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Electricity Repricing Bill Hits Wall In Texas House, Marking First Major Schism With Senate This Session – Houston Public Media

Dan Patrick and marked the first major schism between the two chambers this legislative session. "ERCOT and PUC failed Texas repeatedly during this tragic event, but the decisions made on pricing were made based on ensuring the reliability of the grid," Phelan said. "The Texas Senate stood for individuals, and I'm proud of you," Patrick told senators. ERCOT is a nonprofit entity that manages the power grid and controls the prices power generators charge to retail electric providers such as power companies and city utilities. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.

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Electricity repricing bill hits wall in House, marking first major schism with Senate this session

Dan Patrick and marked the first major schism between the two chambers this legislative session. Ad“The Texas Senate stood for individuals, and I’m proud of you,” Patrick told senators. “The House stood for big business.”ERCOT is a nonprofit entity that manages the power grid and controls the prices power generators charge to retail electric providers, such as power companies and city utilities. Outgoing ERCOT CEO Bill Magness and PUC Chair Arthur D’Andrea say the cap was necessary to incentivize generators to send power to the grid. Still, the rift emerging between the House and Senate marks the most visible difference yet between the two chambers, which have largely avoided open conflict this session until now.

Texas Senate scrambles to advance bill that would force ERCOT to reprice energy charges from winter storm

Senate Bill 2142, sponsored by state Sen. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, had not even been filed when the day started Monday — and the full Senate hadn’t been scheduled to convene. But the bill was quickly read on the Senate floor and referred to the Senate Jurisprudence Committee for a hearing on Monday morning. PUC and ERCOT leaders say the prices were intentionally left high to incentivize generators to send power during widespread outages. The PUC’s sole serving member, Arthur D’Andrea, told the state Senate last week that he does not have the authority to retroactively adjust prices. The other two spots on the PUC are vacant because their prior occupants resigned after the winter storm.

Will Texas lawmakers finally heed the power grid warnings from 10 years ago?

The crush of proposed legislation follows what many consider to be the numerous failings of our state’s power grid uncovered by February’s winter storm. Ad“They failed us, miserably,” Bossette said of state lawmakers. 2011Ten years ago, lawmakers were lamenting how another winter storm knocked out power to millions of Texans. Just as they are now, ERCOT officials face withering criticism for not making sure our grid was better prepared. Even then, ERCOT officials said they have no authority to force power generators to follow through with these plans.

Texas Public Utility Commission names new director to oversee ERCOT

The Public Utility Commission of Texas today named Adrianne Brandt the agency’s new Director of ERCOT, Inc. AUSTIN, Texas – Weeks after the catastrophic winter storm in Texas, The Public Utility Commission of Texas named Adrianne Brandt, the new Director of ERCOT Inc. “Adrianne is the exact mixture of knowledge, experience and toughness this role requires,” said PUC Chairman Arthur D’Andrea. “Adrianne and Brad provide a powerful one-two punch of industry knowledge, regulatory experience and unassailable integrity,” said PUC Executive Director, Thomas Gleeson. “Not only will they guide a financial analysis of the grid event but will also ratchet up ERCOT’s accountability to the PUC and the people of Texas.”

Abbott names ERCOT billing error correction as emergency legislative item

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has declared the correction of any billion-dollar errors related to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas as an emergency item for the 87th Legislative Session, according to a release. The emergency items include any inaccurate excessive charges or any issues regarding additional service prices after February’s deadly winter storm in Texas. In Texas, wholesale power prices are determined by supply and demand: When demand is high, ERCOT allows prices to go up. During the storm, PUC directed the grid operator to set wholesale power prices at $9,000 per megawatt-hour -- the maximum price.

