One of the members of the state's Public Utility Commission (PUC) sat in ERCOT's special board meeting Monday. She still does not feel like even she is getting the answers necessary from ERCOT.
Energy producers and energy regulators from across Texas packed into ERCOT's board room Monday afternoon.
At the special meeting of ERCOT's board of directors, CEO Trip Doggett once again ran down the series of events on the morning of Feb. 2.
Several power plants went off-line because of below freezing temperatures. In order to avoid a crisis, ERCOT operators called for the rolling blackouts leaving hundreds of thousands of Texans in the dark and cold; a difficult, but defensible, decision according to Doggett.
"The operators recognized they had to quickly take action to avoid a more serious event," Doggett said.
While ERCOT employees did what was necessary to avoid a more long-lasting, farther-reaching blackout, critics are still concerned that the agency is downplaying its failure to communicate.
"They weren't able to answer questions when they appeared before the commission," Donna Nelson a member of the Public Utility Commission said. "I want to hear that they're changing their communication protocol so this never happens again."
Nelson led the grilling when ERCOT appeared before the PUC last week. The three-member board has limited oversight over ERCOT.
Monday, ERCOT leaders pledged to more aggressively communicate in future events.
"I feel like we should just have a really big sign that says 'Communications are the key.' Of course they are," ERCOT attorney Laura Doll said.
ERCOT went through a similar series of reforms in the past making Nelson skeptical this time around.
"I don't think it's sufficient. I think we need more emphasis put on communications and very, very specific steps. What disappointed me about the event on the 2nd is that we had a protocol that we thought would work in an event like this," Nelson said.
Nelson says it clearly did not, specifically the provision that ERCOT was to notify all members of the Public Utility Commission, including Nelson, when the threat of rolling blackouts was increasing.
"I never received any of those e-mails after the one that was sent at 3 a.m. that said the risk was low," Nelson said.
The quest for answers continues Tuesday at the Capitol. The Senate Natural Resources Commission convenes hearings first thing Tuesday morning.
