NEWS: Congressman Greg Casar Reacts to Republican Effort to Keep the Broken Texas Grid… Exactly the Same
The Hill: Texas Republicans to introduce resolution opposing adding ERCOT to national grid
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas) released the following statement in response to news of a new resolution opposing the interconnection between the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and neighboring grids.
“A handful of Texas Republicans are establishing the pro-blackouts caucus in Congress,” said Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas). “But Texans can’t afford the status quo. I’m ready to work with my colleagues — Republicans and Democrats — to prevent mass blackouts, grow our economy, and save our consumers money. That’s what connecting the grid will do.”
ERCOT has had three years since Winter Storm Uri to improve infrastructure, but Texans have seen little progress. About 90% of the state of Texas’s electricity is run solely through the Texas grid. Because millions of Texans are not interconnected to the national grids, they are much more susceptible to mass power outages in the extreme cold or extreme heat — when we need reliable energy the most.
The remaining 10% of Texas, like El Paso in the West and Beaumont in the East (notably part of the TX-14 district and represented by Rep. Randy Weber), are connected to other grids and did not suffer mass power outages during Winter Storm Uri in 2021. After the storm, Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick said, “I’m happy we’re not a part of ERCOT.”
The Connect the Grid Act would:
- Require interconnection between ERCOT and grids that it neighbors.
- Make sure ERCOT is subject to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) oversight for just and reasonable pricing and transmission planning.
- Require FERC and the Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct a study on the benefits of interconnection with Mexico.
With Casar’s bill, the Texas grid would still be run by ERCOT, the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC), and the Texas Legislature in their current roles — with the added oversight for just and reasonable pricing and transmission planning from FERC.
Background:
- Beaumont Enterprise (Feb. 2021): Southeast Texas: ‘Happy we’re not a part of ERCOT’
- Vox (May 2022): The Texas grid is designed to fail
- The New York Times – Opinion (Feb. 2022): When will Texas emerge from the dark?
- Grid Strategies (Jul. 2021): Transmission makes the power system resilient to extreme weather
Resources:
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Congressman Greg Casar represents Texas’s 35th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, which runs down I-35 from East Austin to Hays County to the West Side of San Antonio. A labor organizer and son of Mexican immigrants, Casar serves as the Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for the 118th Congress. He also serves on the Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Committee on Agriculture.