Texas hearings to focus on failures that left people without power

Tue, 20 Apr 2021

Texas hearings to focus on failures that left people without power

Robert Besser
27 Feb 2021, 03:33 GMT+10

Texas lawmakers have begun hearings into the power outages that plagued Texas residents during last week's severe winter blizzard.
As many as 48 percent of Texas' electricity generators were offline last week, said officials.
The resulting power losses led to billions of dollars in damages and dozens of deaths.

AUSTIN, Texas: Texas lawmakers have begun hearings into the causes of the enormous power outages that plagued Texas residents at the height of last week's severe winter blizzard.

As many as 48 percent of Texas' electricity generators were knocked offline last week. Bill Magness, chief executive of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), said on Wednesday that cutting electricity was necessary to prevent an even greater disaster.

The legislative hearings are expected to focus on the lack of planning and preparation by grid planners, electric utilities and natural gas transmission operators. The resulting power losses led to billions of dollars in damages and dozens of deaths.

During the hearings, consumer advocates are expected to seek the creation of regulations for utilities.

Meanwhile, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has blamed the Electric Reliability Council because it did not act quickly to prevent disruptions in power supplies and generators from falling offline.

He also said he understood the public's anger and has pledged to enact regulations to increase power supplies and prevent residents from paying enormous power bills.

Other issues to be considered at the hearings are the enormous losses suffered by the insurance industry during winter storms and power outages.

Initial reports claim that insurance losses in Texas may reach $18 billion this year. A normal winter sees insurance claims of $3 billion, said industry officials.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Dallas Sun.

More Information

62 ℉

Fair in Dallas/Love

International

Section

Train derailment in Egypt leaves 11 dead, 98 injured

CAIRO, Egypt: A train traveling from Cairo derailed on Sunday, causing four cars to overturn, killing eleven passengers and injuring ...

New Delhi ravaged by Covid; beds, oxygen, medicines in short supply

NEW DELHI, India: As of April 18, there were fewer than 100 critical care beds to treat Covid patients in ...

Public backlash follows Oregon plan to continue Covid restrictions

PORTLAND, Oregon: The state of Oregon is moving in the opposite direction of much of America, as it seeks to ...

China tightens control of Hong Kong, jails protest leaders

HONG KONG: As part of China's campaign to curtail freedoms in Hong Kong, leaders in the protests against China have ...

Crowd at Vatican as Pope returns to Sunday greetings

VATICAN CITY - Following the one-year lockdown, Pope Francis greeted Catholics in St. Peter's Square for his traditional Sunday noon ...

Coronavirus rates at record high among 19 and younger in Michigan

ATLANTA, Georgia: As Covid-19 cases again increase in states such as Michigan and Minnesota, officials have voiced concern about children ...

Business

Section

Japanese stocks sold off sharply, greenback crumbles

SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - Stocks in Japan tumbled on Tuesday. Sharemarkets in Australia and China also fell, while Hong Kong ...

GM Tennessee plant to produce batteries for 500,000 cars per year

DETROIT, Michigan: General Motors has announced plans to build a second electric battery cell plant in the U.S. with its ...

U.S. stocks lose ground as profit-takers move in

NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks were sold off Monday, a surprising break in what has been a relentless ...

Fewer than 200,000 businesses failed during lockdown, says Fed

WASHINGTON D.C.: Federal Reserve research indicates that fewer than 200,000 businesses in the United States may have failed during the ...

After Brexit, Ireland-Northern Ireland trade jumps in value

DUBLIN, Ireland: Cross-border trade between Ireland and Northern Ireland has greatly increased, in some cases doubling since the start of ...

Mixed performances on Asian stock markets Monday, U.S. dollar steadies

SYDNEY, NSW, Australia - Stocks in Asia had an interesting start to the week with shares in Japan and Australia ...

Movie Review

The Report

Report