Paul Foster, former Chairman of the Texas System . Texas has dodged federal regulation for years by having its own power grid. However, the blackouts quickly became serious as millions of Texans lost power for hours in frigid temperatures. ", Abbot said the state will continue to investigate the Council and "uncover the full picture of what went wrong.". Cramton has served on the board since 2015. Fifteen directors serve on the ERCOT board, including the four unaffiliated directors, whose resignations will be effective at the end of the meeting Wednesday. Before serving in these roles, he was hired by Michael Dell to create and run an enterprise software division within Dell Inc., where he ultimately served as President of the Dell Software Group until its sale in 2016. Its also cheap and its available in parts of Texas. Dozens of counties in the state have been declaredmajor disaster areas by President Biden, and millions of people were under a boil water order. All Rights Reserved. VERIFY: Does Texas have an independent power grid, and what does that mean? Abbott's claim on Fox News | VERIFY. document.querySelector("#adunit").addEventListener('click',function(){ by Erin Douglas and Mitchell Ferman As millions of Texans have been without electrical power sometimes for days public outrage has grown. Another will be, is it possible to keep a few coal plants in working order just in case another winter like this strikes? }); He lives in Wheaton, a suburb in Chicago, Illinois. the chair lives in Michigan and the vice chair is an economics prof in Cologne Germany. In this capacity, he led the firms market research initiatives and directed the development of its first automated trading programs. The governor would appoint three of those people, while the lieutenant governor and speaker of the House would each appoint one. "We needed to step in and make sure that we were not going to end up with Texas in a blackout, which could keep folks without power not just some people without power but everyone in our region without power for much, much longer than we believe this event is going to last, as long and as difficult as this event is right now, he said in a statement, reported Dallas News. Recommendations made afterward went unenforced. Mr. Flores is a Texas licensed CPA, who earned his undergraduate degree in accounting from Texas A&M University and his MBA from Houston Baptist University. The story was updated to reflect a fifth member of the board, Vanessa Anesetti-Parra, who is not an unaffiliated director, is also resigning. As the storm started in earnest Sunday, its social media released this. Get a 42-inch oscillating fan for 15% off with this deal. MEAWW is an initialism for Media Entertainment Arts WorldWide. However, one-third of the 15 board members don't even live in Texas. Millions of Texans are still freezing and are justifiably angry about it. It's unclear whether ERCOT, which falls under the PUC's jurisdiction, can be held liable by such suits: The Texas Supreme Court is expected to decide this year whether ERCOT is entitled to sovereign immunity, a legal principle that protects government agencies from lawsuits, after hearing another case that raised the question last year. We look forward to working with the Texas Legislature, and we thank the outgoing Board Members for their service," reads a statement from ERCOT. While with NiSource, he was also chairman on the board of directors for One Columbus and a board of trustees member for the American Gas Foundation. ERCOT Vice Chair Peter Cramton was listed as an economics professor at the University of Cologne in Germany and at the University of Maryland, the website biography said. Member of Reliability & Markets Committee, Member of Human Resources & Governance Committee. The Republican governor released an official statement on Twitter about the same. let gads_event; We want what is best for ERCOT and for Texas.". window.adsContainer = {"position2":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Above_Next_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position3":{"code":"Article_Mobile_300x250_ATF_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position4":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position5":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle1_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position6":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle2_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position7":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle3_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position8":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle4_Rel","max_width":300,"max_height":250},"position9":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle5_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position10":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle6_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position11":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle7_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position12":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle8_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position13":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle9_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position14":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle10_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position15":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle11_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250},"position16":{"code":"Article_Mobile_Middle12_Rel","max_width":320,"max_height":250}} Keeping