/static.texastribune.org/media/files/c73061658e60a0b9e21d40135ce397aa/ATX%20Winter%20Storm%20SF%20TT%2039.jpg "Texas electricity bill hike: Greg Abbott promises relief")
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Governor Greg Abbott on Saturday held a meeting with other state leaders to discuss the spikes that some Texans are seeing on their energy bills after a severe winter storm that caused statewide power cuts that lasted for days.
The meeting came after several reports of Texans receiving exorbitant electricity bills, despite having no power during the storm. A Texan, according to The New York Times, received an electric bill of $ 16,752. Not every resident will see the spikes in your accounts.
In a statement, Abbott considered the meeting productive and said the leaders “are moving quickly to alleviate this problem and will continue to work collaboratively throughout this week on solutions.” The meeting took place via teleconference.
Winter Storm February 2021
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When will my water come back? How can I get water in the meantime?
We do not know. State and city officials are asking for patience – and telling Texans they have running water to boil it. Take all necessary steps to prepare for several days without water. Officials in Austin, for example, said on February 19 that restoring water services would likely be a multi-day process for the entire city. We have some resources here, but your best bet for finding free water is to check the local media.
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Will I receive a large energy bill?
It might be. People across the state received huge energy bills. One resident, according to The New York Times, received an electric bill of $ 16,752. Governor Greg Abbott said his office is working with lawmakers to cut bills. Not everyone will face huge spikes in bills. Austin, for example, has fixed basic rates. If you are concerned, check with your utility provider. Read more here.
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How can I get updates?
Sign up to receive our updates by sending “hello” to 512-967-6919 or visiting this page.
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I was without power for more than a day. Why are people calling these continuous interruptions?
When the state grid operator began implementing continuous interruptions at 1:25 am CT on February 15, it was intended to be a temporary measure to deal with an extreme winter event. Instead, some Texans have been without power for much longer, facing days without electricity instead of the originally planned 45 minutes at a time. The power grid was designed to be in high demand during the summer, when Texans turn on their home air conditioning. But some of the energy sources that supply the grid during the summer are turned off during the winter. Therefore, when Texans stayed home during the storm on Sunday and demanded record amounts of electricity, the state’s power grid was unable to service.
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Wait, do we have our own power grid? Why?
Yes, Texas has its own electric grid run by an agency called ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. The story is long, but the short version is: Texas has its own power grid to avoid dealing with federal regulations. In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Federal Power Act, which charged the Federal Power Commission with overseeing interstate electricity sales. But Texas public services do not cross state lines. ERCOT was formed in 1970, in the wake of a major blackout in the Northeast in November 1965, and was charged with managing the reliability of the network according to national standards. Note that Texas is not entirely on the same power grid. El Paso is on another grid, as is the upper Panhandle and a piece of eastern Texas.
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I read on the Internet that wind turbines are the reason why we lose energy. That’s true?
No. The lost wind energy represents only a fraction of the reduction in power generation capacity that has caused disruptions in millions of Texans. A Texas Electric Reliability Council official said on February 16 that 16 gigawatts of renewable energy generation, mostly wind, were offline. Almost twice that, 30 gigawatts, were lost in thermal sources, which include gas, coal and nuclear power. “Texas is a gaseous state,” said Michael Webber, professor of energy resources at the University of Texas at Austin. “Gas is failing in the most spectacular way right now.”
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How can I stay warm? How can I help other people?
The National Meteorological Service encourages people to close blinds and curtains, gather in a room if possible and close doors for others and put towels in the cracks under the doors. Wear wide layers of light, warm clothing. Eating snacks and staying hydrated helps to warm up the body. Some cities are providing heating and transportation centers as needed – find local resources here. If you have the resources or can offer financial donations, find nonprofits that are helping people here.
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See more coverage
Along with Abbott, the heads of the Senate and the House – Republican Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan, respectively – were also on the call.
Members of the two chambers also attended the meeting, including chairmen of the Senate finance committees and appropriations from the budget drafting chamber, as well as chairmen of the Senate Business and Commerce and Energy Resources committees of the Chamber.
The discussion with lawmakers, according to the governor’s office, focused on calculating the cost of these skyrocketing energy bills and “how the state can help reduce that burden”.
Abbott’s office also announced on Sunday that the governor would provide an update at 2:30 pm central time on efforts to obtain water and other supplies for communities across the state.
Later this week, the House and Senate committees will meet to investigate how the outages happened and what roles entities such as the Texas Electric Reliability Council played in these power outages.
“Thursday begins the questioning of the stakeholders involved to find out if something went wrong, what went wrong, who is to blame and, more importantly, what solutions moving forward we can do as a state legislature … to ensure that this never happens. not at all again, “said state deputy Craig Goldman, a Fort Worth Republican who chairs the House Energy Resources Committee, during an NBC-DFW interview that aired on Sunday
Disclosure: The New York Times has financially supported The Texas Tribune, a non-profit, non-partisan news organization that is financed in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in Tribune journalism. Find a complete list of them here.