Removing and replacing the heads of ERCOT does nothing.

1- They'll just be replaced with identical clones selected by Abbott.

2- All 3 PUC Commissioners are still Abbott appointees.

3- The same unregulated system stays in place but with new heads.
Prediction: the Texas GOP leadership will perform reform kabuki, but nothing will really change.

Lots of reports and commissions. Any meaningful change will be quietly edited out.

Someone will file a bill for the remaining reforms, and that bill will die quietly in the lege.
Here's the biggest problem:

The reforms that are actually needed? The people that make big donations to Republican campaigns hate them.

The reform that are needed go against what the GOP has been saying for years. They would have to admit they were wrong.
Producing power is big money in Texas.

Why do you think ERCOT exists? - it's a showpiece to be able to say "see, look, they're regulated."

But they don't actually have to do anything that would cut into their profits.

ERCOT is toothless by design.
Removing the powerless heads of a toothless entity is good kabuki, but doesn't actually do anything.

But I guess that's the point.

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More from @GeneforTexas

19 Feb
While #FlyingTed was doing his walk of shame through IAH Airport, we delivered over 800 Asian lunch boxes and about 1500 street tacos to needy families in SW Houston who haven't had a hot meal in days. Image
The wonderful @SandraRdgz27 helped coordinate deliveries and rounded up volunteers to pick up and drop off a ton of food.

(No comments about how we stacked these, we did the best we could.) Image
Judge @israelgarcia4jp took 300 box lunches to Pelican Pointe apartments.

Many residents there not only had to deal with the cold, but they had a massive fire that took out a unit a few days ago.

Kids there were coming up to me saying it was the best food they've ever had. 🥲 ImageImage
Read 12 tweets
18 Feb
Guess which US Senator from Texas flew to Cancun while the state was freezing to death and having to boil water?
I have so many expletives.
Read 9 tweets
18 Feb
Hey y'all. Just like after Harvey and COVID19...

The Asian groceries are well stocked even if HEB and others are running low on stuff. Do yourself a favor and try it.

You may not know what everything is, but broccoli, eggs, and beer are basically the same everywhere.
Fair warning. If you go to an Asian shop without a mask, they will toss your ass. They don't play around with that.
Read 5 tweets
16 Feb
Just got off statewide elected officials call with ERCOT. Trying to relay from memory:

-17 GigaWatt still off line.
-Trying to bring stuff back on line ASAP.
-Combination of gas, coal, solar, wind, and nukes went off line. (Nukes?)
-500 MW (0.5GW) came back during the call
Sun warming up wind turbine blades and shed off ice that formed during cold rain will put wind farms back on line quickly.

Water vapor in gas lines freezing up sensors and regulators in LNG plants.

LNG well heads frozen at the pump.

All cold related outage.
There were cold related measures taken after the freeze of 2011.

But the measures were for 2011 level storm.

2021 far exceeded what was planned or expected.

Just didn't expect this cold and across the entire state.
Read 12 tweets
15 Feb
If you have power. Please turn everything down as much as possible.

Turn off lights, unplug stuff you're not using. Turn down your A/C a few degrees.

This will help us restore power to everyone.
Actually unplug wall-warts from the wall if they are not actively powering something.

They still drain a half watt or so even when not in use.
I'm shutting down my computer and just using my phone in a few minutes.

It's a bright day outside. Open the curtains and read a book.

Please do what you can.
Read 4 tweets
6 Sep 20
You can dismiss 1 poll.
You can dismiss 2 polls.
You can dismiss 5 polls.
You can dismiss 10 polls.

But at some point you're going to have to admit that TEXAS IS THE BIGGEST BATTLEGROUND STATE!

We can do this!
Turn Texas Blue!
As a reminder...

In 2016 Texas went for Trump by nearly double digits... Texas hasn't had a statewide elected Democrat for almost 3 decades.

The very idea that a Dem candidate is even in play in Texas is utter insanity.

But all things are possible with the Orange Lord.
You know this is not a joke because the Trump campaign and state Republicans are taking this seriously.

Trump just came in to Texas on a bus tour.

Trump is running lots of ads on TV.

Trump may be an idiot, but his people are not.

Texas is in play, THEY know it.
Read 6 tweets

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