Score: FC Dallas leaves Minnesota with a point in standings after scoreless draw, It's Flippin' Art Dude! ga('ads.send', { eventAction: 'click_image_ads' eventAction: 'load' Prior to joining NiSource, Mr. Vegas held a variety of senior executive positions with American Electric Power (AEP), including President and Chief Operating Officer of AEP Ohio, President and Chief Operating Officer of AEP Texas, and Vice President and Chief Information Officer of AEP. Fifteen members serve on the ERCOT board, including the five unaffiliated director positions. Mr. Flexon currently serves as Chair of the Pacific Gas & Electric Board of Directors, Chair of Capstone Green Energy, and member of Charah Inc. Experts, but not people affected by the failure. A massive blackout in Texas shined a spotlight on a policy: ERCOT officers and directors are not required to live in Texas, and Chairwoman Sally Talberg lives in Michigan. He holds a bachelors degree in applied science from the University of British Columbia. Craig Ivey, who was a candidate to serve on the board, has also rescinded his candidacy, effective Tuesday, to "avoid becoming a distraction." State lawmakers are now trying to change the way ERCOT is governed by requiring members to live in Texas and giving more board seats to political appointees - changes that experts say may do little to improve the power grid. Agree - This is unacceptable. A sixth has withdrawn his application to the board. Whether you lost power or not, Texans could see higher bills, I think if folks want to look at how ERCOT is run, and who runs it, that is obviously part of the investigation of what were doing in the future, Magness said. DALLAS A third of the board of directors that operate the state's electrical grid do not appear to live in Texas, and their performance in wake of widespread outages has led to a. *I originally wrote that Texas is the size of Germany. Turns out its twice that. Public Counsel for Office of Public Utility Counsel. Raymond Hepper was listed as a retired general counsel and officer for a New England company. Answer this: What do I say to the elderly couple in my District who havent had power in over 36 hours and are struggling to survive in their 30 home?. eventAction: 'click_adunit' https://t.co/hdNQ28jFTL, Jeff Leach (@leachfortexas) February 16, 2021. Then we all, 29 million of us thanks to population growth that none of our infrastructure has been able to keep up with (thanks, California! It just cannot be that way here in the Lone Star State.. The Texas Railroad Commission regulates oil and gas production in the Lone Star State, which is the nations top energy-producing state. Five board members, including the chair, who do not live in Texas will resign. In addition, Vanessa Anesetti-Parra, the market segment director for the independent retail electric provider market segment, will also resign her position as a board member. He is a retiree from ISO New England which operates the electrical system in six states. "The 87th Texas Legislature provided clear direction on ERCOT . maybe we shouldnt have deregulated and privatized ERCOT. That doesn't . Anesetti-Parra lives in Toronto. A spokesperson tells ABC13 the board and senior leaders were getting threats because of the anger over the widespread power outages. She loves dogs, romance novels and forcing her Spotify playlists on her friends. Storms | Scientists weigh in with 2023 hurricane season forecastsBills | How Houston can save on energy as temperatures riseSweat | Houston is in for one hell of a hot spring, experts warnWatch | Drone footage captures formation of huge storm over Texas. Records indicate she lives in Williamston, Michigan. #ERCOT is a world-class grid operator that embraces innovation and competition. Many of the out-of-state board members are experts in the electricity field, but resigned following criticism of the agency's oversight of the state's main power grid during the storm that left millions of Texans without electricity for days in freezing temperatures. Notifications can be turned off anytime from browser settings. Sally Talberg. They were all there earlier in the week. . Dr. Carlos Aguilar is the President and CEO of Texas Central and will now serve on the governing board that oversees the state's electric grid. A quick and incomplete mental sketch of how all this happened might go something like this (investigations will find out a whole lot more). What exactly is it? / CBS News. window.googletag.pubads().addEventListener('impressionViewable', function(event) { Other ERCOT board members who records indicate live out-of-state include: WFAA asked ERCOT for their board member contact phone numbers and emails, but did not receive