FIRST LAWSUIT FILED OVER BLACKOUTS

  

The blackouts that left much of Texas cold and thirsty have spawned their first lawsuit.

A lawsuit filed Friday in Corpus Christi alleges the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, manager of the state’s main electric grid, ignored repeated warnings of weaknesses in the state’s electric power infrastructure.

A Dallas law firm’s statement says its lawsuit also accuses ERCOT and American Electric Power utility of causing property damage and business interruptions during this week’s cold wave.

Also Friday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued civil investigative demands to ERCOT and electric utility companies, vowing “to get to the bottom of this power failure.” The investigation will cover power outages, emergency plans, energy pricing and more related to the winter storm.