From Cape you news in Austin,
you're watching Texas this
week with Ashley Guddo.
Good Sunday morning,
a new report claims Governor Greg
Abbott is exercising unprecedented
power over the agency that
overseas the state's power grid.
And Democratic candidate for
Governor Beto O'Rourke is making
headlines for his potty mouth.
But this time around,
a lot of people are applauding him.
Let's get to the three things you
need to know in Texas politics.
Round Rock State Representative James
Talerico and 30 three members of
the Texas House of Representatives
are asking Governor Greg Abbott to
call a special session to address
the failures happening within
the Texas Juvenile prison system.
Staffing levels are so low at
the state's five youth prisons,
teens are spending up to 23
hours a day locked in their cells
using water bottles as bathrooms.
The House Committee on Juvenile
Justice and Family issues her
testimony from prison leaders this
week who say without more funding.
They won't gain control of the
crisis in a statement.
Governor Abbott's press secretary
said the Texas Juvenile Justice
Department is quote developing
their budget request for next
session and the governor will
support their request to increase
the salaries needed to hire and
retain a qualified workforce.
Wednesday at Travis County Judge
ruled DPS does not have to turn over
records related to the mass shooting
at Rob Elementary School requested
by state Senator Roland Gutierrez.
The judge did not answer the pressing
question of whether DPS can withhold
information about the shooting that
left 19 students and two teachers dead,
but instead,
said Senator Gutierrez didn't properly
file his request for the record.
Meanwhile, coalition of media outlets,
including K View and the
Austin American Statesman,
are.
Continuing a separate fight for
records related to the school shooting.
Democratic candidate for Governor
Beto O'Rourke is going viral
for cursing at a Heckler during
a campaign event Wednesday.
A work was talking about the Uvalde
school shooting describing the
impact AR fifteens have when someone
apparently in a group of Greg
Abbott supporters started laughing.
Take a look.
To make sure that now 11 weeks.
Since we lost 19 kids and their two
teachers shot to death with a weapon
originally designed for use in combat
legally purchased by an 18 year old
who did not try to obtain one when
he was 16 or 17 but followed the law,
that's on the books.
Ladies and gentlemen,
that says that you can buy not
one you could buy two or more if
you want to AR fifteens hundreds
of rounds of ammunition and take
that weapon that was originally
designed for use on the battlefields.
In Vietnam to penetrate an enemy soldier's
helmet at 500 feet and knock him down.
Dead up against kids at 5
feet and made fun of you.
But it's not funny to me, OK?
This week the Texas Tribune published
a report about the influence.
Governor Greg Abbott is exerting
over who will be the next CEO of the
Electric Reliability Council of Texas.
The nonprofit that runs
the state's power grid.
Mitchell Furman Energy and Economy
reporter for the Texas Tribune joined
me to talk about what he uncovered.
You write governor.
Abbott is exerting unprecedented influence
over not only who will be the next CEO,
but also what Arcott tells the public first,
what our sources telling you
about the search for CEO.
Yet, sources across the power industry
have told me that the governor has final
say in the search for CEO of ERCOT,
even though he is not formally
part of the search process.
The the ERCOT Board of Directors,
as well as a contracted search firm
are are are primarily responsible
for the search for the new CEO.
But you know, we've been told that by sources
that the governor has has final say and.
He has veto power and and,
and he's already vetoed rejected
at least one candidate,
according to people familiar with the
process and and and that is unusual.
That has not happened according to
people familiar with Arcots history,
but but yeah,
that the governor is is intimately
involved in who gets that job.
Interesting for sure,
and now this is all happening.
Of course, after what we had
happened in February of 2021,
which was that unprecedented power failure
where the grid completely just failed.
The people of Texas most people
can remember what it was like to be
without power and water for days.
People died during that,
and so do you think that the gravity
of that situation is why the governor
wants to be involved in this process?
Yeah, and and he he has said that and
his the regulators who he appoints have
have said that as well that the governor
has has taken a particular interest
in in the power grid which which is,
you know. I think most people would
understand you know that it was.
