Four board members of Texas electric grid operator to resign

Four board members of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the state’s electric grid operator, are resigning after more than 4 million people were left without power during a rare winter storm last week. 

ERCOT sent a notice to the Public Utility Commission saying its board chair, vice chair, finance and audit chair and human resources and governance committee chair will be stepping down from their positions on Wednesday, The Texas Tribune reported.

All four had faced backlash for their out-of-state residency. 

“The Board Chairman, Board Vice Chairman and both Committee Chairman leadership roles will be vacant,” the notice says.

The positions will not be immediately filled, according to The Texas Tribune. 

The Hill has reached out to ERCOT for comment.

The organization has come under intense scrutiny after millions of Texans were left without power during a winter storm that hit the Lone Star State. The storm killed dozens of people and left millions without electricity and many without water.

“The lack of preparedness and transparency at ERCOT is unacceptable, and I welcome these resignations,” Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) said in a statement regarding the resignations. 

Only out-of-state board members have stepped down from their positions amid mounting public pressure as many question why ERCOT had top officials who do not live in Texas.

Vice chair Peter Cramton lives in Germany, and board chair Sally Talberg lives in Michigan, according to The Texas Tribune.

The residence of finance and audit chair Terry Bulger and Raymond Hepper, human resources and governance committee chair, was unknown since some information has been removed from the ERCOT website after members started receiving threats, ERCOT officials said last week.

“The State of Texas will continue to investigate ERCOT and uncover the full picture of what went wrong, and we will ensure that the disastrous events of last week are never repeated,” Abbott said.