THIS
THIS WEEK, INCLUDING THE CHAIR, AFTER FACING EXTREME
PUBLIC BACKLASH FOR THE HANDLING
OF LAST WEEK'S
WINTER STORM.
WINTER STORM. AND THE KVUE DEFENDERS LOOK BACK
AT WHAT STATE LEADERS LEARNED FROM THE LAST
TIME EXTREME
WINTER WEATHER CAUSED POWER
OUTAGES -- TO
SEE WHETHER TEXAS SHOULD'VE BEEN
BETTER
PREPARED THIS TIME AROUND.
HERE'S INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
BRAD STREICHER.
BRAD STREICHER. R
R
R DAYS
R DAYS OF
R DAYS OF SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES LEFT MILLIONS
OF TEXANS WITHOUT POWER AND
RUNNING WATER
LAST WEEK.
THE KVUE DEFENDERS UNCOVERED
RECORDS FROM
TEN YEARS AGO. SHOWING STATE
OFFICIALS KNEW OUR
SYSTEM WASN'T READY FOR WEATHER
LIKE THIS.
SOME SAY AFTER LAST WEEK'S
FAILURE. IT'S CLEAR THE
STATE SHOULD HAVE DONE MORE TO
PREPARE.
DISTRICT 26
THIS WAS, IN MY OPINION, A
HORRIFIC SITUATION THAT
SHOULD NEVER BE NEVER, NEVER BE
ALLOWED TO
OCCUR AGAIN. JOSE MENEDEZ IS THE
STATE SENATOR FOR
DISTRICT 26. BACK IN 2011, HE
CO-CHAIRED A COMMITTEE
THAT PUT TOGETHER THIS REPORT.
IT FOLLOWED THE
2011 COLD WEATHER EVENT, WHICH,
LIKE THE STORM
LAST WEEK, CAUSED WIDESPREAD
POWER
OUTAGES. THAT REPORT DETAILED
PROBLEMS WITH
POWER GENERATION IN TEXAS,
SPECIFICALLY
RELATED TO COLD WEATHER EVENTS.
MENENDEZ SAID
A CONSULTING FIRM USED THAT
REPORT OFFER SUGGESTIONS
FOR IMPROVEMENT TO THE PUBLIC
UTILITY
COMMISSION OF TEXAS. BUT THAT
NEVER TURNED INTO
ACTION.
DISTRICT 26
THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION
WAS FULLY
AWARE OF THE CHANGES THAT NEEDED
TO BE MADE AND THEY
DIDN'T ADOPT IT, THEY DIDN'T
MAKE THE CHANGES BUT
ONE THING DID CHANGE AFTER THAT
STORM. THIS BILL.
AUTHORED BY GLENN HEGAR, WHO'S
NOW THE TEXAS
COMPTROLLER, PASSED IN 2011. IT
REQUIRED POWER
COMPANIES TO REPORT
WEATHERIZATION PLANS TO PUC.
BUT TODAY. HEGAR SAYS THAT
CLEARLY WASN'T
ENOUGH.
COMPTROLLER OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
DO YOU FEEL LIKE THAT WAS ENOUGH
TO PREPARE TEXAS
FOR THE TYPE OF WEATHER EVENT
THAT WE JUST CAME OUT
OF? WELL, THE EVENT SPEAKS FOR
ITSELF. . NO, WE WERE
NOT ADEQUATELY PREPARED FOR THIS
EVENT AND
THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT
WENT WRONG. AND
THE STATE HAD OTHER WARNINGS.
THE FEDERAL
ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION AND
THE NORTH
AMERICAN ELECTRIC RELIABILITY
CORPORATION
ALSO PUBLISHED A 2011 REPORT
DETAILING PROBLEMS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TEXAS TO
BETTER PREPARE FOR
FUTURE COLD-WEATHER EVENTS.
AMONG DOZENS OF SUGGESTIONS, THE
REPORT
NOTED IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL
".TO REQUIRE
GENERATOR OWNER/OPERAT ORS TO
DEVELOP,
MAINTAIN, AND IMPLEMENT PLANS TO
WINTERIZE
PLANTS AND UNITS PRIOR TO
EXTREME COLD WEATHER." BUT
DESPITE DOZENS OF SUGGESTIONS.
THERE WERE
ZERO REQUIREMENTS. HEGAR SAYS
THAT COULD
EXPLAIN THE FAILURE WE SAW LAST
WEEK.
