A CenterPoint foreign assistance crew worker wipes sweat from his brow as he works with others to restore power lines on July 11, 2024 in Houston, Texas. Nearly one million people still remain without electricity in the wake of Hurricane Beryl, which was a category one hurricane that made a direct hit on Houston and surrounding areas on July 8, leaving more than two million people without power. (Photo by Danielle Villasana/Getty Images)
A cyclist rides past a fallen transmission line tower along the US 290 feeder road in the aftermath of a severe storm, May 17, 2024 in Houston.
Someone needs to investigate CenterPoint Energy’s abject failure to maintain a grid capable of withstanding a category 1 hurricane. Unfortunately, after recent severe weather events, Texans cannot rely on those in power to reveal the truth, let alone find a solution.
Gov. Greg Abbott called on the Public Utility Commission of Texas to dig into why the Houston region has experienced multiple outages in recent years. “They should not be losing power,” Abbott told Bloomberg TV while in Asia, where he’s leading a trade delegation.
Electric transmission and distribution utility executives, including one from CenterPoint, briefed the PUC on Thursday morning, but commissioners didn’t ask any tough questions. Instead, they grasped for explanations that excused the utilities for widespread outages that have lasted for four days.
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The PUC is supposed to represent Texas consumers, but the commissioners'........