FIVE ERCOT BOARD MEMBERS RESIGN FOLLOWING WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES
Five members of the board of directors for the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) – which maintains and operates the state’s electrical grid – are resigning today (Wednesday).
According to a notice filed Tuesday with the Public Utility Commission of Texas, Board Chairwoman Sally Talberg, Vice Chairman Peter Cramton, and board members Raymond Hepper, Terry Bulger and Vanessa Anesetti-Parra will resign at an emergency meeting today. In addition, Craig Ivey is withdrawing his candidacy from the board.
The resignations come a week after millions of Texans lost electricity during a historic winter storm, prompting Texas lawmakers to call for an investigation into ERCOT. A joint hearing between the House State Affairs and Energy Resources Committees is scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday).
None of the individuals who resigned from the board or withdrew their candidacy live in Texas.
In a joint letter attached to the Public Utility Commission notice, Talberg, Cramton, Bulger and Hepper said they have noted public concerns about the out-of-state board leadership, and are resigning to “allow state leaders a free hand with future direction and to eliminate distractions.”
Governor Greg Abbott welcomed these resignations, saying, “When Texans were in desperate need of electricity, ERCOT failed to do its job and Texans were left shivering in their homes without power. ERCOT leadership made assurances that Texas' power infrastructure was prepared for the winter storm, but those assurances proved to be devastatingly false.”
I simply do not understand how we have a board as important as ERCOT and it is filled with people who do not live in this state. The completely blows my mind. I think our leadership has completely failed us in this regard. We need people on these important boards who represent US, the TEXANS who live in this state,
Those appointed “political prostitutes” who were paid well as ERCOT directors to deceive the public and look the other way as the energy suppliers made idiotic decisions to boost profits; none of which were in the best interest of tax paying Texan,s should be criminally prosecuted! The evidence of their expertise was in the state wide rolling energy blackouts and communities that went dark without power for days! The rats are jumping from the sinking ship.
How on earth do we have members on the board who do not reside in Texas??!!! This is absurd! I hope going forth, this is a requirement.
When is the lawsuit going to be issued for ercot ? We all need to join in and make them pay for doing what they did. It’s like the fires in ca when they people sue pg electricity for starting the fires because of not cleaning the brush under the lines