Tag Archives: Public Utility Commission

All juiced up with no place to go

Posted on June 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like there should be a better solution for this. In 2005, the Texas Legislature approved the development of a network of electric transmission lines to send wind and solar power from West Texas to population centers in other parts … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

We go to the next freeze with the power grid reform we have, not the power grid reform we wanted

Posted on June 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It is what it is, and what it is isn’t much. Texas lawmakers on Sunday passed a final proposal to shore up the state’s power grid in response to this year’s deadly outage crisis, agreeing on a raft of reforms … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Another upward revision of the freeze death count

Posted on June 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Buzzfeed News takes a deep dive. The true number of people killed by the disastrous winter storm and power outages that devastated Texas in February is likely four or five times what the state has acknowledged so far. A BuzzFeed … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Abbott knew the blackouts were coming

Posted on May 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good morning. Take a deep, cleansing breath, have a seat, and then read this. Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s office knew of looming natural gas shortages on February 10, days before a deep freeze plunged much of the state into blackouts, … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

How many times will we fail to fix our power grid?

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

By “we”, I mean our Legislature, and the PUC, and the Governor, and the Railroad Commission, and pretty much everyone else in charge of this state. Ten years ago, Texas power plants froze during a fast-moving winter storm, causing rolling … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on How many times will we fail to fix our power grid?

So we bail out the electricity providers

Posted on May 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I guess I don’t know enough about our weird electricity market to suggest a viable alternative to this, but it sure doesn’t speak well of our system. An approximately $2.5 billion plan to bail out Texas’ distressed electricity market from … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

It was worse in Harris County during the freeze

Posted on April 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Very interesting. Harris County residents were far more likely to have lost electricity and water during February’s winter storm and blackout crisis than residents of other Texas counties, a survey by the University of Houston’s Hobby School of Public Affairs … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Chron analysis puts freeze death total at 194

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Sobering, to say the least. The deaths of nearly 200 people are linked to February’s cold snap and blackouts, a Houston Chronicle analysis reveals, making the natural disaster one of the worst in Texas this past century. The tally, which … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The infrastructure bill and the power grid

Posted on April 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. President Joe Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan could help rebuild Texas highways and ports and push broadband into rural parts of the state, where up to 31 percent of residents do not have access to high-speed internet. It … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The infrastructure bill and the power grid

Freeze-related lawsuit filed against CenterPoint

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Several more Houston families of victims of the February freeze are among the latest to sue CenterPoint Energy for allowing vulnerable people to languish without power during what were supposed to be brief blackouts. Travis Flowers, 66, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Winter storm death count now at 111

Posted on March 28, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

A revision of the numbers. Expect this to happen at least once more. At least 111 Texans died as a result of last month’s winter storm, according to updated numbers released Thursday by the state Department of State Health Services. … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

SCoTX punts on ERCOT lawsuit question

Posted on March 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Wimpy. The Texas Supreme Court punted Friday on a question dogging millions of Texans affected by last month’s catastrophic power failure: Can ERCOT, the state’s grid manager, be sued? The state’s highest court ruled 5-4 that it won’t decide — … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Our rinky-dink critical infrastructure

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good Lord. On Valentine’s Day, the major utility that supplies electricity to West Texas readied for a severe winter storm. Hired contractors prepared to fix power lines, managers started up the storm emergency center, and operators reviewed the list of … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Griddy files for bankruptcy

Posted on March 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Live by market disruption… Griddy Energy, a California-based retail power company, filed for bankruptcy on Monday citing financial woes brought on by the power crisis in February. Griddy’s business model exposes consumers to the wholesale market, which in normal times … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Griddy files for bankruptcy

The state of the Public Utility Commission

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

News item #1: While many Texans last week were worried about sky-high electric bills from February’s winter storms, the state’s sole utility commissioner was privately reassuring out-of-state investors who profited from the crisis that he was working to keep their … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Winter storm death count at 57

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is likely to rise as we get better data. At least 57 people died in Texas as a result of last month’s winter storm, according to preliminary data the state health department released Monday. The largest number of deaths … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Winter storm death count at 57

