KUT News: U.S. Rep. Greg Casar files bill to connect Texas grid to rest of the country

Of the numerous vulnerabilities exposed by the deadly 2021 Texas blackouts, one caught people's attention more than the rest: Texas exists as an energy island.

Unlike any other power grid in the continental U.S., the energy system that serves 90% of Texans cannot share much electricity with neighboring grids. That means when the Electric Reliability Council of Texas cannot meet demand, there is no way to import enough power to make up the difference. That leaves the grid operator with no option but to cut electricity to homes and businesses to balance the system.

That is exactly what ERCOT had to do in 2021, when a historic winter storm crippled the state energy infrastructure while raising power demand to historic highs.

Now, three years after the disaster, U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, has filed a bill to end that energy isolation...