It was a catastrophe.
Like you said, hundreds of people died.
But you know the the governor.
As sources told us,
the governor's governing a state
is different from governing power
grid control room or a power grid
operator and the people who.
Traditionally, run power grids are
are studied in in the industry,
they're experts and and you know.
But the but the governor has has
gotten involved in in in some of
those operations like we've like.
We've like we reported with,
you know,
the way ERCOT communicates with the public.
Let's talk about the other thing
that is very unusual about the
governor's hand in ERCOT right now
is that sources told the Trib the
governor is dictating what archive
can tell the public and your report.
You quote a source who says Governor
Abbott is reviewing and editing
arcott's public statements and quote
it means information is potentially
not getting where it needs to go.
And that means Texans aren't
hearing what they need to hear.
How big is this?
Yeah, it it's incredibly unusual.
It ERCOT has always has traditionally
given the PUC and the governor's
office heads up when they're
communicating with the public on.
You know, on issues that aren't
aren't aren't minor, right?
If they're if they're issuing
a report of what, what,
summer or winter is going to look like,
but the governor's office?
It's it's a heads up.
That's where it kind of, you know.
There is no.
They are rarely questioned
or told what to say.
But the difference, the difference,
the difference post winter storm.
Yuri is that the governor is
involved in in what ERCOT?
Doesn't says to the public.
And as we've seen,
Arcots public communications
have have dwindled substantially
over the last year.
Did your source give any information
when they said that there may be
information Texans aren't getting?
What that information might be?
What it is that's being
withheld from the public.
Sometime that could mean a an ask
for conservation of you know or
or that could mean you know ERCOT
and and and power grids generally.
Energy conservation is a practice that
that power companies talk about often,
not only to help the protect the grid,
but also to help people potentially
save money on their home.
Electric bills and and so it's
you know it's it's kind of a.
It's an unusual position for for
the governor to be in if if it is
trying to make energy conservation
a more regular part of.
Of people's energy practices at home.
But if the governor perhaps views energy
conservation as a political liability,
then that kind of conflicts
with what power grid operators?
How power grid operators talk about
energy conservation? Which is it?
Is a tool in their toolbox.
Tell us what you're continuing to watch
as we continue to follow this story.
Not only the fact that we need a leader for,
you know, arcott, but also as we're
moving closer towards the election.
Yeah, there are a couple things.
I mean one we could ERCOT has a board
meeting coming up this month and that
there is speculation that that is when
they could potentially name a new CEO.
You know, obviously we will see there.
And another thing is.
What happens after summer,
especially when it's in the the
kind of shoulder month season,
which is what the power industry that's
the months in between winter and summer
and summer and winter when power plants
typically go down for for maintenance.
Scheduled repairs.
Kind of like an oil change is is what
people in the industry describe it as.
But a massive oil change and you know.
The power plant fleet in Texas
has been run extremely hard this
spring and summer to keep up with
record high demand for power as the
state's economy continues to grow
and population the demand for power
also continues to grow with it.
And when those plants are down
for maintenance this fall,
you know the as we saw this spring,
there were times when it was
hotter than expected, and.
And there there was concern for for
tight grid conditions because of of
plants that were unexpectedly down,
and so we'll see if that happens again,
right? In? Who knows, September October.
Before you know these tweener
months when it's.
Historically been mild.
You know,
with mild temperatures.
You know if it's unseasonably warm and
Texans are cranking their AC at home,
what will that mean for the grid?
When asked about the report,
Governor Greg Abbott's press secretary gave
us a statement that reads in part quote,
Governor Abbott continues working to
ensure the substantial bipartisan
reforms passed by the House and Senate
last year are properly implemented,
including greater transparency and
accountability at the PUC and ARCOTT so
that the grid remains stable and reliable.
Under the governor's leadership,
Texans have seen more communication
and proactive responses by the
PUC and ERCOT to keep the public.
Better informed now you can read
the full statement at ksu.com.
That's Texas this week.