a response. A CVS Pharmacy in South Austin is lit only by the lights of a parked car. the Austin American-Statesman, part of the USA TODAY Network. But to intentionally hide the names of the individuals who are charged with making decisions on our behalf is wrong and misguided and possibly unlawful.. A PowerOutage.us map and grid shows more than 3.4 million Texas households were without power as of 11 a.m. Wednesday. The 2023 NFL Draft runs April 2729 live from Kansas City, Missouri. Mr. Lake has held a variety of financial roles across a number of industries. Raymond Hopper is another non-native member who lives in Auburn, Maine. For one thing, about a third of its members dont even live in Texas. He said ERCOT is currently forecasting demand for power to reach. Leach also said he was troubled by threats made against ERCOT Board members, as well as ERCOTs decision to pull down the board members names and bios. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans - and engages with them - about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. The PUC announced Monday its search for eight new members to join the Electric Reliability Council of Texas board of directors. Most recently, he was the president of Consolidated Edison Co. of New York Inc., a subsidiary of Consolidated Edison Inc. Anesetti-Parra oversees Just Energys North American residential and commercial regulatory affairs and compliance division and has two decades of experience in the retail energy sector. Anesetti-Parra lives in Toronto. And Cramton could not be reached for comment. He resides in Florida, according to an ERCOT announcement about his candidacy to the board. } pg.acq.push(function() { The other board members currently represent regions across the state that make up the ERCOT grid, as well as non-voting members such as the chair of the Public Utility Commission, which oversees ERCOT. On Monday, Schwertner argued in favor of HB 10 and asked for his colleagues' support. Among the conversations to be had are how much the state should depend on wind power, which did collapse as demand surged but has bounced back, and if were going to depend on wind then why dont we winterize the windmills in West Texas? "To allow state leaders a free hand with future direction and to eliminate distractions, we are resigning from the board effective after our urgent board teleconference meeting adjourns on Wednesday, February 24, 2021. The board has been criticized for last week's mass power outage during a winter storm that has claimed the lives of dozens of Texans. Example video title will go here for this video. Winter storm blackouts plagued Texas in 2011, too. Three of the resigning board members live in other states, and one lives in another country. We are ordering an investigation into ERCOT and immediate transparency by ERCOT. Neither call Texas home and both are "Unaffiliated Directors." Talberg lives in Michigan and was a. }); As Texas reels from a deadly snowstorm, ERCOT, the state's power grid operator that serves over 26 million Texans, is aiming to avoid a complete blackout by cutting down the power supply to consumers. Hes a veteran, author, and Texan. State officials criticized ERCOT amid the blackouts and state lawmakers scheduled legislative hearings for Thursday and Friday to discuss the outages. Talberg has sat on various state, regional and national boards and committees involving electricity, natural gas, oil, infrastructure and telecommunications issues. Terry Bulger, who lives int in Wheaton, Ill., according to the ERCOT website. } She was elected to the board earlier this month. Records show the two top office holders of the 15-member board of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), live out-of-state. ERCOT representatives did not return calls seeking comment, but in a statement it said: "We look forward to working with the Texas Legislature, and we thank the outgoing Board Members for their service.". She also served as a member of the U.S. Department of Energys State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB). The ERCOT website biographies prior to being pulled down listed ERCOT Chair Sally Talbert as a former state utility regulator in Michigan. Ms. Talberg lives in Michigan with her husband and two daughters. Well, except in certain well-lit urban downtowns. The board chairman, board vice chairman and both committee chairman leadership roles will be vacant, according to the notice submitted by attorneys representing ERCOT. Three PUC commissioners, including the chair, are appointed by the governor of Texas. eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), gads_event = event; Recommendations made afterward went unenforced. The ERCOT board of directors elected her as the chair on February 9, 2021, an ERCOT press release said. Demi Moore has not left Bruce Willis's side and is doing everything to make his 'last moments happy', 'Stop it!' And you dont even have to live there? Dr. Aguilar has a combined understanding of both multi-party negotiations and complex financing structures and on-the-ground challenges of engineering and construction management and safety. The ERCOT Board elected Talbert