Category Archives: ERCOT
Electric Deregulation Still Failing to Deliver For Texans
There’s a lot been made about the relationship between natural gas prices and how much we all pay for electricity. That’s because a large portion of the energy sold in the Lone Star State comes from gas-fired electricity plants. So when the price of natural gas goes down, so too does the price of electricity. We’ve witnessed that trend over … Continue reading
TCAP Warning: New PUC Rule Anti-Competitive
Some Texans will be prevented from exercising choice in the deregulated electricity market under controversial new Public Utility Commission rules that took effect on Wednesday. The new rules have drawn opposition from the Texas Coalition for Affordable Power and other consumer groups. Under the rules, a retail electric provider can hold a Texan with past due electric bills as a … Continue reading
This week in the Texas Legislature
It’s that time of the legislative session. Bills are dying en masse, like lemmings dropping off a cliff. Many would have helped electricity consumers in Texas. But some pro-consumer bills still stand a good chance of passage. What follows is a quick (and partial) rundown of some bills of interest, and their fates so far. The 82nd Legislative Session ends May … Continue reading
Electricity market is complicated: Who’s really looking out for who?
What are the different ways cities and their citizens get their electricity? Does anyone oversee the complex deregulated electricity market? How are electric service areas defined? In a recent Q&A published by Texas Town & City, Texas Municipal League General Counsel Scott Houston attempted to answer these questions, and a lot more, surrounding the complicated Texas electricity market and the … Continue reading
Important Reforms Still Pending in Texas Legislature
Legislation could help consumers by sending gas utility cases to State Office Of Administrative Hearings If you pay for utility service in Texas, you might want to stay focused on two major pieces of legislation at the state Capitol. They are Senate Bills 655 and 661 — the so-called “Sunset” bills that reauthorize the Texas Railroad Commission and the Texas Public Utility … Continue reading
Dallas Morning News: ERCOT Lacks Accountability
The pervasive lack of accountability at ERCOT, the organization that manages the Texas power grid, has drawn the attention of one of the state’s leading newspapers. In an April 7 editorial, The Dallas Morning News endorsed two important bills that would help reform ERCOT (known formally as the Electric Reliability Council of Texas) and refine the overall electricity market. HB … Continue reading
Report: $15.5 Billion in Excess Electric Costs under Texas Electric Deregulation
AUSTIN, Texas–Excessive electricity prices under electric deregulation have cost Texans an additional $15.5 billion, according to a comprehensive new report on the deregulated market. Judged in terms of increases in average electricity prices, the deregulated market in Texas has been one of the nation’s poorest performing, according to the report. It also cites evidence that Texans in deregulated areas consistently … Continue reading
Missteps, mismanagement and broken deadlines: New ERCOT report details history of organization that oversees the Texas power grid
A report released this month, The Story of ERCOT, details the history of Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). The report comes at an interesting time for ERCOT, which is under fire following the recent statewide, rolling blackouts. The Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) and key state legislative committees are continuing their inquiries into the causes and handling of the … Continue reading
New Study Finds History of Mismanagement at ERCOT
*Press release: 02/14/2011 Ordinary Texans Lack Representation in Organization at the Center of the Recent Blackouts AUSTIN, Texas–The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, the organization now under fire for the recent blackouts in Texas, has a history of missteps, mismanagement and broken deadlines, according to a new study released Monday to all members of the Texas Legislature. Commissioned by two … Continue reading
ERCOT CEO under fire for Blackouts
ERCOT CEO Trip Doggett is under fire. During a meeting Thursday of the Texas Public Utility Commission, he was made aware that his job may be on the line. As part of a routine review of ERCOT rules, Commissioner Donna Nelson proposed “adding language that says the commission at its own discretion and without ERCOT board approval may terminate the … Continue reading