FX.co ★ Texas Governor Urges CenterPoint Actions Over Hurricane Beryl Power Failures; Calls For Probe

### Power Failure Response Criticized by Texas Governor Amid Hurricane Beryl's Aftermath

Amidst ongoing power outages in the Greater Houston area due to Hurricane Beryl, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called for immediate action from CenterPoint Energy, Inc. He demands improvements in their hurricane preparedness and response strategies.

Governor Abbott highlighted that millions of Texans remained without electricity for days following Beryl's landfall. He also urged Thomas Gleeson, Chairman of the Public Utility Commission (PUC) of Texas, to investigate why utility companies failed to restore power swiftly after the Category 1 hurricane. This investigation aims to uncover the causes behind the persistent power failures following severe weather events.

Hurricane Beryl's impact, beginning last Monday, severed power to nearly 3 million homes and businesses, disrupting trees and downing approximately 10 transmission lines. The hurricane initially caused at least three fatalities before weakening into a tropical storm and then a tropical depression.

CenterPoint Energy announced that power restoration has been achieved for over 85% of affected customers, or nearly 1.9 million homes. The company is on schedule to restore power to almost 90% of its customers by Monday.

In a briefing and press conference, Governor Abbott stated, "The ongoing response to Hurricane Beryl reveals issues that aren't solely due to the hurricane but due to a lack of power supply. Power companies failing to provide electricity to customers is unacceptable. CenterPoint has repeatedly failed in this regard."

To tackle current power issues and minimize future outages during severe weather, Abbott directed CenterPoint to submit an action plan by July 31, 2024. This plan must address the removal of vegetation threatening power lines, preparation measures ahead of tropical storms, and pre-staging sufficient linemen and personnel for immediate outage response.

Should CenterPoint fail to comply, Abbott indicated he would issue an Executive Order to enforce measures to ensure continuous power supply.

Governor Abbott also reviewed the ongoing recovery efforts to support affected Texans and communities, including the distribution of generators, tarps, fuel, ready-to-eat meals, water, and ice.

To date, Texas has distributed over 5.17 million bottles of water, more than 679,600 ready-to-eat meals, and over 206,300 bags of ice. On July 13, Abbott announced federal disaster assistance approval for 17 Texas counties. Additionally, in his letter to the PUC, Abbott instructed them to investigate why certain Texas utilities failed to restore power promptly post-hurricane.

Governor Abbott emphasized the responsibility of Texas utilities to ensure system resilience within their service areas. While weather-related disasters are unavoidable, their impacts can be mitigated through adequate system planning and pre-storm preparations.

Lastly, Abbott directed the PUC to deliver a report on its findings by December 1, to inform the Texas Legislature before the 89th Legislative Session.