and Cramton to serve in their leadership positions just over a week ago on Feb. 9. Lawsuits have already been filed against ERCOT in response to last week's crisis. ERCOT board members who live outside of Texas are resigning in the aftermath of the power outage, winter storm Five board members, including the chair, who do not live in Texas will. Prior to ERCOT, Mr. Vegas was Executive Vice President of NiSource, and Group President of NiSource Utilities, where he oversaw NiSources electric and gas business segments and championed outstanding service to NiSource customers. RELATED: 'Completely unacceptable': Abbott says ERCOT hasn't been transparent, demands answers about Texas power outages. Member of Finance & Audit Committee, Member of Reliability & Markets Committee. It said, Weather, more generation outages last night bring load shed to 18,500 MW. "The lack of preparedness and transparency at ERCOT is unacceptable, and I welcome these resignations. "After the Valentine's Day storm and failure of our electric system, many Texans were alarmed to learn that many members of ERCOT's board were not residents of Texas and were not experiencing many of the same hardships as many of our fellow Texans were suffering at that time," Schwertner said. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This is more than 3,200 MW higher than the previous winter peak set back in January 2018. Amid the crisis situation, it has come to light that five of the fifteen officials serving on ERCOT's (The Electric Reliability Council of Texas) board of directors are non-natives of the state itself. if(document.querySelector("#adunit")){ Completely ridiculous and unacceptable that current ERCOT Board Chair lives in Michigan! he wrote on Twitter. ga('ads.send', { And millions have already been hitting power harder than usual by working from home thanks to the pandemic. Show us with your support. The ERCOT grid operator manages the flow of electric power to more than 26 million Texas customers representing about 90% of the state's electric load, according to its website. She has ties to Texas outside of her work with ERCOT. She served until December 31, 2020, the day she became the ERCOT chairman, according to the MPSC. document.querySelector("#google_image_div").addEventListener('click',function(){ The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) manages the flow of electric power to more than 26 million Texas customers.https://t.co/wVynUwC1sk pic.twitter.com/4UD8Ji1t5U, LBJ School Alumni (@LBJSchoolAlumni) February 10, 2021. Many officials, including Governor Greg Abbott, have questioned whether the company was adequately prepared. ERCOT have removed the names of their board membersfrom their website after allegedly receiving death threats. }); Talberg and Hepper joined the council on January 1. North Texas State Rep. Jeff . She served as a senior consultant at Public Sector Consultants, focusing on energy policy and helping to establish Michigan Saves, an energy efficiency financing organization. Texas storm exposes massive oversight issues with state power grid, Matthew McConaughey eyes potential run for Texas governor, Another Texas power company goes bankrupt after blackout, Oldest Texas electricity co-op goes bust after $2 billion bill, Texas crisis highlights vulnerability of U.S. power grids, Biden touts bipartisanship on Texas visit. Leach acknowledged that Texas has been through an unprecedented weather event with all 254 Texas counties under a disaster emergency declaration. Ratcliffe pointed out that some of those in charge at ERCOT don't live in the state. Thanks to the board for their support and ERCOT staff for the terrific orientation.. Board Chairwoman SallyTalberg, Vice Chairman Peter Cramtonand members Terry Bulger, Raymond Hepper and Vanessa Anesetti-Parra will leave the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT. The lack of preparedness and transparency at ERCOT is unacceptable. This is the cost of not planning ahead. Anesetti-Parra did not sign the joint letter, but a notice sent from ERCOT to the Public Utility Commission noted her intention to resign from the board. Among the other two board members, who reside out of Texas, Terry Bulger has a career as a banking professional - completely different from the energy and electrical sector. From 2013-2019 she served on the NARUC Committee on Telecommunications and on the board of directors of the Organization of MISO States, of which she was President in 2016. Good work, @GovAbbott. Chair of Human Resources & Governance Committee, Member of Finance & Audit Committee. Former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder appointed Talberg to the Michigan Public Service Commission on July 3, 2013. No one on the board of . "We will ensure that the disastrous events of last week are never repeated," he said. ERCOT manages the flow of electric power in Texas and is responsible for ensuring the one independent power grid in the country is up and running as it should. Im frustrated and cannot believe that the board chair of our leading energy decision maker doesnt even live in Texas, but lives in Michigan. Another user agreed with Abbott's decision terming ERCOT's unreliable actions as 'unacceptable'. 