"Further, many legislators were frustrated by the lack of accountability on the board, especially regarding the members of the board that would be unaffiliated members.". Before his career in the regulated utility industry, Mr. Vegas served in senior leadership positions with IBM, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Andersen Consulting. Dr. Aguilar has a combined understanding of both multi-party negotiations and complex financing structures and on-the-ground challenges of engineering and construction management and safety. And in a historic and life-threatening cold snap, it's still unknown when millions will get the heat back on in their homes. Resigning board members include board chairman Sally Talberg, who lives in Michigan; board vice chairman Peter Crampton, who lives in Germany; finance and audit committee chairman Terry Bulger, who lives in Illinois; and human resources and governance committee chairman Raymond Hepper, who lives in Maine, according to company profiles and other biographical pages. Excited and honored to serve as @ERCOT_ISO board chair! Among the other two board members, who reside out of Texas, Terry Bulger has a career as a banking professional - completely different from the energy and electrical sector. He holds a bachelors degree in applied science from the University of British Columbia. "With the right follow through, Texas can lead the nation in investing in infrastructure and emergency preparedness to withstand the effects of severe weather events whether in the form of flooding, drought, extreme temperatures, or hurricanes," the resigning members wrote. Among the conversations to be had are how much the state should depend on wind power, which did collapse as demand surged but has bounced back, and if were going to depend on wind then why dont we winterize the windmills in West Texas? But I think there was no impact of the chair or the ERCOT board member directors on the weather or on the decisions we had to make to avoid a catastrophic black out.. Mr. Lake was born and raised in Tyler, Texas. In a joint letter to the rest of the board, the four unaffiliated directors cited the public concern that board members did not live in the state as the reason for their resignation. A massive blackout in Texas shined a spotlight on a policy: ERCOT officers and directors are not required to live in Texas, and Chairwoman Sally Talberg lives in Michigan. We want what is best for ERCOT and for Texas.". Lawsuits have already been filed against ERCOT in response to last week's crisis. Member of Finance & Audit Committee, Member of Reliability & Markets Committee. }); "ERCOT is an agency of the state, of Texas and what happened this week is a failure not just of ERCOT but of the statewide leadership, state representatives, state senators who didn't do enough to make the necessary structural changes to prevent what took place this week.". He has advised numerous governments and has been on the ERCOT board since 2015. And Cramton could not be reached for comment. ERCOT have removed the names of their board membersfrom their website after allegedly receiving death threats. Mr. Lake has held a variety of financial roles across a number of industries. Im frustrated and cannot believe that the board chair of our leading energy decision maker doesnt even live in Texas, but lives in Michigan. #ERCOT is a world-class grid operator that embraces innovation and competition, she wrote on Twitter Feb. 9. Your water pipes may have frozen and burst, rendering your frigid home uninhabitable. You've heard a lot about ERCOT lately. *I originally wrote that Texas is the size of Germany. Turns out its twice that. To allow state leaders a free hand with future direction and to eliminate distractions, we are resigning from the board.". Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, told WFAA that he was totally shocked to learn a third of the ERCOT Board of Directors lived outside Texas. ERCOT has had a difficult job dealing with this terrible storm, but its public communications have not helped. Leach said he has begun drafting legislation to prohibit non-Texans from serving on the ERCOT Board. Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, said he will file legislation requiring the officers and directors of ERCOT to live in Texas, referencing Talberg living in Michigan. 5 members of ERCOT board of directors live outside Texas - KHOU From 2013-2019 she served on the NARUC Committee on Telecommunications and on the board of directors of the Organization of MISO States, of which she was President in 2016. Sally Talberg, ERCOT Chairwoman: 5 Fast Facts | Heavy.com Texas has dodged federal regulation for years by having its own power grid. Sally Talberg, board chair; Peter Cramton, vice chair; Terry Bulger, finance and audit chair; and Raymond Hepper, human resources and governance committee chair, occupy the "unaffiliated" director positions on the board, which mean they must remain independent of any business ERCOT oversees. The only requirement is that appointees live in Texas. He has a long history of service in both the electric and gas industries. @ERCOT_ISO Board of Directors elected newcomer @SallyTalberg to a three-year term as its chair and six-year veteran Peter Cramton as its vice chair, she wrote. Whether you lost power or not, Texans could see higher bills, I think if folks want to look at how ERCOT is run, and who runs it, that is obviously part of the investigation of what were doing in the