Texas senators grill power grid regulator over loophole they wrote

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In a committee hearing Tuesday, Texas senators were angry that natural gas companies don’t need to better prepare their facilities for extreme weather conditions before this winter and blamed the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the state’s massive oil and gas industry, for addressing the problem sooner .

“Wait a minute,” said Senator Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, to Wei Wang, the executive director of the Railroad Commission. “You haven’t done it yet?”

But the “loophole” the legislature condemned during the hearing and the slow schedule for winterizing the state power grid were part of the legislation they passed during the regular spring legislature.

Governor Greg Abbott made weathering the state’s power generation infrastructure an emergency priority in the wake of the deadly February winter storm that left millions of people without power for days in freezing weather and killed 700 Texans, according to an analysis by BuzzFeed News.

In June, Abbott signed laws that lawmakers approved to ensure the weathering process takes place. At the time Abbott said, “All that had to be done was done to fix the power grid”.

Senate Act No. 3, which Abbott signed, calls for the establishment of a committee that will map the state’s energy infrastructure by September 2022, then give the Railroad Commission 180 days to set its weathering rules.

On Tuesday, the legislature in the Senate Economic Committee was frustrated that the new law allows natural gas companies to free themselves from the weathering obligation if they do not voluntarily declare themselves to the state as “critical infrastructure”.

They also criticized the schedules set out in the laws they passed earlier this year and the rulemaking process currently underway at the Railroad Commission, which has made weathering the state’s natural gas system – a key component of the power grid – slow and frustrating task.

Senators told Wang they wanted the Railroad Commission to move faster and ask gas companies to weather their equipment.

“I recognize the urgency,” said Wang.

“I don’t think you do,” said Senator Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels.

Energy experts said it was their own fault if they wanted the state’s natural gas infrastructure, which supplies fuel to many of Texas’ largest power plants, to weather quickly or at all.

“Legislators left that loophole open,” said Doug Lewin, an Austin-based energy and climate consultant.

Wang told the committee that the Railroad Commission’s proposed rule to implement weathering standards “reflects the language in SB 3.” That didn’t stop senators from calling for immediate action from the commission.

“We will not mince words. I will begin giving the names of the railroad inspectors as necessary, ”Senator John Whitmire, D-Houston, told Wang. “And your job should be at stake.”

Campbell, who on Tuesday threatened to change the responsibilities of the Railroad Commission, asked Wang, “Why aren’t you asking for this? [natural gas companies] Do you prepare when you are one of the players? “

Senators asked Wang if his agency needed more clarity from the legislature in conducting the weathering process, and if so, they would ask Abbott to add the issue to the agenda of ongoing special sessions. Only the governor has the ability to add agenda items for special sessions, and this session is the only one scheduled before 2023.

Vistra Corp., the state’s largest power generation company, has started weathering its infrastructure, Amanda Frazier, senior vice president of Vistra, told the senators. But the company relies heavily on buying natural gas from other companies to fuel its power plants.

“So you’re weathering your plants but not your fuel supply?” Nichols asked Frazier during the hearing on Tuesday.

“It is very important to us,” said Frazier.

After the hearing, Campbell said the Railroad Commission now has a “great chance” to get out of the natural gas industry quickly and said that if the agency fails, that job could be delegated to the state’s Public Utility Commission.

“I don’t know, but it’s being tested so you better prove your worth and worth,” Campbell told Wang.

The 2021 Texas Tribune Festival, the weeklong celebration of politics and politics with big names and bold ideas, ends on September 25, but there’s still time to tune in. Explore dozens of free on-demand events before midnight Thursday, September 30th at tribfest.org.

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