The state power grid operator has been run by an interim chief since the previous CEO was fired following the deadly 2021 winter storm that crashed much of the grid.

In February 2021, as Texas faced record-low temperatures, ERCOT, the state’s electric grid operator, lost control of the power supply, leaving millions of Texans in the dark for days.

WASHINGTON – Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner went before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee to testify as a witness for a hearing about the power grid failures that happened during last month’s winter storm. The hearing, called by U.S. Rep Lizzie Fletcher (D-Houston), will take a look at the statewide failures during the storm. Yet politically powerful natural gas companies, along with their regulators, have largely escaped the wrath of Gov. At least 57 people died during the winter storm that plunged large swaths of Texas into subfreezing temperatures and overwhelmed the state’s electricity infrastructure, causing massive power outages. That’s because nearly half of the total power generation capacity for the main state electricity grid was offline as weather conditions caused failures in every type of power source: natural gas, coal, wind and nuclear.

Phelan’s office called the proposals the “first phase” of the House’s proposed reforms in the wake of the winter storm. Greg Abbott, who has called on lawmakers to reform ERCOT and require — and fund — the winterization of the Texas power system. The legislation would replace the board’s “unaffiliated” members with members appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker. The bill would also mandate that all board members live in Texas. For example, retroactively equipping power plants and the state's energy system to withstand cold temperatures is likely to be very difficult and costly, energy experts have said.

(AP Photo/LM Otero)Here are things to know for Friday, March 5:1. California COVID-19 variant identified in Harris CountyAs more and more Americans are getting vaccinated, there is another twist to the coronavirus situation in Harris County -- the California variant showed up. She said the California variant was deadlier than other variants in a small study. Harris County Public Health confirmed three cases of the California variant within Harris county. Officials said those three Harris County residents are no longer in isolation or contagious.

(AP Photo/Eric Gay)AUSTIN, Texas – Bill Magness, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas CEO who was terminated by his board Wednesday, said he will not seek or accept severance pay, according to a spokesperson. According to the terms of his employment contract, his severance pay would have been equivalent to one year of his current base salary, which is more than $800,000. She had come under sharp criticism from lawmakers after largely blaming Texas’ power outages on ERCOT. Magness, who endured more than five hours of questioning by state senators on Thursday, was criticized for the organization’s winter storm preparations. Magness worked at ERCOT for more than a decade and became its CEO and president in 2016 after working as its general counsel.

The decision is the latest of several recently announced departures from the ERCOT board, which also included Magness. Magness's absence leaves a mix of vacancies and temporary members on the 16-member ERCOT board. She had come under sharp criticism by lawmakers after largely pointing blame for Texas’ power outages to ERCOT, the entity her agency oversees. Magness also defended ERCOT as an entity that carries out what state lawmakers and the PUC direct. Magness worked at ERCOT for more than a decade and became its CEO and president in 2016 after working as its general counsel.

As temperatures plunged and snow and ice whipped the state, much of Texas' power grid collapsed, followed by its water systems. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)WASHINGTON – The House Oversight Committee is investigating the agency that operates the Texas power grid, seeking information and documents about the lack of preparation for the recent winter storm that caused millions of power outages and dozens of deaths across the state. AdSevere winter storms in Texas “have occurred repeatedly over decades, and ERCOT has been unprepared for them,” Khanna wrote in a letter to ERCOT CEO Bill Magness. Last month's storm followed similar winter storms in 1989 and 2011 that also caused massive outages, Khanna said. “It appears that lessons learned (again) in 2011 were not implemented either, leaving Texas vulnerable to extreme winter weather again in 2021,'' he wrote.