Just one Public Utility Commission member remains after another resignation in aftermath of winter storm

Many residents experienced power outages due to the winter storm that rolled through Texas. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas TribunePublic Utility Commissioner Shelly Botkin has resigned in the aftermath of the deadly Texas winter weather crisis that left millions of people without power. Botkin's exit comes a week after the chairwoman of the commission, DeAnn Walker, submitted her resignation under pressure from Lt. Gov. With Botkin's resignation, the commission is now down to just one member. AdWalker testified in front of lawmakers before resigning and D'Andrea spoke publicly about issues over the power outages after being elevated to commission chair.

PUC votes to not disconnect power service, but customers could begin seeing late fees on water and energy bills soon

The meeting started by detouring a bit and, instead of taking public comments, the PUC answered some questions from callers which included billing questions. Second, PUC representatives said they will likely not re-price the energy market like some senators and independent market monitors had suggested. ERCOT’s vice president Kenan Ogelman explained to state senators those storm-related prices are why it is owed more than $2 billion from energy companies that cannot pay their bill. He said the storm was causing fluctuating prices, which can inadvertently put a power producer in reserve status. ERCOT’s Technical Advisory Committee has scheduled a special meeting at 1 p.m. to review the cold weather event.

Legislators, monitor urge ERCOT to amend storm-related prices

At ERCOT’s behest, the Public Utility Commission of Texas allowed energy prices to hit the cap of $9,000 per megawatt-hour during the storm. Ogelman testified that during the storm, energy prices were fluctuating based on supply scarcity. He said as more power units went down and demand grew, prices went up. As ERCOT called for millions of people to lose power, prices dropped since it appeared demand and supply were evening out. Potomac strongly suggests ERCOT retroactively amend energy prices to bring the bills down.

Gov. Abbott names new chairman of Public Utility Commission of Texas after deadly winter storm

Greg Abbott announced Wednesday the new chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas after the former chairman resigned following the deadly winter storm in February. READ: Public Utility Commission chair resigns after Texas officials criticize management of power outagesAdD’Andrea has served as a commissioner for PUC since November 2017. He was an assistant general counsel for Abbott’s office and served as an assistant solicitor general for the Office of the Attorney General of Texas. He is also a member of the State Bar of Texas. D’Andrea received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctor degree from The University of Texas School of Law, according to a release.

Public Utility Commission chair resigns after Texas officials criticize management of power outages

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.

Lt. Gov. calls for resignations of top ERCOT, PUC officials after devastating winter storm

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.

Texas utility regulator to investigate indexed retail electric providers following massive electric bills

The Public Utility Commission of Texas on Wednesday announced the probe into what are known as indexed retail electric providers. Griddy passes wholesale electricity rates directly to customers, who in turn pay the company $10 a month. Wholesale prices spiked during the storm because the winter weather temporarily knocked many power generators offline, shrinking supply and skyrocketing demand. AdThe utility commission on Sunday temporarily barred Texas electric providers from cutting power to residents who don’t — or can’t — pay and from sending out bills. The announcement Wednesday is the latest in a flurry of investigations into the events that caused widespread power outages and left millions without running water.

Public Utility Commission launches investigation into power outages that left Texans in the cold

FILE - This Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021 file photo shows power lines in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)AUSTIN, Texas – The Public Utility Commission of Texas launched an investigation Friday into to the power outages during this week’s winter storm. State-mandated blackouts left millions of Texans in the dark and cold for days as a winter storm brought snow, ice and subfreezing temperatures to the state. Texas lawmakers will also launch their own investigation into the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the agency in charge of managing the state’s power grid. The PUC also approved measures aimed at helping consumers make an easy transition from one electric provider to another if their current provider is forced out of the market.

Spencer Solves It: Help available for those having trouble paying the bills

They were hoping to qualify for Houston’s rental assistance program, but it ran out of money in less than an hour. But there is help available. Another organization that is offering low-income families with help paying rent and utilities is Catholic Charities. “I’ve worked in non-profits and this need is so large.”The assistance is available to qualified people in Houston’s ten metro counties. We also found a comprehensive list of help available in Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, and Waller counties, as well as help available from United Way where you can search for what’s available in your neighborhood.