TEXAS, USA — Congressman Greg Casar, D-Austin, says it is the first time it has ever happened in Congress: a bill was drafted and filed that would make Texas connect its power grid to the national grid.
And Casar argues that if the feds get involved with Texas power, it would lead to a higher level of reliability and make sure rates stay reasonable.
“And I know that may not be the favorite thing of big energy companies, but I think for Texas consumers, having an additional layer of protection to make sure they’re not getting screwed, or price gouged on their electric prices, I think that’s a good thing,” he told us on Inside Texas Politics.
While Casar says consumers would pay less, the “Connect the Grid Act” would help the state of Texas make more.
“When other parts of the country are in trouble and have a big winter storm, but we have plenty of power in Texas, it creates a huge economic opportunity for us to sell our surplus power out and help our neighbors,” Casar said.
And when Texas finds itself in trouble, like during the February 2021 winter storm, the opposite will be true. Texas could take in power from neighboring states to make sure there isn’t a huge price spike.
Under the bill, the state legislature would remain in charge of deciding who will manage the grid, so the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) could still call the shots.
And while the legislation is currently only backed by Democrats, Casar is convinced Republicans will eventually join the effort.
He says Texans are tired of having to make sure the grid is holding up every time it’s really hot or really cold.
And he argues the two best ways to make sure the lights stay on is to weatherize and upgrade our existing equipment and connect the Texas grid to our east and west.
“And we know that that works because three years ago to the day, during Winter Storm Uri, places like El Paso, which is actually interconnected to the west, and Beaumont, which is actually interconnected to the east, did not suffer those massive power outages in the same sort of way that the rest of the state that’s isolated did,” said Casar.