future, Magness said. However, one-third of the 15 board members don't even live in Texas. Dr. Carlos Aguilar is an engineer with a PhD and MSc in Economics (corporate/business strategy and finance). She previously served as a Commissioner on the Texas Lottery Commission and has also been a director on numerous boards in the energy sector. Just an FYI, five members of the ERCOT board of directors live out of state. Unaffiliated members cannot have ties to businesses ERCOT oversees. "The lack of preparedness and transparency at ERCOT is unacceptable, and I welcome these resignations. The ERCOT Board elected Talbert and Cramton to serve in their leadership positions just over a week ago on Feb. 9. Completely ridiculous and unacceptable that current ERCOT Board Chair lives in Michigan! he wrote on Twitter. The board members were not all immediately available for comment or referred reporters to their resignation letters. The Texas House has already approved House Bill 10, which would remove independent outside voices on the ERCOT board and replace them with five political appointees. },false) Five ERCOT Board Members Don't Live In Texas, Two State - KERA ERCOT: Texas power grid CEO is fired following widespread outages - CNN Top Salaries Paid to ERCOT Officials Before Texas Storm Velma Williams wears multiple items of clothing to stay warm during a power outage in Third Ward Monday, Feb. 15, 2021, in Houston. The 11-member board consists of eight directors who are appointed by the State of Texas' ERCOT Board Selection Committee and who are required by law to not have fiduciary duty or assets in the electricity market for the ERCOT Region, and three ex officio members: the CEO of ERCOT (non-voting), the Public Counsel of the Office of Public Utility State Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, raised concerns about the bill. Some power grid experts have said in legislative testimony, at industry events and in interviews that they don't see how giving more power to the political class - and making minor tweaks like requiring all board members reside in Texas - could improve the grid operator. Dozens of counties in the state have been declaredmajor disaster areas by President Biden, and millions of people were under a boil water order. A quick and incomplete mental sketch of how all this happened might go something like this (investigations will find out a whole lot more). Records indicate he now lives in Maine. Four board members of Texas' power grid operator have announced their plans to resign in the wake of a severe winter storm that left millions of Texans without power for days and led to at least 31 deaths in the state. Neither call Texas home and both are "Unaffiliated Directors." Talberg lives in Michigan and was a. Ivey, whose appointment was approved by ERCOT's members but was pending final approval from the PUC, is retired from more than three decades of experience in the utilities industry. Texas has consistently refused to weatherize their energy infrastructure because it doesnt get cold here. ERCOT removed the names to avoid that. That part of the state gets hurricanes but it doesnt usually get ice and snowstorms. eventAction: 'click_adunit' Talberg, a former state utility regulator who served on the Michigan Public Utility Commission from 2013 to 2020, lives in Michigan. However, he added that an indefinite blackout, in place of smaller power outages could leave Texas without power for an indefinite amount of time, possibly a month even. Robert Bob Flexon is a seasoned energy executive with expertise in the power generation and energy marketing, oil and gas, and chemicals sectors. Leach also said he was troubled by threats made against ERCOT Board members, as well as ERCOTs decision to pull down the board members names and bios. For instance, in most circumstances, it could get very cold in the Panhandle but still be 70 from Waco south. Gregg Abbott announced on Tuesday ERCOT reform would be made an emergency item, calling on an investigation of the electrical management company to ensure Texans will never suffer through a power outage of this magnitude again. Cramton, a professor of economics at the University of Cologne and the University of Maryland, lives in Germany. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. The next ERCOT board meeting is currently . Others are appointed by companies and consumers participating in the electricity market, with members representing various power sources. He began serving as an unaffiliated director on the board in October 2015. You can hear that conversation here. Talberg issued a letter Wednesday, February 17, 2021, calling for an urgent meeting to be held on February 24 to discuss the widespread power outage. ga('ads.send', { He served as a versatile executive at NiSource for six years, holding numerous roles, including Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President and President of Columbia Gas Group, and Chief Customer Officer. Copyright 2023 PJMedia.com/Salem Media. ERCOT CEO Bill Magness has revealed that they are unsure how long the power outages will last. An earlier version of this story reported four ERCOT members who hold unaffiliated director positions are resigning. Experts, but not people affected by the failure. She began serving as an unaffiliated director on the board January 1, 2021. ADVERTISEMENT The five members, who do not live in Texas, include even the chairwoman and the vice-chairman reported Austin American Statesman . Records