Mayor Sylvester Turner issued the following statement yesterday after five board members resigned from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.
“Last week, Houstonians and communities across our state found themselves vulnerable and literally in the dark due to ERCOT’s mismanagement of the power grid. Having out-of-state board members resign will not change the failed oversight by the Public Utility Commission or the lack of common sense policy by the Texas Legislature.
“ERCOT alone should not be made the scapegoat. When I was in the Texas legislature, I filed a bill in 2011 relating to the PUC to ensure ERCOT has adequate reserve power to prevent blackout conditions. That bill never got a hearing.
“The PUC oversees ERCOT, and the governor appoints all three commissioners. The resignations do not change the fact that the PUC and the Texas Legislature failed to provide oversight or enact common-sense policy.
“The time to act is now. I urge the 87th Texas Legislature to make the necessary changes to the oversight of our electric grid to prevent this type of disaster from happening in the future.”