COMPTROLLER OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTS
PEOPLE WERE NOT ABLE TO GO ABOUT
THEIR DAILY LIVES IN
ANY SHAPE, FORM OR FASHION.
THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT
EVENT THAT TEXAS CANNOT AFFORD
TO HAVE A REPEAT IN ANY
SHAPE, FORM OR FASHION. UT
AUSTIN PROFESSOR
ROSS BALDICK SAYS FUTURE
MANDATES COULD BE THE
ANSWER TO PREVENTING A SYSTEM
FAILURE LIKE WE JUST
SAW.
PROFESSOR
SAW. PROFESSOR I SUBJECT THIS TO THE COST AND
BENEFIT ANALYSIS, I
THINK IT'S QUITE LIKELY THAT WE
SHOULD MAKE WEATHERIZATIO
N ACROSS MULTIPLE TECHNOLOGIES
MANDATORY.
BALDICK SAID THAT WEATHERIZATION
NEEDS TO
HAPPEN ACROSS ALL SYSTEMS IN
TEXASGAS, WATER, AND OF
COURSE, ENERGY. WE ASKED ERCOT
FOR AN
INTERVIEW. A SPOKESPERSON
REFUSED, BUT ERCOT'S
PRESIDENT AND CEO SAID THIS
DURING A BOARD MEETING
YESTERDAY, WHERE 5 MEMBERS WHO
LIVE OUT OF
STATE, INCLUDING THE CHAIR,
RESIGNED.
& CEO
"GENERATION OWNERS AND OPERATORS
AREN'T
REQUIRED TO IMPLEMENT A MINIMUM
WEATHERIZATIO
N STANDARD OR PERFORM EXHAUSTIVE
REVIEWS EVERY
WINTER OF VULNERABILITY. NO
ENTITY, WHETHER PUC
OR ERCOT, HAS THE RULES IN PLACE
TO ENFORCE
COMPLIANCE WITH WEATHERIZATION
PLANS."
HE ALSO. EXPLAINED HOW
ERCOT VISITS POWER PLANTS TO
CHECK WEATHERIZATIO
N PLANS AND PROVIDE
RECOMMENDATIONS. ERCOT
ALSO HOSTS AN ANNUAL
WEATHERIZATION WORKSHOP
FOR POWER GENERATORS. BUT AGAIN.
THERE ARE NO
ENFORCEABLE STANDARDS.
"BEFORE THE STORM HIT, ERCOT
REPEATEDLY
ASSURED THE STATE AND THE PUBLIC
THAT ERCOT WAS
PREPARED. THOSE ASSURANCES
TURNED OUT TO
BE FALSE."
LAST NIGHT GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT
TOLD TEXANS HE
MADE ERCOT'S FAILURES AN
EMERGENCY ITEM THIS
LEGISLATIVE SESSION. PROMISING
TO MANDATE AND
FUND WINTERIZATION OF TEXAS
POWER
INFRASTRUCTURE.
POWER INFRASTRUCTURE. "THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION WILL
NOT END UNTIL
WE FIX THESE PROBLEMS."
AND STATE SENATOR MENENDEZ SAID
WE NEED MORE
THAN NEW LEGISLATION.
DISTRICT 26
TOO MANY INNOCENT TEXANS HAVE
PAID, HAD
SUFFERED AND SOME HAVE PAID WITH
THEIR LIVES. AND
EVERYONE THAT HAS ANY KIND OF
RESPONSIBILITY SHOULD BE
HELD ACCOUNTABLE.
R
THERE ARE NOW SEVERAL ONGOING
FEDERAL AND
STATE INVESTIGATIONS INTO ERCOT
AND HOW TEXAS
RESPONDED TO THIS WEATHER EVENT.
THAT INCLUDES A CRIMINAL
INVESTIGATION FROM THE TRAVIS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY INTO WHETHER ANY ENTITY OR PERSON
SHOULD FACE CHARGES RELATED TO
LAST WEEK'S POWER OUTAGES. WE'LL
KEEP YOU UPDATED WITH THE
RESULTS OF THOSE INVESTIGATIONS.
AND YOU CAN FIND THE REPORTS WE
MENTIONED IN THIS STORY ON OUR
WEBSITE. KVUE-DOT-COM. IN
AUSTIN, FOR THE KVUE DEFENDERS,
I'M BRAD STREICHER.