The chairwoman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the agency that regulates the state’s electric, telecommunication, and water and sewer utilities, resigned Monday, according to a resignation letter provided to the Texas Tribune. Governor Greg Abbott-appointed commissioners came under public criticism in the aftermath of Texas’ power crisis that left millions of people in the dark for days and claimed the lives of dozens. Dan Patrick called for PUC chairwoman DeAnn Walker and Electric Reliability Council of Texas CEO Bill Magness to resign. The PUC is charged with overseeing the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, a nonprofit entity that manages and operates the electricity grid that covers much of the state. Lawmakers probed how much information she had on whether the state’s power system could withstand winter storms, and questioned why she didn’t raise concerns about the possibility of outages sooner.

Ad“Both the PUC Chair and ERCOT CEO said they were prepared the day before the storm hit in full force, but obviously they were not. ERCOT CEO Bill Magness testified the information was not delivered to him – a critical failure of Magness’ team. “Both the Chairman and CEO publicly testified they had informed state leadership, including me, about the seriousness of the winter storm. Ad“I do not make this call for the resignation of the PUC Chair and the ERCOT CEO lightly. “The investigation into what happened during the winter storm crisis is just beginning.

“Both the PUC Chair and the ERCOT CEO said they were prepared the day before the storm hit in full force, but obviously they were not,” Patrick said in a statement. His statements come after the officials testified for hours late last week in committee hearings as state lawmakers grilled them over the power grid failures. The week of Feb. 14, freezing temperatures and snow caused mass power outages and water issues and left dozens of people dead. Patrick said PUC and ERCOT officials were not ready for a winter storm of this magnitude and were given ideas for ways to prepare, but failed to do so. “I do not make this call for the resignation of the PUC Chair and the ERCOT CEO lightly,” Patrick said.

HOUSTON – After two days and two hearings, Texas state senators and representatives will begin deciding how to reform the embattled Electric Reliability Council of Texas, ERCOT, which manages the flow of electricity across our state. Magness testified ERCOT is asking each of the 185 power plants that went down during the storm to provide specific reasons for the outages. Nye testified his list did include natural gas facilities, but he learned during the storm his list was not the most current. Garland Power and Light COO Tom Hancock told state senators the company invested in a robust winterization effort following the 2011 winter storm that caused similar problems in Texas. Hancock said as a result none of the natural gas facilities in their territory went offline.

HOUSTON – For more than 15 hours, lawmakers asked tough questions about what caused the state’s power system to fail. The outages left more than a dozen people dead and countless homeowners are trying to fix busted pipes. During the first day of hearings, Texas legislators heard from the chair of the Texas Railroad Commission, Christi Craddick who said ERCOT did not fully understand that cutting power to certain areas of natural gas production was compounding problems, and there needed to be better communication about priorities during outages. RELATED: Texas legislature holds hearings over statewide blackoutsCraddick’s testimony countered ERCOT CEO Bill Magness’ reports that freezing temperatures and precipitation are what unexpectedly knocked dozens of power plants offline, and natural gas was hit harder than most. With a tense day one in the books, day two of hearings will pick back up Friday at 9 a.m.SENATE HEARING:HOUSE HEARING:

AUSTIN – The state legislature has begun hearings in Austin on the statewide blackouts. Wednesday, six of ERCOT’s board members resigned in the power failure fallout, but many are saying much more needs to be done. He said nearly half of the state’s power supply went down at the height of the storm due to the extreme weather impacts. Greg Abbott also held a news conference Wednesday, where he took an aggressive stance and promised to get to the bottom of the power grid failure. You will get those answers.”Abbott also said he’s making it a legislative priority to mandate and fund the “winterization” of the state’s power infrastructure to prevent this from ever happening again.

Millions went without power in Texas for days last week, and on Wednesday the grid operator's board acknowledged Texans' suffering. The most significant source of power loss during the crisis came from natural gas power plants that couldn’t generate power — whether from fuel supply shortages or freezing components at the plants. AdHowever, board members also commended ERCOT grid operators for making the difficult decision to order the outages, which averted an uncontrolled system collapse. Six ERCOT board members’ resignations became effective at the end of the meeting. ERCOT confirmed on Wednesday that Randal Miller, who represented independent retail power providers, also resigned his position on the board.

