Beto Should Apologize for Fear-mongering on Power Grid

“Last week showed the resilience of the Texas power grid thanks to the bipartisan solutions put forward by Governor Abbott and the Legislature. But the success of the reforms to the Texas grid didn’t stop credibility-challenged Beto O’Rourke from fear-mongering to prop up his flailing campaign for governor. Credibility-challenged Beto O’Rourke should apologize to Texans for his shameful behavior and admit he was wrong.” – Mark Miner, Communications Director

The Steps Texas Has Taken To Improve The Grid And Keep Texas Number One For Energy:

Governor Abbott Directed The PUC To:

• Increase power generation capacity.
• Ensure reliability of the TX electric grid.
• Establish a maintenance schedule for generators that ensures there is always enough power supply to meet demand.
• Accelerate the development of transmission projects to dispatchable generation plants.

PUC & ERCOT Have Taken The Following Actions That Have Enhanced Grid Reliability:

• Increased the amount of electric power generation.
• Purchased significantly more power reserves.
• Released power reserves quicker to meet customer demand.
• Procured additional power reserves during uncertain weather forecasts.

Governor Abbott Added Electrical Grid Reform As Emergency Legislative Items, Leading The Legislature To Pass 14 Bipartisan Bills And Resolutions That Were Signed Into Law To Increase The Robustness And Resiliency Of The Grid, Including:

• Weatherization of TX’ power system.
• Enforcement of weatherization or face a penalty of up to $1 million per violation.
• Reformed ERCOT & PUC to improve accountability & operations.
• Enhanced coordination between state agencies & industry to prepare for & help prevent weather emergency events.
• Designating natural gas facilities as critical infrastructure to maintain power during an energy emergency.
• Expediting the restoration of customers’ power during an outage event.

FLASHBACK – Beto O’Rourke Supports Extreme Environmental Policies Like The Green New Deal And Cap-And-Trade That Would Gut The Texas Energy Industry:

O’Rourke Supports The Green New Deal. O’ROURKE: “Some will criticize the Green New Deal for being too bold or being unmanageable. I tell you what, I haven’t seen anything better that addresses this singular crisis we face, a crisis that could at its worst lead to extinction. The Green New Deal does that. It ties it to the economy and acknowledges that all of the things are interconnected.” (Tim Hains, “Beto O’Rourke On Green New Deal: ‘Literally, The Future Of The World Depends On Us’,” RealClearPolitics, 3/14/19)

O’Rourke Wants A Cap-And-Trade System In The U.S. “Beto O’Rourke said he opposes a carbon tax and instead backs a carbon cap-and-trade program in which a shrinking number of ‘allowances’ would be sold to polluters each year.” (Eric Bradner And Zachary B. Wolf, “Beto O’Rourke Opposes Carbon Tax, Backs Cap-And-Trade,” CNN, 9/4/19)

O’Rourke Wants To End Drilling On Federal Land, Charge Higher Royalty Rates For Drilling And Stop New Fossil Fuel Leases. “O’Rourke is no longer running for president. O’Rourke ‘will set a first-ever, net-zero emissions by 2030 carbon budget for federal lands, stopping new fossil fuel leases, changing royalties to reflect climate costs, and accelerating renewables development and forestation,’ a campaign spokesman told The Post. He pledged to ‘protect our most wild, beautiful, and biodiverse places for generations to come — including more of the Arctic and of our sensitive landscapes and seascapes than ever before — and establish National Parks and Monuments that more fully tell our American story.’” (“Would You End Leasing For Fossil Fuel Extraction On Federal Lands?,” The Washington Post, Accessed 9/20/21)

O’Rourke Wants To End All Offshore Drilling Off The Coast Of The U.S. “Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke called on Congress on Wednesday to put a stop to oil drilling off the US coasts. The former congressman from Texas is asking members of Congress to pass South Carolina Democratic Rep. Joe Cunningham’s Coastal and Marine Economies Protection Act, which would place a moratorium on offshore drilling and prohibit the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management from offering any new tracts for oil and gas leasing or preleasing off the California, Oregon and Washington state coastline and the Atlantic Coast.” (Caroline Kenny, “Beto O’Rourke Calls On Congress To Halt Offshore Drilling,” CNN, 9/11/19)

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