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We want to feature the voices of the people most impacted by electricity shut offs. If this news affects you, reach out to
dominic@tpr.org or leave a voicemail at (210) 615-8982.
Despite
hotter-than-normal summer temperatures in the forecast, private electricity companies are pressuring the Public Utility Commission of Texas, or PUC, to allow power shutoffs for people who haven’t paid their bills.
Many Texans are behind on electricity bills: nearly 170,000 in San Antonio and about 50,000 in Austin areas where electricity is provided by city-owned utilities. The average past-due amount is about $600.
NRG and Vistra the massive conglomerates whose subsidiaries dominate the state’s deregulated electricity market, which includes Houston and Dallas did not answer TPR s questions about how many of their customers owe money.
Utility-Customer Relations Before and After Texas Winter Storms of February 2021: Survey
(Credit: Zpryme)
It’s the dead of night in mid-February 2021. Power is out. Water pipes are frozen.Outside temperatures hover in the single digits. Like an apocalyptic scene, the landscape is white and completely devoid of any hint of electric power as snow swirls through blustery winds. In spite of assurances from authorities that power will be restored soon, as far as you can tell, no relief is coming. Modern civilization has come to a grinding halt. Where do you turn, and who do you blame for this abrupt return to the Stone Age?
“As our state takes appropriately aggressive measures to stem the tide of a disease with outsize potential to spread and harm our citizens, we must include provisions to assist families at increased risk of losing power, water and sewer service,” DeAnn Walker, the utility commission chairwoman at the time, said.
But no state money was dedicated to promoting the program to the general public; utility customers not on a special low-income list
were responsible for requesting the relief. And behind the scenes, lobbyists for utilities and trade associations were meeting with state officials in an attempt to hollow out the program.