Leading members of the Texas Electric Reliability Council (ERCOT) board announced that they would step down on Wednesday after a deadly winter storm system left millions without power amid sub-zero temperatures.
In a letter on Tuesday to their fellow board members – there are 16 in total – President Sally Talberg and Vice President Peter Cramton, Terry Bulger and Raymond Hepper wrote that “their hearts are with all Texans” who have had to run out of electricity, heat, water and “face the tragic consequences of this emergency.”
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“We noted recent concerns about the leadership of the out-of-state board at ERCOT. To allow state leaders the freedom to direct the future and eliminate distractions, we are resigning the board after our urgent conference call meeting ends on Wednesday, February. 24 of 2021 “, they said.
The group said it wants what is best for ERCOT and Texas and is “in the process of reviewing this extreme cold event and the resulting energy crisis”.
“With proper monitoring, Texas can lead the country in investing in infrastructure and emergency preparedness to withstand the effects of severe weather events – whether in the form of floods, droughts, extreme temperatures or hurricanes,” added the group.
“We have just one thing to ask of those who remain on the board: continue to recognize the great people at ERCOT and what they do for Texas every day,” concluded the members, thanking ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness.
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A lawsuit published on the website of the Public Utility Commission – the entity that oversees ERCOT – showed that counselor Vanessa Anesetti-Parra is also resigning and Craig Ivey withdrew his request for an unaccompanied director position.
On the ERCOT website, jobs are now listed as “vacant”. Magness had told reporters at a news conference that some of the members had been receiving threats that prompted the company to temporarily remove personal information from the board’s website.
All five members live outside of Texas.
Customers use the light of a cell phone to look in the meat section of a supermarket on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, in Dallas. Although the store lost power, it was open for cash sales only.
((Photo AP / LM Otero))
The Associated Press reported on Wednesday that Talberg lives in Michigan and Bulger lives in Illinois.
In order for ERCOT to remain certified as an independent organization, the board must include five directors not affiliated with “no market segment”, according to The Texas Tribune.
Bulger, Hepper, Ansetti-Parra and Talberg were not immediately available for comment.
Cramton declined to comment, but indicated to Fox News a recording of an urgent board meeting on February 24.
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“The ERCOT was flying a 747. It didn’t have one, but two engines experienced catastrophic failure, so it flew with the damaged plane for 103 hours before it landed safely on the Hudson,” said Cramton during the more than three-hour meeting. “In my opinion, the men and women in the ERCOT control room are heroes.”
ERCOT operates the Texas power grid – which is isolated from the rest of the country – managing about 90% of Lonestar’s energy for 26 million customers.
The non-profit organization was destroyed last week after an arctic explosion in Deep South left more than 80 dead.
In their own letter, 16 Texas mayors asked Magness to address their “shortcomings” and wrote in favor of widespread public disclosure and action by the state leadership – although Houston’s Democratic Mayor Sylvester Turner said the Public Utility Commission of Houston Texas is also responsible for the loss of electricity.
Lawsuits were filed against ERCOT in response to the crisis. However, whether or not ERCOT can be held responsible remains uncertain and the Texas Supreme Court is expected to decide whether or not it has the right to sovereign immunity.
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While Magness defended the interruptions, Republican Governor Greg Abbott said before Thursday’s hearings in Austin that he was being fired.
“When Texans were in desperate need of electricity, ERCOT was unable to do its job and Texans were shivering in their homes without power,” he said in a statement. “ERCOT’s leadership ensured that Texas’s energy infrastructure was prepared for the winter storm, but these guarantees proved to be terribly false.”
“The lack of preparation and transparency at ERCOT is unacceptable and I welcome these layoffs. The State of Texas will continue to investigate ERCOT and reveal the full picture of what went wrong, and we will ensure that last week’s disastrous events are never repeated,” concluded Abbott.
In a statement to Fox News, ERCOT said it hopes to “work with the Texas Legislature” and thanked “the members of the Council who are stepping down for their services”.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.