Texas regulators on Tuesday passed new rules requiring natural gas companies to winterize their infrastructure to avoid a repeat of February 2021 when much of the state lost power during a major winter storm.
The Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates the natural gas industry, is requiring companies to winterize their facilities or face fines.
Critics believe the new regulations won't fix anything because they're too lax.
"We wanted to see them make it a little easier to cross into that highest category of violation so that operators would know it's possible they could be really penalized in a significant way,” said Virginia Palacios, leader of the watchdog group "Commission Shift."
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The industry could choose to pay small fines rather than spend a lot to modernize, she said.
"It means we're still uncertain. We still don't know if we could have other major power outages if we run into another extreme weather event,” Palacios said.
2021 WINTER STORM
Supporters think the new rules strike the right balance.
"This rule is about preparation,” Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright said. “It's about planning for the unknown. It's about communicating."
Wright said Texas has to protect its population but can't over-regulate.
"It is impossible to write rules or legislation to remove all risks," he said.
The Public Utility Commission passed similar regulations on power generators last October.