AdFour of the departing board members acknowledged “concerns about out-of-state board leadership" in a letter to grid members and the state's Public Utility Commission, which oversees ERCOT. The board members did not reflect on their own performance in the letter. The other board members are vice chairman Peter Cramton, Terry Bulger and Raymond Hepper. The selection of “unaffiliated” ERCOT board members — like most of those who are resigning — must be approved by the PUC. Hepper also declined comment beyond the resignation letter, and other board members did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Craig Ivey, who had applied to fill a vacancy on the board, has withdrawn his application, according to the filing. In a letter signed by Talberg, Cramton, Bulger and Hepper, the group said they are resigning after recent concerns about out-of-state ERCOT board members. “We have noted recent concerns about out-of-state board leadership at ERCOT. Ad“Before we step aside, we are beginning the process of reviewing this extreme cold weather event and resulting power crisis. ERCOT leadership made assurances that Texas’ power infrastructure was prepared for the winter storm, but those assurances proved to be devastatingly false.

On February 8, ERCOT notified power generators freezing temperatures were on the way and would last from February 11 to 15. At 12:17 a.m. on February 15, ERCOT moved to a Level 1 Energy Emergency Alert and asked for power conservation. ERCOT is urging consumers and businesses to reduce electricity usage.”At1:25 a.m. ERCOT was at EEA Level 3, the highest level. AdERCOT reported a total of 185 power plants were offline during the storm. Once adopted, power plants could face stiff penalties if weatherization standards are not followed.

HOUSTON – Leaders with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) ended emergency protocols and ceased rotating outages Friday morning. ERCOT leaders said enough power plants came back online to bring stability to the state’s power grid. With the crisis now passed, Magness said ERCOT is sending out Request for Information to all power generators who went offline during the storm. Magness said these RFI’s will help ERCOT gain a better understanding of exactly why 185 power plants tripped offline Sunday night and Monday morning. AdDan Woodfin, ERCOT senior director of system operations, said the state’s grid unexpectedly lost 40% of its power supply during the storm.

About 260,000 homes and businesses in the Tennessee county that includes Memphis were told to boil water because of water main ruptures and pumping station problems. And water pressure problems prompted Memphis International Airport to cancel all incoming and outgoing Friday flights. Paul Lee Davis got to the front of the line at a water station set up by city officials only to have the water run out. Water service was restored Friday to two Houston Methodist community hospitals, but officials still were bringing in drinking water and some elective surgeries were canceled, spokeswoman Gale Smith said. AdMore than 192,000 Louisiana residents -- some still struggling to recover from last August's Hurricane Laura -- had no water service Friday, according to the state health department.

Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas TribuneThe operator of Texas' power grid said Thursday that it has made significant progress in returning energy to the state's system and is no longer having to order electricity providers to cut power to homes and businesses. But many people across the state remain without power due to more local problems in the electrical system. And in a growing crisis, millions of people across the state have had their water service disrupted because of the winter storm. It's unclear how many people currently are lacking power in the state, though the number has declined significantly in the past 24 hours. Oncor Electric Delivery, Texas’ largest utility, provides power for almost 4 million customers across Texas.

HOUSTON – Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) officials held a news conference Thursday to address the current power situation in Texas, saying there is a possibility that outages could continue if demand outstrips supply as people come back online. AdIn addition to the discussion about the current situation, ERCOT said information about the facilities that failed and a timeline of events will eventually come out in weeks or even perhaps months ahead. The officials also addressed local calls for the ERCOT board to be replaced, saying if the Texas Legislature would sanction such a change, it would follow such governance. Discussing winterization of facilities, ERCOT officials said that’s a matter for the owners who operate the facilities across the state. The ERCOT officials declined to give a grade to themselves when pressed by reporters, with one saying, “I think other people ought to grade us.

