Today's Committee Meetings on the LRL website is a calendar of legislative committee hearings with links to agendas. Below are resources related to upcoming hearings.
February 25
House Committees on Energy Resources and State Affairs (Joint Hearing)
The Committees on State Affairs and Energy Resources will hold a joint public hearing to consider the factors that led to statewide electrical blackouts during the recent unprecedented weather event; the response by industry, suppliers, and grid operators; and changes necessary to avoid future power interruptions.
The committee will hear invited testimony only on:
- Statewide electrical blackouts-contributing factors and response
Senate Committee on Business & Commerce
Purpose: The purpose of this hearing is to examine extreme weather condition preparedness and circumstances that led to the power outages as directed by Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). The committee will also review generator preparedness and performance, utility outage practices, natural gas supply, and the reliability of renewable generation, as well as overall ERCOT system resilience.
March 4
Senate Committee on Jurisprudence CANCELED
Purpose: The purpose of this hearing is to examine the legal responsibilities that the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) owe to the people of Texas. The committee will review the legal framework for governance and oversight of these two entities, their relationship to one another under the law, potential legal liabilities, and the legal limits on increases to consumer electricity rates during an emergency.
The committee will also examine price gouging under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act and receive an update from the judiciary on how the judicial system is managing its operations during the ongoing statewide emergency.
Reports:
- "AG Paxton Sues Griddy, LLC Energy Company: Customers Hit with Exorbitant Energy Bills" (Press Release), Office of the Attorney General, March 1, 2021
- Energy Emergencies | The State Legislative Role in Planning and Response (PDF version), National Conference of State Legislatures, January 22, 2021
- Reliability Guideline: Generating Unit Winter Weather Readiness – Current Industry Practices – Version 3, North American Energy Reliability Council, Reliability and Security Technical Committee, approved December 15, 2020
- Report on Existing and Potential Electric System Constraints and Needs, Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), December 2019
- Modernizing the Electric Grid: State Role and Policy Options, National Conference of State Legislatures, November 2019
- The South Central United States Cold Weather Bulk Electric System Event of January 17, 2018, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and North American Electric Reliability Corporation, July 2019
- Scope of Competition in Electric Markets of Texas: Report to the 86th Legislature (Previous Scope of Competition Reports, 1997-2017), Public Utility Commission of Texas, January 2019
- 2018 Long-Term System Assessment for the ERCOT Region, Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), December 2018
- Dynamic Stability Assessment of High Penetration of Renewable Generation in the ERCOT Grid, Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), April 19, 2018
- Report on Extreme Weather Preparedness Best Practices (Mandated by SB 1133, 82nd Legislature, R.S.), Quanta Technology, LLC for Public Utility Commission of Texas, September 27, 2012
- Investigation of the ERCOT Energy Emergency Alert Level 3 on February 2, 2011, Potomac Economics, Ltd. for Public Utility Commission of Texas, April 21, 2011
- Report on Outages and Curtailments During the Southwest Cold Weather Event of February 1-5, 2011: Causes and Recommendations, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and North American Electric Reliability Corporation, August 2011
- The Story of ERCOT: The Grid Operator, Power Market & Prices Under Texas Deregulation (Includes a history of ERCOT), Texas Coalition for Affordable Power, February 2011
- Public Utility Commission of Texas (Sunset Review Documents for 2012-2013 Review Cycle, 83rd Legislative Session), Texas Sunset Advisory Commission, September 2009–July 2013
- Electric Reliability Council of Texas (Sunset Review Documents for 2010-2011 Review Cycle, 82nd Legislative Session – Includes History and Major Events within ERCOT's Self Evaluation Report, September 2009), Texas Sunset Advisory Commission, September 2009–July 2011
- Electric Utility Response to the Winter Freeze of December 21 to December 23, 1989: An Evaluation of the Actions Taken by Texas Utilities to Correct Technical Plant Equipment Problems, Public Utility Commission of Texas, Electric Division, November 1990
- Texas Business and Commerce Code Chapter 17, Deceptive Trade Practices
- The Joe K. Longley-Philip K. Maxwell Deceptive Trade Practices Act Collection: Legislative Archive 1973-2001 and the Mark L. Kincaid Papers, 1995-2015, Legislative Reference Library
Articles:
- "Extreme Winter Weather is Disrupting Energy Supply and Demand, Particularly in Texas," Today in Energy, United States Energy Information Administration, February 19, 2021
- "Texas' Electricity Resources: Where Power Comes From — And How It Gets To You," Fiscal Notes, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, August 2020
Legislative Reports
Search interim committee studies on various topics. Search by charge keyword or by the following subjects:
- Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT)
- Electricity transmission and distribution
- Electricity supplies
- Natural gas
- Public Utility Commission of Texas
- Railroad Commission of Texas
Legislative Archive System
Search past legislation across sessions by subject from 1939-2019 in the Advanced Search:
- General Subject Index:
- Business & Commerce--Trade Practices
- Disaster Preparedness & Relief
- Energy--Alternative Fuels
- Energy--Conservation
- Energy--Fuel Storage
- Energy--General
- Oil & Gas
- Utilities--Electric
- Utilities--Natural Gas
- Governmental Agencies:
- ELECTRIC RELIABILITY COUNCIL OF TEXAS (for bills from the 76th Legislature)
- ELECTRIC RELIABILITY COUNCIL OF TEXAS (ERCOT) (for bills from the 79th-86th Legislatures)
- PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION
- RAILROAD COMMISSION
The tile image, "electricity pylon" by fsse8info, is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. / Resized from original.
