TX Oil And Gas Agency Not Planning To Require Winterizing Equipment Despite Failure | Rachel Maddow

Rachel Maddow shares a report on how much more Texans have paid for energy because of its deregulated electricity market, and the agency that controls the state's oil and gas industry reportedly has no plans to require winterizing equipment despite the deadly failure of that equipment to operate in the cold. Aired on 02/26/2021.
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TX Oil And Gas Agency Not Planning To Require Winterizing Equipment Despite Failure | Rachel Maddow

70 comments

    1. Seems to be working bettter than planned planned. Record profits or bankrupsies (leading to low cost acquisitions and raises for leadership of surviving bussinesss), a bit of older power company equipment replaced by insurance, and economic stimulation of other industries.

    1. I think because for large part it is. I heard an expert say on one of the other shows that there are even some nineteenth century elements here and there.
      Bringing the majority of the cables underground, like in most European countries, would make their electricity grid much less susceptible to weather influences.

    2. @R vdB Burying power cables costs roughly ten times the amount that placing them above-ground costs. Given the very long distances involved in Texas, this is prohibitive. Not only this, but burying cable is not a perfect solution, since buried cables are subject to flood damage, which is also costly and time-consuming to repair.

    3. @omi god Properly buried cables don’t get damaged in floods since they should be below the water table. The issue is the surface level connections to those cables getting flooded which would still be the same problem if they cables were above ground. Only the cost is prohibitive but they could strategically bury cables in higher risk areas and then slowly work out form there. The real fix though would be just winterizing their equipment so it can resist cold weather.

    4. @Komenisai In the case of Texas, I suspect hardening of the above-ground equipment would have been more cost effective than buried cable. Texas is a big place.

    5. @omi god the cables weren’t the problem their anyway it was generating systems. The main lines going to substations have to run above ground because the voltage is so high in those lines and insulation would have to be like a foot thick to go underground

  1. This is what for profit Governance looks like. Market mentality and under regulation of community assets is failing people.

    1. It is a form of socialism for the very wealthy who get to rake in the huge profits at public expense, and then ‘rugged individualism’ for those who have lower incomes and are at the mercy of these terrible policies and left to fend for themselves.

  2. You dont want to update your infrastructure? No problem. But dont expect the rest of the country to bail you out when this happens again and you didn’t prepare.

    1. @robert moore Well, if the state of Texas decides to close ports, for any reason, 25% of total tonnage traveling through USA ports is stopped. Tell me again that it is not true USA is too dependent on Texas to deny them anything. I will then tell you how giant transportation companies moved headquarters to texas to avoid other states taxes. We know they can shut the electricity off on a whim to any of those headquarters, don’t we?

    2. @wade stanton Excuse me? You are speaking about theoretical might happens. As in what MAY be. I am speaking anout what is currently going on. There is no confusion on my behalf.

    1. @omi god I’m not defending PG&E, but these judgements will hurt them a LOT- they don’t walk away scot-free even with bankruptcy . There’s a $ 1 billion+ fine, and a long probation with conditions. I can’t say when/if rates will go up, but they are regulated under multiple agencies and can’t get away with raising rates like TX. Rates are very reasonable where we are and have never had a bill over $110 in winter or summer over 10 years in a smaller home.

    2. @E H 😂😂😂 a billion is what they wipe with. Did you not hear how mich they made from the last 20 years?

    3. @Linda Struckus Yeah, why elect better leaders who regulate the companies to protect the customers if you just can sue them instead.
      Only in America…

    1. This is funny now, but I guarantee some people are gonna start saying democrats can control the weather to bring muh socialism to tx

  3. Texans: “We want deregulated capitalism!”
    Texas energy companies: “Ok.”
    Texans: “Wait, not like that.”

    1. @omi god You have no sympathy for people freezing in their homes, without clean water to drink?
      Like, let’s assume you do have sympathy for the minority who voted Democrat. We’ll just take that as a given.
      And let’s assume you have sympathy for the ones who voted Republican because they were working three jobs to feed their family and didn’t have much time to follow current events and just knew the Republicans made promises to make the money they paid in taxes go down by deregulating the energy grid (which was technically true – no taxes needed when it’s privatized; the money *overall?* Don’t worry about it) who then realized their folly and switched parties once the damage was done.
      But what about the ~80 year-old with dementia who voted Republican because she saw a lie-filled ad on daytime TV and froze to death (not a real person so far as i know, but… let’s be real; she is)? No sympathy there?
      The voter’s still to blame; not the lying politician who deceived them?
      You literally don’t have sympathy for the dead people; whether or not they inadvertently caused their own deaths? Meaning: even if they didn’t?

    2. LOL…..now seems a bit too late for that issue! Stay safe & healthy, have a nice day!
      #CancelRepublicans

    1. You’d think Tucker’s viewers would’ve thought to ask this question & wonder if the slop he was pushing as fact was legit. But then again, they happily receive all the disinformation bullsh*t as long as it supports their beliefs. What’s the saying, ignorance is bliss. Wonder if they felt blissful sitting in negative degree temperatures in their living rooms?!?

  4. They probably want it to fail
    Senators throughout the Capital probably had stock for what it would take to repair all the homes
    Republicans are SCUMB

  5. Texas republicans have been fleecing their constituents the way tiny, nothing loser donnie has fleeced his magat cult, why would they change that, they’re filling their pockets to fly to Cancun

  6. Next time don’t vote republican. Especially in Texas. They want unregulated Capitalism. Vote them out next election. They will never change.

    1. @Roberto Baird I would be surprised if that happens. Most republicans here have the memory of a DODO Bird(extinct). Flashy catchphrases and fear mongering will make them forget about the pump-n-dump they got for the last 20+ years here.

    2. @Vernon Hector True. But there’s more republicans that supports unregulated Capitalism. Of course Dems that supports unregulated Capitalism needs to go too.

  7. So if they don’t fix the problem, who’s fault is it?

    Obviously, they won’t solve the problem. They make Billions when it fails!

  8. They don’t want federal regulations but they do want federal disaster aid. THAT needs to stop. They need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps as they love yo tell everyone else.

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