show the two top office holders of the 15-member board of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), live out-of-state. "For anybody who's just trying to place the blame on ERCOT, that's not enough. Kathryn Adams Limbaugh Announced Husband Died on The Rush Limbaugh Show. Another will be, is it possible to keep a few coal plants in working order just in case another winter like this strikes? Electric Reliability Council of Texas - Wikipedia "Doesn't that undermine the notion of independence of ERCOT? }); }); In order for ERCOT to maintain its certification as an independent organization, the board, which should consist of 16 members, must include five directors who are completely unaffiliated with any market segment. Ivey would have been the fifth unaffiliated member. At a time when newsroom resources and revenue across the country are declining, The Texas Tribune remains committed to sustaining our mission: creating a more engaged and informed Texas with every story we cover, every event we convene and every newsletter we send. Four board members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) have resigned amid backlash for the grid operator's handling of last week's winter storms. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Feb. 23, 2021 }); COLD SNAP: Houston's weather is as serious as a Cat 5 hurricane, Hidalgo says. It is critical to learn from this experience and bring about the necessary organizational, market, planning, and oversight changes to protect Texans., READ NEXT: Kathryn Adams Limbaugh Announced Husband Died on The Rush Limbaugh Show, Sally Talberg, ERCOT Chairwoman: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Bill Flores is an entrepreneur, business leader, and public policy leader. BUCKHANNON The West Virginnia Strawberry Festival Board of Directors has announced the postponement of the festival's annual horse and carriage parade. Through her involvement with the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), Commissioner Talberg served on the NARUC Committee on Gas and on the Federal-State Joint Boards on Jurisdictional Separations and Universal Service. More than 3 million Texans are still without power Wednesday, February 17, days after a winter storm blasted the region, bringing with it record-cold temperatures. For one thing, about a third of its members dont even live in Texas. As demand surged, wind which usually provides between 25% to 42% of Texas power but can drop to roughly 10% in the winter dropped all the way to about 2% of its normal output Monday night and Tuesday morning. }); Three other ERCOT board members also appear to live thousands of miles from Texas. And you dont even have to live there? WVSF horse, buggy parade 'postponed' | News, Sports, Jobs - The Texas Electric Board Members Live WHERE? - PJ Media Show us with your support. Between the pandemic, the economy, a brewing border crisis, and now this massive winter disaster, the governor and the legislators have their work cut out for them. Innovation Studio. ERCOT is governed by a board of directors and subject to oversight by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) and the Texas Legislature. pg.acq.push(function() { Mr. Vegas had profit and loss accountability for NiSources six gas and electric utility companies as well as responsibility for strategy, planning, operations, construction, engineering, regulatory, environmental services, and federal government affairs for NiSource. ga('ads.send', { The state had no respite, no region where demand for power was not surging so it could balance the grid, which it usually does have. 'An electrical island':Texas has dodged federal regulation for years by having its own power grid, "Our hearts go out to all Texans who have had to go without electricity, heat, and water during frigid temperatures and continue to face the tragic consequences of this emergency," the letter reads. eventAction: 'view' Leach said he has begun drafting legislation to prohibit non-Texans from serving on the ERCOT Board. who appoints ercot board of directors - trinayani.org "We have noted recent concerns about out-of-state board leadership at ERCOT," the letter said. RELATED: 'Completely unacceptable': Abbott says ERCOT hasn't been transparent, demands answers about Texas power outages. Both it and coal have provided a steady power baseline throughout the storms, though one reactor did have to get taken offline when its water cooling system froze up. Talberg said in a statement at the time she was excited about the new role. The vacancies will not immediately be filled. Five ERCOT board members who live outside of Texas to resign : Houston looks pretty good in the snow. / CBS News. Dr. Aguilar has served as a President/CEO and on the board level with some of the world's largest engineering and construction firms specializing in clean-energy, power, transportation, real estate, industrial water, and technology start-ups in the United States, Latin America, United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. 'Completely unacceptable': Abbott says ERCOT hasn't been transparent, demands answers about Texas power outages, How will my electric bill be impacted? Last week's storm brought about some of the coldest temperatures the state has seen in decades. AUSTIN, Texas Five members of the board of directors at the entity that operates the state's electrical grid resignedfrom their posts Wednesday,according to a notice posted to the Public Utility Commission website.