Texas Lt. Governor Calls for Heads of Ercot and PUC to Resign

[corbe]

Texas Lt. Governor Calls for Heads of Ercot and PUC to Resign

Mark Chediak  1 hr ago

(Bloomberg) -- Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick called on the state’s top grid manager and its public-utilities regulator to resign in the aftermath of blackouts that left more than 4 million in the dark during a historic winter storm.

Patrick said neither Bill Magness, chief executive officer of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, nor DeAnn Walker, chairman of the Public Utility Commission, demonstrated an ability to handle the impacts of the storm during testimony before lawmakers last week, according to a statement.

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https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/texas-lt-governor-calls-for-heads-of-ercot-and-puc-to-resign/ar-BB1e7Ia0?ocid=msedgntp

[thackney]

Public Utility Commission chair resigns after Texas officials criticize management of power outages
https://www.texastribune.org/2021/03/01/texas-power-outages-public-utility-commission-resigns/

The chairwoman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the agency that regulates the state’s electric, telecommunication, and water and sewer utilities, resigned Monday, according to a resignation letter provided to the Texas Tribune....

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Abbott has yet to accept any responsibility for appointing these people in the first place.

I remind everyone this person is a lawyer who was previously an Asst Counsel for Abbott, apparently a patronage appointment.

And the PUC has already removed her from its website.

Only 6 hours since Patrick made the statement and 2 hours after she resigned.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

One more incompetent lawyer bites the dust.  If there is one thing we have learned, it is lawyers and political appointees are unqualified to be in charge of complex operations like supervising the power grid of Texas.

Texas Power Grid Operator ERCOT Fires CEO After Deadly Blackouts

Texas' power grid operator ousted chief executive Bill Magness on Wednesday, as the fallout continues from a deadly blackout last month that left residents without heat, power, or water for days.

His departure followed fierce criticism by state lawmakers of the handling of the crisis by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which has led one large electricity provider to seek bankruptcy and put several others near to it.

The mid-February storm temporarily knocked out up to half the state's generating plants, triggering outages that killed dozens and pushed power prices to 10 times the normal rate.

"ERCOT's decision to oust CEO Bill Magness signals accountability for the disaster that swept through our state two weeks ago," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement on Twitter.

"(This step) offers the opportunity for new leadership that can more efficiently prepare and direct our state's resources when dangerous weather strikes," he added.

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who earlier this week called for the heads of ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission to resign, also welcomed the move.

The legislature now can begin "fixing what went wrong," Patrick said.

https://www.newsmax.com/finance/streettalk/ercot-ceo-deadly-blackouts/2021/03/04/id/1012461/