February 14, 2022
For Immediate Release
By Sen. Kelly Hancock
Dallas Morning News
“In fact, by the time the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the North American Reliability Corporation issued their November 2021 report with recommended reforms, Texas had already passed more than a dozen grid reform bills and was well into the rulemaking and implementation phases in preparation for winter.
Let’s take a closer look at what has changed in just one year.
First, new weatherization requirements must be met by all power generators, backed with the much-needed oversight of independent inspections and penalties of up to $1 million per violation, per day. And these requirements are working. Of all generation units and transmission facilities, 99% fully passed ERCOT’s winterization inspection in January and held up flawlessly during this month’s storm, avoiding even the need for a routine grid management tool like a conservation notice or industrial load shed at any point throughout the event.”
Click here for the full op-ed.