesday, said he will not seek or accept severance pay, according to a spokesperson. According to the terms of his employment contract, his severance pay would have been equivalent to one year of his current base salary, which is more than $800,000. She had come under sharp criticism from lawmakers after largely blaming Texas’ power outages on ERCOT. Magness, who endured more than five hours of questioning by state senators on Thursday, was criticized for the organization’s winter storm preparations. Magness worked at ERCOT for more than a decade and became its CEO and president in 2016 after working as its general counsel.

Bill Magness is the latest official to depart following the winter storm catastrophe. The decision is the latest of several recently announced departures from the ERCOT board, which also included Magness. Magness’ absence will leave the 16-person ERCOT board with a mix of vacancies and temporary members. She had come under sharp criticism by lawmakersafter largely pointing blame for Texas' power outages to ERCOT. Magness, who endured more than five hours of questioning by state senators Thursday, was criticized for the organization's preparations for a winter storm.

The decision is the latest of several recently announced departures from the ERCOT board, which also included Magness. Magness's absence leaves a mix of vacancies and temporary members on the 16-member ERCOT board. She had come under sharp criticism by lawmakers after largely pointing blame for Texas’ power outages to ERCOT, the entity her agency oversees. Magness also defended ERCOT as an entity that carries out what state lawmakers and the PUC direct. Magness worked at ERCOT for more than a decade and became its CEO and president in 2016 after working as its general counsel.

Arthur D’Andrea replaces DeAnn Walker, who resigned earlier this week as chair of the Public Utility Commission. The governor appoints commissioners to lead the PUC, which oversees the state’s grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Greg Abbott on Wednesday promoted Arthur D'Andrea to chair the state's utility regulator, replacing the Public Utility Commission leader who resigned earlier this week following widespread power outages in February. The governor appoints commissioners to lead the PUC, which oversees the state's grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. D’Andrea replaces DeAnn Walker, who resigned as chair of the PUC earlier this week after Lt. Gov.

Governor Greg Abbott has named Arthur D’Andrea chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Credit: Texas Public Utility CommissionGov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday promoted Arthur D’Andrea to chair the state’s utility regulator, replacing the Public Utility Commission leader who resigned earlier this week following widespread power outages in February. The governor appoints commissioners to lead the PUC, which oversees the state’s grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Abbott can now choose who he’d like to join D’Andrea and Commissioner Shelly Botkin, who Abbott appointed to the PUC in 2018.

J.J. Watt gets permission to wear No. 99 in Arizona J.J. Watt made some phone calls and will get to wear his No. 99 with the Cardinals. This company is looking to challenge Elon Musk in space Rocket Lab has plans to launch a bigger rocket than SpaceX's Falcon 9.

The chairwoman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the agency that regulates the state's electric, telecommunication, and water and sewer utilities, resigned Monday, according to a resignation letter provided to the Texas Tribune. Greg Abbott-appointed commission came under public criticism in the aftermath of Texas' power crisis that left millions of people in the dark for days and claimed the lives of dozens. Dan Patrick called for PUC chairwoman DeAnn Walker and Electric Reliability Council of Texas CEO Bill Magness to resign. Walker said the commission has "not been given legal authority by the Legislature to require winter weatherization," a primary concern after the power crisis was precipitated by power plants tripping offline. Abbott, Walker said she was resigning because she believed it to be in the best interest of the state.

The chairwoman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the agency that regulates the state’s electric, telecommunication, and water and sewer utilities, resigned Monday, according to a resignation letter provided to the Texas Tribune. Greg Abbott-appointed commission came under public criticism in the aftermath of Texas’ power crisis that left millions of people in the dark for days and claimed the lives of dozens. RELATED: Texas power council is 'anything but reliable,' Abbott saysOn Monday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called for PUC chairwoman DeAnn Walker and Electric Reliability Council of Texas CEO Bill Magness to resign. Abbott, Walker said she was resigning because she believed it to be in the best interest of the state.

The chairwoman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the agency that regulates the state’s electric, telecommunication, and water and sewer utilities, resigned Monday, according to a resignation letter provided to the Texas Tribune. Governor Greg Abbott-appointed commissioners came under public criticism in the aftermath of Texas’ power crisis that left millions of people in the dark for days and claimed the lives of dozens. Dan Patrick called for PUC chairwoman DeAnn Walker and Electric Reliability Council of Texas CEO Bill Magness to resign. The PUC is charged with overseeing the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, a nonprofit entity that manages and operates the electricity grid that covers much of the state. Lawmakers probed how much information she had on whether the state’s power system could withstand winter storms, and questioned why she didn’t raise concerns about the possibility of outages sooner.

Ad“Both the PUC Chair and ERCOT CEO said they were prepared the day before the storm hit in full force, but obviously they were not. ERCOT CEO Bill Magness testified the information was not delivered to him – a critical failure of Magness’ team. “Both the Chairman and CEO publicly testified they had informed state leadership, including me, about the seriousness of the winter storm. Ad“I do not make this call for the resignation of the PUC Chair and the ERCOT CEO lightly. “The investigation into what happened during the winter storm crisis is just beginning.

Houston power couple ties the knot in the Virgin Islands This is about as close to a fairytale as one's love story can get. 12 standout wines made by women Raise a glass to these boss ladies of wine.

Both Abbott and the commission's meetings come as more Texans are reporting receiving exorbitant electric bills despite not having power during the storm. One Texan, according to The New York Times, received a $16,752 electric bill. OVERCHARGING: More than 500 instances of price-gouging reported during Texas snowstormAlong with Abbott, the heads of the Senate and House — Republicans Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan, respectively — were also part of that Saturday meeting, as were chairs of the budget-writing Senate Finance and House Appropriations committees, among others. Later this week, House and Senate committees will convene to investigate how outages happened and what roles entities like the Electric Reliability Council of Texas played in those power failures.

The Public Utility Commission of Texas has implemented a ban on utility cutoffs for consumers who don’t pay their bills. The move does not apply to cooperatives or to municipality-owned utilities like CPS in San Antonio or Austin Energy. The Public Utility Commission of Texas has implemented a ban on utility cutoffs for consumers who don't pay their bills. The move does not apply to cooperatives or to municipality-owned utilities like CPS in San Antonio or Austin Energy. The Public Utility Commission made a similar move in March due to the economic fallout of COVID-19.