On November 25, the Senate Committee on Natural Resources received invited testimony from agency officials and industry representatives regarding the Texas energy market. The focus of the hearing was the October 25 Public Utility Commission (PUC) discussion when Chair Donna Nelson and Commissioner Brandy Marty supported the move to a mandatory reserve margin. Although no formal vote was taken, Commissioner Ken Anderson voiced his opposition to the change, saying it would cost consumers billions of dollars without guaranteeing that rolling blackouts wouldn’t occur. Chairman Troy Fraser voiced his concerned on not involving the legislature in this decision making process and questioned the PUC's ability to make that decision on their own.
During the November 25 committee meeting, several senate members expressed concern over the PUC making a decision that could cost taxpayers a higher electricity bill without performing a cost-benefit analysis. “I really am concerned about how you’re building this case, who pays at what time. I would ask you to really provide that data…we need to know who is going to pay and where that is going to come from,” Sen. Leticia Van de Putte said.
To view the HillCo client report with more hearing details, please visit: https://hillcopartners.com/advisory/senate-natural-resource-committee-hearing-112513 .