Abbott vs Patrick on power outage blame game

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. The blame game over the state’s faulty electrical grid is creating a rare public rift between the two top Republicans in state government that could have a major financial impact on some utility companies and … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

The opening bid on power outage response

Posted on March 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not bad, but there’s a long way to go and not a lot of detail just yet. Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan on Monday announced seven priority bills responding to the winter weather crisis last month that left millions of … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

ERCOT’s overcharges

Posted on March 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Oops. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas made a $16 billion error in pricing during the week of the winter storm that caused power outages across the state, according to a filing by its market monitor. Potomac Economics, the independent … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

PUC Chair resigns

Posted on March 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The body count increases. 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. The Gov. … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 53 Comments

Paxton sues Griddy

Posted on March 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Bandwagon time. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Monday against electricity retailer Griddy, claiming it misled customers using deceptive business practices after some customers reported bills costing tens of thousands of dollars. These charges were incurred during Texas’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Who watches the utility overseers?

Posted on February 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Apparently, nobody. At least, not anymore. Late last year, as winter approached and power companies prepared for cold weather, Gov. Greg Abbott’s hand-picked utility regulators decided they no longer wanted to work with a nonprofit organization they had hired to … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

We need more focus on the Public Utility Commission

Posted on February 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s start with this tweet: . Just to repeat again. ERCOT is not a state regulator. It is a group overseen by the Public Utility Commission, a group that has so far escaped much of the scrutiny focused on ERCOT. … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Suing Griddy

Posted on February 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This is going to be interesting. A Chambers County resident filed a class-action lawsuit against electricity retailer Griddy on Monday, accusing the provider of price gouging customers during last week’s freeze. She is seeking $1 billion in relief for affected … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments

Republicans are determined to learn the wrong lessons from the blackouts

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s kind of amazing, and yet completely on brand. With millions of Texans having lost power during the winter storms, key players in the Legislature say one of the most immediate reforms they will push for is recalibrating the state’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Some good local environmental news

Posted on January 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good news for Houston, in particular Sunnyside. The old landfill in Sunnyside sat closed for 50 years, an enduring reminder of the city’s choice to dump and burn its trash in the historically Black community. On Wednesday, Houston City Council members took … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 44 Comments

The power to pay more for electricity

Posted on July 19, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Deregulation really does create jobs. When Texas deregulated electricity markets 16 years ago, the Public Utility Commission created the website Power to Choose to help consumers through the power buying experience. But what was promoted as an easy, free way … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Ten digit dialing comes to San Antonio

Posted on August 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s the end of an era. The era of knowing someone is from San Antonio based solely on the “210” at the start of a phone number is drawing to a close. San Antonio is outgrowing its singular 210 area … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Ten digit dialing comes to San Antonio

Here comes the 346

Posted on June 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

We’re getting another area code. Starting July 1, Houston area residents might see phone numbers that begin with 346, when a new area code comes to town. The Public Utility Commission of Texas last year announced a new area code … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Three four six

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Meet your new area code, Houston. The Public Utility Commission (PUC) on Thursday announced the addition of area code 346 to accommodate continued growth in and around Houston. The 346 area code will overlay existing area codes 713, 281 and … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Three four six

Will we have enough power?

Posted on January 25, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe not. From the EDF. It’s understandable that no one seems to have noticed a strongly worded letter to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) last Monday demanding more action to … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Will we have enough power?

West Texas wind

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

The wind energy business in Texas is going strong. BP and other energy companies are funneling millions of dollars into building and operating wind farms in West Texas, helping to transform the oil country into one of the nation’s leading … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

New clean air rule from EPA

Posted on July 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

A new rule from the EPA that seeks to limit pollution that originates in one state but affects others as well should have a big effect on Texas. The rule, which covers 27 states and the District of Columbia, will … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on New clean air rule from EPA

Illegal electrons

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Hilarious. As Texas struggles to keep the lights on, who should come to the rescue? Mexico. That’s right, Mexico’s state electricity company on Wednesday started supplying electricity to Texas, where cold weather and power shortages forced rolling blackouts across the … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments