The Sunset Commission rolled its findings and recommendations for the Public Utility Commission (PUC), Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Office of Public Utility Counsel (OPUC) into a single report that was published today. Overall, staff found PUC to be effective in dealing with complex issues while contending in some cases with antiquated statutory provisions. The summary notes: “This Sunset cycle does offer an excellent opportunity for a comprehensive evaluation of consolidating utility oversight. This opportunity arises because the Railroad Commission, which regulates gas utilities, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which regulates water utilities, are also subject to Sunset review this cycle. Staff’s determination of the benefits or drawbacks of utility consolidation will be made after the upcoming reviews of these two agencies.”
The report also found that more oversight is needed for ERCOT; especially given the explosive growth in the amount of fees the grid operator collects from the state’s ratepayers and the tremendous power the entity exercises over the state’s power market.
The Sunset Commission also said that ERCOT’s governing board is too heavily dominated by the electric industry, which impairs its impartiality in making “critical decisions affecting Texas’ $34 billion competitive electric market.”
To view the report, please visit: http://www.sunset.state.tx.us/82ndreports/puc/puc_sr.pdf