Just a week before, state energy leaders assured the public Texas’ power grid was ready and able to handle the coming storm. ERCOT does not generate power, Texas is supplied with energy by a variety of private companies. In the run-up to this storm, Woodfin said that 94 plants were spot-checked virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions. “Far too many Texans are without power and heat for their homes as our state faces freezing temperatures and severe winter weather. This includes the natural gas & coal generators.”The Texas power grid has not been compromised.

Ad“Every one of our sources of power supply underperformed," Daniel Cohan, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University in Houston, tweeted. The staggering imbalance between Texas' energy supply and demand also caused prices to skyrocket from roughly $20 per megawatt hour to $9,000 per megawatt hour in the state's freewheeling wholesale power market. Grid operators say rolling blackouts are a last resort when power demand overwhelms supply and threatens to create a wider collapse of the whole power system. In Texas this week, grid operators and utilities knew about the dire weather forecast for at least a week. Texas, which has a grid largely disconnected from others to avoid federal regulation, may have to rethink the go-it-alone strategy.

A snow covered Matilda Street in Dallas after a winter storm hit the area on Monday. Many Texans are currently facing hours-long outages during freezing weather— or have been without power for days. Magness said ERCOT has been unable to project specifics on when long-lasting power outages would end "because of the variables we've identified around the resources, the weather." ERCOT, a nonprofit that manages the power grid used by almost all of the state, has come under scrutiny this week after a massive winter storm caused millions of residents to lose power for long spans during below freezing temperatures. The loss has come from multiple sources of power — including natural gas, coal, wind and nuclear.

(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)The Latest on winter weather across the U.S. (all times local):OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Gov. Stitt’s disaster declaration request for all 77 Oklahoma counties comes a day after the governor spoke with Biden by phone. ___NEW ORLEANS — Rolling power blackouts necessitated by severe winter weather hit water systems in at least two Louisiana cities. He implored residents to stop running water, noting that temperatures had risen above the freezing mark___RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina Gov. — The Louisiana Department of Health on Wednesday confirmed three deaths related to winter weather this week.

Power lines along a row of homes in South Austin. Many residents experienced power outages due to the winter storm that rolled through Texas. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas TribuneSign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Officials with the state's energy grid operator said Tuesday it is still struggling with balancing supply and demand to the Texas power grid — and could not project when long-lasting outages would end as a winter storm caused millions of residents to lose power. Hearings in both the House and Senate are already scheduled on the issue in the coming weeks, according to leaders in the two chambers.

A major winter storm affected the entire state of Texas. Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas TribuneSign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Texas’ electrical grid operator is implementing rolling blackouts across most of the state Monday after a massive winter storm brought unprecedented demand for electricity and forced multiple power-generating units offline. On Sunday, the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for all 254 counties. The grid operator also said it would provide an update at 10:30 a.m. Central time Monday.

State officials said surging demand, driven by people trying to keep their homes warm, and cold weather knocking some power stations offline had pushed Texas' system beyond the limits. “This event was well beyond the design parameters for a typical, or even an extreme, Texas winter that you would normally plan for. At DFW, the temperature was 4 degrees Fahrenheit (-15 degrees Celsius) — 3 degrees (-16 degrees) colder than Moscow. In Houston, officials said Bush Intercontinental Airport runways would remain closed until at least 1 p.m. Tuesday, a day longer than previously expected. The southern Plains had been gearing up for the winter weather for the better part of the weekend.

HOUSTON – The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the flow of electric power to most of Texas, urged Texans to conserve energy in an effort to keep demand from overwhelming supply Sunday morning as a major winter storm rolled across the state. The storm is bringing freezing rain and cold temperatures to many parts of Texas over the next several days. The National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings, watches or advisories for most Texas counties. Ad“We are experiencing record-breaking electric demand due to the extreme cold temperatures that have gripped Texas,” said ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness. Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible.