(Reuters) – Elected officials in Texas have said the state needs to help pay for some of the high-profile electricity bills sent to residents following the devastating and deadly winter storm that caused widespread roadblocks.
Texas has a very unusual, deregulated energy market that enables consumers to choose from numerous competing electricity suppliers.
Some suppliers are selling electricity at wholesale prices rising in line with demand, which soared when a record freeze gripped a state not accustomed to extreme cold, killing at least two dozen people and powering up more than 4 million people at its peak; about 30,000 people were still without power on Sunday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said.
As a result, some Texans who were still able to turn on lights or keep their refrigerators running found their bills at just $ 5,000 for just a five-day period, according to photos of bills posted by angry consumers on social media has been posted.
The Dallas Morning News said one vendor offering a wholesale tariff plan has urged its thousands of customers to switch off vendors before the storm to avoid high prices, but many find it will take too long to change vendors.
“The bill must go to the state of Texas,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said in an interview with CBS News on Sunday. “If they get these exorbitant electricity bills and have to pay for their homes, repair their homes, they don’t have to take responsibility.”
Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price told CBS that the state and federal government should be expected to help with the bills.
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, who after public outrage was forced to cut short a vacation trip with his family to the Mexican beach resort of Cancun, also distanced himself from the free market system he had previously praised.
“This is WRONG,” Cruz wrote on Twitter. ‘No power company should get a windfall due to a natural disaster, and Texans should not be hampered by ridiculous tariff increases for last week’s energy debacle. State and local regulators must act swiftly to prevent this injustice. ”
Abbott convened an emergency meeting of state lawmakers on Saturday to discuss the issue and said in a statement that they have a responsibility to ensure that the Texans “do not get stuck with the rising energy bills.”
The governor told reporters on Sunday that the Texas Public Utilities Commission will order electricity companies to interrupt customers’ bills. The commission is also issuing a temporary moratorium on decoupling due to non-payment, Abbott said.
Separately, Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, filed civil investigations with power companies regarding the interruptions, their emergency plans and prices, saying the companies had “grossly mistreated” the state of emergency.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday approved a major disaster statement for Texas that makes federal funding available to people affected by the storm, including assistance with temporary repairs to homes and homes and cheap loans.
All the power plants were online again this weekend and power was restored in most homes as the weather was normal, but there were still concerns about water supply, and millions of Texans are advised to boil water before using it. Houston officials said the city’s water is safe to use without boiling from Sunday.
Reporting by Linda So in Washington and Jonathan Allen in New York; Edited by Daniel Wallis