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Key members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) board of directors announced they would step down on Wednesday after a deadly winter storm system left millions of people without power at colder temperatures to zero.
In a Tuesday letter to their fellow board members – there are 16 in total – President Sally Talberg and Vice President Peter Cramton, Terry Bulger and Raymond Hepper wrote that “their hearts go out to everyone. Texans ”who had to do without electricity. , heat, water and “face the tragic consequences of this emergency”.
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“We have taken note of recent concerns regarding the out-of-state board leadership at ERCOT. To give state leaders a free hand with future directions and to eliminate distractions, we are stepping down from the board following the conclusion of our urgent board meeting by teleconference on Wednesday February. 24, 2021, ”they said.
The group said they want the best for ERCOT and Texas and are “reviewing this extremely cold weather event and the resulting electrical crisis.”
“With the right monitoring, Texas can lead the country to invest 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 group added.
“We have only one thing to ask of those of you who remain on the board: Please continue to recognize the good people of ERCOT and what they do every day for Texas,” concluded the members. , thanking ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness.
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A file published on the website of the Public Utility Commission – the entity that oversees ERCOT – showed that board member Vanessa Anesetti-Parra is also resigning from her post and Craig Ivey has withdrawn her candidacy for a unaffiliated director position.
On the ERCOT website, positions are now listed as “vacant”. Magness previously told reporters at a press conference that some of the members received threats leading the company to temporarily remove personal information from the board page.
All five live members residing outside of Texas.
Customers use a cell phone light to look in the meat section of a grocery store on Tuesday, February 16, 2021 in Dallas. Even though the store lost power, it was open for cash sales only.
((Photo AP / LM Otero))
The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Talberg lives in Michigan and Bulger lives in Illinois.
In order for ERCOT to remain certified as an independent organization, the board must include five directors who are not affiliated with “any market segment,” according to The Texas Tribune.
Bulger, Hepper, Ansetti-Parra and Talberg were not immediately available for comment.
Cramton declined to comment but reported to Fox News a recording of an urgent board meeting on February 24.
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“ERCOT was flying a 747. It didn’t have one, but two engines suffered a catastrophic failure, then flew the damaged plane for 103 hours before landing safely in the Hudson,” Cramton said. during the meeting of more than three hours. “In my mind, the men and women of the ERCOT control room are heroes.”
ERCOT operates the Texas power grid – which is isolated from the rest of the country – handling approximately 90% of Lonestar state’s power for 26 million customers.
The nonprofit has been raked in the coals over the past week after an Arctic explosion across the Deep South left more than 80 dead.
In their own letter, 16 Texas mayors called on Magness to address their “shortcomings” and wrote in favor of public release and action by state leaders – although the Democratic mayor of Houston’s Sylvester Turner said the Texas Utilities Commission was equally responsible. for loss of electrical energy.
Lawsuits were initiated against ERCOT in response to the crisis. However, the question of whether ERCOT can be held liable or not remains unclear and the Texas Supreme Court is expected to decide whether or not it is entitled to sovereign immunity.
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While Magness has defended the blackouts, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said ahead of Thursday’s hearings in Austin that he welcomed the resignations.
“When the Texans were in desperate need of electricity, ERCOT did not do its job and the Texans were left shivering in their homes without power,” he said in a statement. “ERCOT executives have assured that Texas’ power infrastructure is prepared for the winter storm, but those assurances have proven woefully false.”
“The lack of preparation and transparency at ERCOT is unacceptable, and I welcome these resignations. The State of Texas will continue to investigate ERCOT and uncover the full picture of what went wrong, and we will ensure that the disastrous events of the past week never happen. repeated, concludes Abbott.
In a statement to Fox News, ERCOT said it looked forward to “working with the Texas Legislature” and thanked “the outgoing Council members for their service.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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