WASHINGTON, Feb 24, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – Four board members of Texas’ power
grid operator announced their resignation Tuesday after millions of state
residents were left without power during days of unprecedentedly frigid
temperatures.
The board chair of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT),
Sally Talberg, vice chairman Peter Cramton, finance and audit committee chair
Terry Bulger and human resources and governance committee chief Raymond
Hepper, all of whom live out of state, will resign effective Wednesday.
“We have noted recent concerns about out-of-state board leadership at
ERCOT. To allow state leaders a free hand with future direction and to
eliminate distractions, we are resigning from the board effective after our
urgent board teleconference meeting adjourns on Wednesday, February 24,
2021,” they said in a letter to the board. A notice from the Public Utility
Commission of Texas said that Craig Ivey, who also lives out of state, had
withdrawn his application to fill a vacant board seat.
Texas was particularly hard hit as a frigid air mass paralyzed parts of
the southern and central United States early last week, claiming more than 70
lives. Millions were left temporarily without power and water lines were
frozen.
ERCOT, which operates much of the state’s power grid, underestimated the
surge in demand caused by the unusually cold weather and used planned outages
to avert an uncontrolled blackout.
The state’s governor Greg Abbott issued a damning statement acknowledging
the resignations and saying the group had “failed to do its job.”
“ERCOT leadership made assurances that Texas’ power infrastructure was
prepared for the winter storm, but those assurances proved to be
devastatingly false,” he said in a statement posted to Twitter.
“The lack of preparedness and transparency at ERCOT is unacceptable, and I
welcome these resignations.”
Abbott has ordered an investigation into the grid operator, and the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has also said it will probe the factors
behind the power outages.
ERCOT reported Friday that utility operations had returned to normal, but
tens of thousands were still without power into the weekend as crews
struggled to repair downed lines.
President Joe Biden issued a major-disaster declaration on Saturday for
much of Texas, providing badly needed financial and administrative aid, and
he plans to visit the state on Friday.