Texas lawmakers pass bills overhauling electric grid, increasing consumers costs

After statewide power outages in February that lasted weeks in some areas, leaving millions of Texans in the cold and dark without water, the state Legislature was tasked with reforming the state’s electric grid.

Unlike 47 other states that operate on either the East or West Coast electric grids, Texas operates on its own grid. It is managed by the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which is regulated by the state legislature and the Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC).