ERCOT has moved their regularly scheduled board meeting up from Tuesday to Monday, February 14th to allow for a special 2 hour time to take up a review of February 2, 2011 Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) Event. (more…)
Archive for February 11th, 2011
ERCOT Board to review February 2nd “Event”
Posted in Energy, tagged electric reliability council of texas, rolling blackouts, Texas on February 11, 2011 |
Senate to hear testimony on February power outages
Posted in Global Warming, tagged hearing, rolling blackouts, Texas, texas senate on February 11, 2011 |
The Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce will convene in a joint hearing with the Senate Committee on Natural Resources at 8:30 a.m. on February 15, 2011, in the Senate Chamber. The purpose of the hearing is to receive updates on the power outages of February 2nd through 4th and to discuss the status, preparedness, and responsiveness of current operating procedures. Invited and public testimony to be taken.
The hearing will begin with invited testimony divided up into 4 panels of witnesses. The panel makeup is as follows:
Panel 1
- Barry Smitherman, Chairman, Public Utility Commission of Texas
- Trip Doggett, President and CEO, Electric Reliability Council of Texas
- Michael Williams, Commissioner, Railroad Commission of Texas
- Bryan Shaw, Chairman, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
- Sheri Givens, Public Counsel, Office of Public Utility Counsel
Panel 2
- David Campbell, Chief Executive Office, Luminant
- Ned Ross, Director, Government Affairs, Direct Energy
- John Ragan, Regional President, NRG
Panel 3
- Brenda J. Pulis, Senior Vice President of Operations, Oncor
- Wade Smith, President and Chief Operating Officer, AEP Texas
- Larry Weis, General Manager, Austin Energy
Panel 4
- Dick Erskine, President, Atmos Pipeline Company
- Scott Doyle, Division Vice President, Texas Operations, Centerpoint Energy
- Steve Turk, Vice President of Operations, Southern Division, Chesapeake Energy
Following the invited testimony, the committees will take testimony from the public. You may submit written testimony, please submit 24 copies with your name on each copy to the Committee staff at the hearing, and please provide an electronic copy at your earliest opportunity. If you would like to speak during public testimony, please limit oral remarks to three minutes. Only those providing oral testimony will be listed as witnesses on the record, but you can still submit written testimony even if you are unable to speak at the hearing.
Live Video will be available on the Senate website
| Senate Business and Commerce Committee Members | |
| Committee Clerk:
Chair: |
Kimberly Selinger |
| Vice Chair: | Sen. Chris Harris |
| Members: | Sen. Kevin Eltife |
| Sen. Craig Estes | |
| Sen. Mike Jackson | |
| Sen. Eddie Lucio, Jr. | |
| Sen. Leticia Van de Putte | |
| Sen. Kirk Watson | |
| Sen. John Whitmire | |
| Senate Natural Resources Committee Members | |
| Chair: | Sen. Troy Fraser |
| Vice Chair: | Sen. Craig Estes |
| Members: | Sen. Bob Deuell |
| Sen. Robert Duncan | |
| Sen. Kevin Eltife | |
| Sen. Glenn Hegar | |
| Sen. Juan Hinojosa | |
| Sen. Mike Jackson | |
| Sen. Robert Nichols | |
| Sen. Kel Seliger | |
| Sen. Carlos Uresti | |
PUC seeks authority to unilaterally fire an ERCOT CEO
Posted in Energy, tagged electric reliability council of texas, public utility commission, Rolling blackout, Texas on February 11, 2011 |
In a Public Utility Commission (PUC) hearing on Thursday, to address what happened to cause the rolling blackouts of Feb. 2, members of the commission accused the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) of ignoring dire energy forecasts, failing to communicate with other important decision makers, and understating the risk of rolling blackouts.
Texas PUC Commissioner Donna Nelson
As part of a routine review of rules governing its relationship with ERCOT, PUC Member Donna Nelson requested to add language that says the commission at its own discretion and without ERCOT board approval may terminate the employment of the chief executive officer.
Board members indicated that what happened on February 2nd and the hours leading up to the decision to institute rolling blackouts throughout the state pointed to part of a pattern of ERCOT’s failure to communicate with the public and the PUC, the oversight agency for ERCOT.
Click here to view the archived video of yesterday’s PUC open meeting.
State officials seem determined to hold somebody accountable. The state Senate will also hold hearings in to the blackouts beginning next week.
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