Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday that dealing with residents’ rushing electric bills is the “top priority” for the legislature, and he said there would be a moratorium on disconnecting customers for non-payment. As the power went down amid deadly icy temperatures, Texans who did not have a fixed electrical plan increased their bills due to market costs, and some reported their bills in the tens of thousands.
Abbott and the legislature held an emergency meeting on Saturday to find ways to “protect” residents from the conspicuous bills. “Texans who have suffered through days of freezing cold without power should not be subjected to the soaring energy bills due to a rise in the energy market,” Abbott said Sunday.
There are about 30,000 Texans who were no longer allowed on Sunday afternoon. Abbott said he expects power to recover across the state by Sunday night.
In addition to the crisis of rising electricity bills, Texas is also facing two other immediate crises: food shortages and lack of access to clean water. Abbott said Sunday he was suspending truck regulations to get drivers on their way to fast food deliveries at grocery stores. He also suspended the regulations on kitchens for preparing food, provided it complied with the health guidelines.
Abbott also said that the state was going to distribute ‘Meals Ready to Eat’, or MREs, and he requested a USDA disaster declaration to distribute food.
The Texas Department of the Environment said boiling water supplies were lifted Sunday for about 5 million Texans, including in Houston and most of San Antonio, two of the state’s largest cities. Two days ago, 14.9 million Texans were under boiling water notices.
Abbott is also softening plumbing while residents try to deal with broken pipes. He appealed to anyone with problems to call a plumber as soon as possible, as well as to call the insurance companies.
In addition to the triple immediate crises, Abbott said Texas will hibernate all energy sources from now on.
“We should never run out of power again,” Abbott said. “Texas is the state of energy. We need to translate that into power generation to make sure the power stays on.”
On Saturday, President Biden held a big disaster statementwhich eligible 77 of Texas’ 254 counties for federal funding to assist with recovery efforts.
Temperatures dropped across the state last week, leading to an increase in energy consumption that brought the power grid to a standstill. At least 30 deaths have been attributed to the storm in Texas, including a grandmother and three elementary school children who died in a house fire in suburban Houston.
Warmer temperatures over the weekend caused snow to melt.