Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Sunday that dealing with residents’ sky-high electricity bills is the “top priority” for the state legislature, and said there will be a moratorium on disconnects from customers due to non-payment. When the power went out amid deadly frigid temperatures, Texans who didn’t have a set electricity plan ran their bills up due to market costs, with some reporting their bills in the tens of thousands in total.
Abbott and the legislature held an emergency meeting on Saturday to find ways to “protect” residents from the skyrocketing bills. “Texans who have suffered days of freezing cold without power should not be exposed to skyrocketing utility bills due to a spike in the energy market,” Abbott said on Sunday.
There are about 30,000 Texans who had no power as of Sunday afternoon. Abbott said he expected power to be restored statewide by Sunday night.
In addition to the skyrocketing electricity bill crisis, Texas is also facing two other immediate crises: food shortages and lack of access to clean waterAbbott said on Sunday that he is suspending trucking regulations to get drivers on the road to deliver food to grocery stores quickly. He also suspended regulations for kitchens to prepare food, as long as they meet state health guidelines.
Abbott also said the state will distribute “Meals Ready to Eat,” or MREs, and called for a USDA disaster statement to help distribute food.
The Texas Department of Environmental Quality said boiling water notices were lifted Sunday for about 5 million Texans, including in Houston and most of San Antonio, two of the state’s largest cities. Two days ago, 14.9 million Texans were under boiling water.
Abbott also picks up plumbers while residents try to deal with broken pipes. He urged anyone with problems to call a plumber and call the insurance companies as soon as possible.
In addition to the triple instant crises, Abbott said Texas will winterize all energy sources from now on.
“We should never run out of power again,” Abbott said. “Texas is the energy state, we have to make sure we translate that into power generation to make sure the power stays on.”
On Saturday, President Biden issued a explanation of major disasters, making 77 of Texas’s 254 counties eligible for federal funding to aid in recovery efforts.
Temperatures dropped statewide last week, leading to a spike in energy consumption that cut off the power grid. At least 30 deaths have been attributed to the Texas storm, including a grandmother and three elementary school children who died in a house fire in a Houston suburb.
Warmer weekend temperatures caused the snow to melt.