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The Texas House and Senate on May 30 approved sweeping legislation to overhaul the state’s power grid following the disastrous and deadly winter storm in February that left more than 4.8 million homes and businesses without electricity for days. More than 100 people died.

As time ran out in the legislative session, the Texas House and Senate made last-minute changes to the bills. State lawmakers responded to February’s deadly winter storm with a few key changes to the state’s power grid that would address some issues exposed by the storm — such as requiring power plants to upgrade for more extreme weather — but did not make the sweeping structural changes to Texas’ electricity market that some experts have called for in the aftermath of the power crisis.

After negotiations between the Senate and the House, the requirement for natural gas fuel facilities to weatherize will be limited. The negotiated bill requires only gas facilities that are deemed “critical” by regulators to be able to withstand a weather emergency. Some power plants were unable to operate during the storm due to natural gas fuel shortages.

The power grid overhaul leaves out reforms to encourage residents and businesses to conserve electricity beyond providing educational materials to consumers, and it does not require more weatherization for homes, pipes and other consumer infrastructure. Experts called that a significant oversight during hearings on the legislation.

After negotiations between the Senate and the House, the requirement for natural gas fuel facilities to weatherize will be limited. The negotiated bill requires only gas facilities that are deemed “critical” by regulators to be able to withstand a weather emergency. Some power plants were unable to operate during the storm due to natural gas fuel shortages.

The power grid overhaul leaves out reforms to encourage residents and businesses to conserve electricity beyond providing educational materials to consumers, and it does not require more weatherization for homes, pipes and other consumer infrastructure. Experts called that a significant oversight during hearings on the legislation.

Senate Bill 2 and Senate Bill 3 will still need to be approved by Gov. Greg Abbott.

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Topics Texas