Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) is being watched closely over his approach to massive power outages in the state caused by harsh winter weather as he prepares to run for re-election next year after two major disasters.
State Democratic Party chairman Gilberto Hinojosa on Monday accused Abbott of “playing politically with alternative energy sources” on Monday, saying the governor “continues to relax and wait” as residents of the Lone Star State struggle.
Julián Castro, the former Democratic Mayor of San Antonio and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under former President Obama, tweeted that Abbott “had not prepared for this storm, was too slow to respond and now blames everyone but himself for it. mess”.
Millions of Texas residents were without power because the state faced unusually cold weather, with a number of areas recording temperatures in the single digits. And forecasts show more cold weather along the way.
Virtually the entire city of Galveston has been cut off from power since early Monday morning, and nearby Houston is also hit hard by power outages. Social media is filled with Texans describing struggles to keep medical equipment working, failed attempts to find available hotel rooms, and frustration at not knowing when the lights – and heat – will come on again. Some areas also have limited water supply or spotty cell phone coverage due to the power outages.
The emergency comes as Abbott prepares for his third term as governor. A University of Houston poll released earlier this month showed him an approval score of 39 percent. President Biden
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Democrats have long worked to create a “blue wave” in Texas in hopes of reversing the traditionally red state, but their efforts have failed. Still, Democrats in the state point to progress in recent years. President Biden lost the state to the former President Trump
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Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonSullivan Is Biden’s National Security ‘Listener’ Trump Lawyers Defend Around Attacks On Democrats LIVE COVERAGE: Trial Ends For Day As Senate Moves To Vote MORE‘s loss of 9 points to Trump in 2016. And former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D) came within points after Sen. Ted Cruz
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Hinojosa said Abbott’s handling of the winter power outages coupled with what critics say Abbott’s failed response to the coronavirus could put Democrats over the edge in 2022.
“We’re going to hang all these things around his neck because people need to be reminded how awful he has been as a governor,” Hinojosa said.
The Hill has contacted Abbott’s office for comment.
The governor is taking a series of steps to address the crisis, including deploying the state National Guard in an effort to help vulnerable people, including the elderly, move to warm shelters.
And he blamed the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) on Tuesday, calling on state lawmakers to launch an investigation into the council.
“The Texas Electric Reliability Council has been anything but reliable for the past 48 hours,” said Abbott. “This is unacceptable. ERCOT’s review of preparations and decisions is an emergency so that we can get a full picture of the root cause of this problem and find long-term solutions.”
This week’s outage could be related to deregulation, and Texas is unique in that it has an electrical grid in the state, cutting it off from aid from other parts of the country when there is a power outage or outage. In addition, many power plants are not equipped to operate at these cold temperatures.
“Texas is pretty much an electric energy island, you can’t get more when you need it, and that’s on purpose, so Texas sets the rules for how Texas works,” said Robert Cullick, a former utility director. at Austin Energy. The Hill Tuesday.
Cullick, speaking from his Central Texas home that had been out of power for the past two days, said Abbott’s promise to review the power system was overdue.
“Who is responsible for ensuring that there is sufficient capacity to serve enough customers in the state? In the way it is ERCOT … but not in the same way as it used to be before the 1990s, where utilities could be fined for failing to get through with electrical power that they said would succeed, ”said Cullick.
“The state has had a few times to review this and decided each time that it wouldn’t pay for every utility company to serve,” he noted.
Texas residents have received mixed messages from ERCOT and other private companies.
Margaret Bentley, a Texas resident, told The Hill Tuesday that she had just regained power in her West Texas home in Alpine after being without it for two days, during which time her boiler burst and the temperature inside dropped to about 40. degrees.
“Customers were asked to cut back on unnecessary electrical use as much as possible,” said Bentley. “The outages were meant to be ‘rolling blackouts’ and I was prepared for an outage of maybe five hours or so, but I never expected that we would be without power for more than 48 hours and the temperature would be well below freezing. stay for most of that time. “
“I have no idea what it would have been like for the elderly or people who were sick, using oxygen or struggling with COVID,” she added.
ERCOT’s senior director of system operations said the board was optimistic that the number of outages during the day would be reduced, while the Texas power group Oncor tweeted that ERCOT was “unable to predict when grid conditions will stabilize” and insisted to customers insisted to prepare for prolonged outages. .
Texas House Chairman Dade Phelan (R) called on the House State Affairs and Energy Resources committees to meet for a joint hearing next week to investigate the factors that led to the widespread power outage.
Other politicians in the state have also called for an investigation into ERCOT, including San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, whose own home went without power on Tuesday.
As a result of state leadership on the issue, local leaders have often tied their hands to power-related issues such as “rolling outages” that often affect the state during the sweltering summer months.
A spokesperson for the mayor of Dallas Eric JohnsonEric JohnsonDallas Mayor Calls Out September 29, Botham Jean’s Birthday, ‘#BeLikeBo Day’ MORE (D) told The Hill that ERCOT has not provided the office with updates on the situation, and while Johnson was in the process of opening district heating centers, there was little he could do to restore power.
‘We don’t have a municipal facility. … All that stuff is out of our hands. Some people have called on the mayor to turn the power back on; We don’t have that option ”, said the spokesman.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler (D) called for “systemic changes” as a result of the crisis.
“So much cold and without power, people in danger and everyone frustrated, including me,” Adler said in a statement to The Hill. “ERCOT must explain how millions of Texans are without electricity. Rolling failures are not. Systemic changes must take place. This happens every ten years and a better plan is needed. “
Despite backlash against ERCOT, Democrats say Abbott ultimately bears responsibility for not previously acting to prepare the state for a major emergency.
“We have a state grid that has collapsed due to the fact that the energy system in the state, the electricity system has been deregulated over the years, and not enough money has been invested in the system to maintain and improve it. ‘said Hinojosa.
And Rep. Joaquin castro
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