Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed two bills on Tuesday aimed at strengthening the state’s power grid after the deadly winter storm in February.
“During the winter storm, too many Texans were left without heat or power for days on end, and I immediately made reforming [Electric Reliability Council of Texas] and weatherizing the power system emergency items,” Abbott said in a press release. “We promised not to leave session until we fixed these problems, and I am proud to say that we kept that promise.”
Senate Bill 3 requires the weatherization of power generation facilities, natural gas facilities and transmission facilities to handle extreme weather with fines up to $1 million, according to FOX 4 in Dallas.
Under Senate Bill 2, the Texas Energy Reliability Council will be required to improve communication between state agencies and the industry during storms. The bill also “significantly” reforms ERCOT, including having 8 fully independent members of the 11-member board.
State politicians will have a larger role in deciding who sits on the board, which will decrease from 16 members, according to FOX 4.
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“I’m very proud of the legislature and what we were able to accomplish in a very short amount of time to make sure when you turn a light switch on it stays on,” State Sen. Charles Schwertner, a Republican, said, according to FOX 4.
Some experts said the legislation is a good start but it’s not enough.