Averting crisis: Path to weatherize Texas power plants and some gas wells set under compromise bill
The Legislature’s biggest answer yet to weaknesses exposed by winter storm selectively weatherizes gas infrastructure, creates outage alerts and tightens coordination.
A compromise bill unveiled by Texas House leaders on Tuesday would respond to February s electricity crisis by, among other things, weatherizing power plants – and, selectively, natural gas infrastructure. The bill also would create outage alerts and require grid managers and utility regulators to practice for emergencies.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
5:59 PM on May 18, 2021 CDT
AUSTIN Texas would require weatherization of electrical generating plants and some natural gas wells and related pipelines and compressors under a compromise bill that House leaders unveiled Tuesday.
Electrical transformers at the Austin Energy/Sand Hill Energy Center in Del Valle on March 24, 2020. Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune
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A plan to help finance what will likely become mandatory power plant upgrades to withstand more extreme weather in the wake of the February power crisis received preliminary approval in the Texas House on Monday.
The failure of power plants to produce power during very cold temperatures was a major cause of the February power outages in Texas that left more than 4.8 million customers without electricity for days and caused more than 100 deaths. Natural gas plants shutting down or reducing electricity production due to cold weather was the most significant source of outages, according to an analysis by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the grid that covers much of the state.
The House State Affairs Committee heard testimony in support of the CROWN Act to ban race-based hair discrimination Thursday morning. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune
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Texas lawmakers could ban race-based hair discrimination in schools and work places such as dress codes that don’t allow dreadlocks under a bill known as the CROWN Act, which got its first hearing before the House State Affairs Committee on Thursday morning. I believe people should not be forced to divest themselves of their racial cultural identity by changing their natural hair in order to adapt to their workplace, school, or home, said Rep. Rhetta Bowers, D-Garland, in a statement prior to the hearing. People should not miss out on opportunities or success because of the way they choose to wear their natural hair.
Texas lawmakers consider bill that would prevent schools and workplaces from discriminatory bans on dreadlocks, other hairstyles
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, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
Texas lawmakers could ban race-based hair discrimination in schools and work places such as dress codes that don’t allow dreadlocks under a bill known as the CROWN Act, which got its first hearing before the House State Affairs Committee on Thursday morning. I believe people should not be forced to divest themselves of their racial cultural identity by changing their natural hair in order to adapt to their workplace, school, or home, said Rep. Rhetta Bowers, D-Garland, in a statement prior to the hearing. People should not miss out on opportunities or success because of the way they choose to wear their natural hair.