ERCOT – Voices of Austin @CCLATX

Re: April 17 article, “ERCOT: Demand to soar by 2032”

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas predicts that, within six years, summer electric demand in Texas will not double, not triple, but quadruple.

Much of the demand will come from power-hungry data centers, which also require vast amounts of water.

Meanwhile, the commentary by Los Angeles Times Columnist Mark Z. Barabak, “A political impulse: If you don’t like it, leave,” says that one of Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows’ priorities for next year’s session is studying whether we should annex some eastern New Mexico counties.

I agree with the column that “there are better, more productive ways for lawmakers to spend their time.”

A high priority for the Republicans who run our increasingly hot and drought-ridden state should be to rethink all these data centers they keep pushing on us.

Robin McMillion

Published in the Austin American-Statesman, April 22, 2026

Re: Sept. 12 article, “Texans pay millions for units that can restart power grid, but some went out during freeze.”

I am thankful that a total shutdown of the state’s power grid was averted. But it is deeply disturbing to find out that the ‘black start’ power plants were not fully prepared to back up the grid.

The Texas Legislature passed several laws during the 2021 regular session to address shortcomings at the power plants. The Public Utility Commission has to act in the best interest of all Texans and demand reliable weatherization standards for power plants, including the black start plants, from the Electrical Reliability Council of Texas, incorporating future scientific projections on climate change. ERCOT is neither transparent nor responsible. Is the Legislature going to impose penalties if power outages occur?

Power politics plays out.

Texas Legislature can help its people by saving lives and billions of dollars in economic damages by listening to climate scientists and have a reliable power grid.

Kalpana Sutaria

Austin American-Statesman

September 22, 2021