1:00. Threats are wrong and should be reported to law enforcement, Leach told WFAA. if(document.querySelector("#ads")){ eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), eventCategory: event.slot.getSlotElementId(), The board members include board chairman Sally Talberg (top left), board vice chairman Peter Crampton (top right), finance and audit committee chairman Terry Bulger (bottom left), and governance committee chairman Raymond Hepper (bottom right). But coal is more reliable than just about anything else when you need it most. Hearings will commence next week. According to the Council's website, the 16-member Board of Directors oversees ERCOT operations. Theyre gone. Abbott, FBI announce rewards for info on Cleveland mass shooter, Massive ranch up for sale near Texas next big state park, 3,800-acre San Antonio-area property to become Texas state park, Texas man catches giant alligator snapping turtle, releases it, Former KPRC 2 anchor Dominique Sachse to launch podcast Monday, Uber ranks Houston among most 'forgetful' U.S. cities, Texas to host national hot air balloon championship this summer, Report: Texas man took break from dinner date to kill man outside, One of Houston's tallest skyscrapers to become apartment complex, J.J. Watt tweets the 2 things he doesn't miss about Houston, You can own your own cave system for a cool $875k, home included, Texas college baseball player hit by stray bullet mid-game, Houston's weather is as serious as a Cat 5 hurricane, Hidalgo says, one independent power grid in the country, Greg Abbott announces $50k reward for information on Cleveland shooting, Massive Coastal Bend ranch up for sale near Texas next big state park, Property north of San Antonio set to become a new Texas state park, Texas man catches massive alligator snapping turtle, then releases it back into the wild, How former KPRC 2 anchor Dominique Sachse is getting back to reporting, Uber ranks Houston among the most 'forgetful' U.S. cities, more than 1.37 million people were still without power in Houston. ERCOT did not immediately respond to CBS News' request for comment. The vacancies will not immediately be filled. It just cannot be that way here in the Lone Star State.. }) Chair of Reliability & Markets Committee, Member of Finance & Audit Committee. Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, said he will file legislation requiring the officers and directors of ERCOT to live in Texas, referencing Talberg living in Michigan. Governor Greg Abbott appointed Peter Lake to serve as Chairman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas on April 12, 2021, for a term set to expire on September 1, 2023. The next ERCOT board meeting is currently . On Tuesday, Abbott said ERCOT's "lack of preparedness" for the storm has made him "welcome the resignations. "With the right follow through, Texas can lead the nation in investing in infrastructure and emergency preparedness to withstand the effects of severe weather events whether in the form of flooding, drought, extreme temperatures, or hurricanes," the resigning members wrote. The MPSC provides Michigan residents access to energy and telecommunications services, its website says. Excited and honored to serve as @ERCOT_ISO board chair! ERCOT will have to change, a lot. In Abilene we have no water, no power and elderly neighbors who are suffering. Between the pandemic, the economy, a brewing border crisis, and now this massive winter disaster, the governor and the legislators have their work cut out for them. On Tuesday, he shared ERCOTs tweet. Innovation Studio. }); We would like to congratulate Sally and Peter on their new roles on the ERCOT Board, and look forward to working with them on addressing the challenges of an evolving grid in the years to come, said ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness. For another, it turns out that the board members nominate each other to it. They havent had electricity for two days and it just started to snow again. pic.twitter.com/jG0yPQPtz1. State leaders continue to probe what went wrong with the power grid during the Feb. winter storm and what can be done to keep it from happening again. According to his LinkedIn page, he lives in Del Mar, California. https://t.co/TQCMuP5YGd, Dr. Melissa C. Lott (@mclott) February 10, 2021. pg.acq.push(function() { Talberg lives in Michigan with her husband and two daughters, according to her ERCOT bio. who appoints ercot board of directors who appoints ercot board of directors. READ MORE: 6th ERCOT board member resigns during emergency meeting on winter storm outage. People who are making literally life and death decisions on behalf of our families and our communities dont even live in the state of Texas, Leach said. Some are chosen by ERCOT's own nominating committee. Talberg was elected as the chairwoman of ERCOT as a newcomer less than two weeks before the widespread power outages. The Texas House has already approved House Bill 10, which would remove independent outside voices on the ERCOT board and replace them with five political appointees.
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