U.S. Representative Greg Casar (D-Texas) has proposed legislation aimed at integrating the Texas grid with the national grid system. The current setup sees Texas operating independently, a decision made to avoid federal government control over its grid.
The bill, dubbed the Connect the Grid Act, was introduced by Casar, who represents Texas' 35th District. He was joined by Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and 17 other representatives, as reported in a press release from Casar's office. Upon filing the legislation, Casar stated, "During Winter Storm Uri, more than 10 million Texans lost power. We can draw power from other states when we need it, and sell power when we have a surplus. We can keep the lights on, and make sure that no family is left stranded in a mass power outage again. The federal government has a responsibility to deliver power to the people."
However, according to an article by Utility Dive, the U.S. grid itself is not without issues. Last year saw Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) commissioners informing U.S senators of significant reliability challenges facing the national grid. FERC Commissioner James Danly attributed much of these problems to renewable energy sources which he claims disrupts traditional energy economics such as coal and natural gas generation. "FERC has allowed the markets to fall prey to the price distorting and warping effects of subsidies and public policies that have driven the advancement of large quantities of intermittent renewable resources onto the electric system," Danly said.
The growth of renewable energy on both U.S. and Texas grids is largely influenced by subsidies. The Energy Alliance found that since 2006, federal subsidies for renewables across the U.S have amounted to $127 billion while in Texas, federal, state, and local subsidies have totaled $31 billion during this same period.
Bill Peacock, policy director for the Energy Alliance, voiced his skepticism about Casar's bill, arguing that it would not enhance grid reliability in Texas. "Connecting with the U.S. grid will exacerbate rather than solve Texas’ reliability problems," he said. "This is because the primary source of our reliability problems is renewable energy, and the federal grid is experiencing the same problems with renewables as Texas is."
Peacock further expressed apprehension about expanding federal government control over Texas. "Connecting ERCOT would give the federal government more power to push renewables onto the Texas grid. Though I admit Texas seems to be doing far too well with that on its own without the feds’ help."
