Published: Thursday, May 20, 2021
Texas Capitol in Austin following a winter storm. Photo credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Documents from the Public Utility Commission of Texas, which is based in Austin, show how early state leaders were dealing with gas issues in February. The Texas Capitol is pictured in this Feb. 19 photo. Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Texas' electricity leaders were deeply focused on natural gas shortages days before blackouts crippled the state in February and plunged the state's power industry into chaos, according to documents obtained by E&E News.
A phone log shows more than 100 calls to or from DeAnn Walker, then-chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, discussing gas curtailments. It begins Feb. 10 — well before massive power outages started on Feb. 15 — and runs through Feb. 19.