Democrats are naturally drawn to big government, socialism, and the dissolution of state boundaries. I add, and PAC money.
IN THE NEWS: The Texan, February 14, 2024 – Texas Congressman Files Bill to Federalize ERCOT, Connect Power Grid to Other States. “Casar says he believes the reform would result in up to 12,000 MW of electricity available to ERCOT during times of scarcity.”
IN THE NEWS: WFAA, January 3, 2024 – Long-discussed plans to connect ERCOT power grid to other states draw new attention “Pattern Energy’s Southern Spirit Transmission lines would run from eastern Texas through Louisiana into Mississippi. Researchers believe the lines could carry as much as 3,000MW, enough to power about 600,000 Texas homes on a hot summer day.”
Naturally, for businesses that make money from privately-owned electrical transmission lines, interstate connections make sense. But, for common-sense Texans who prefer to guard Texas commerce from the encroachment of federal bureaucracies dictating rules for ERCOT, our independent electrical grid, interstate commerce makes no sense whatsoever. Regardless the interstate electricity is AC or DC, the federal government has constitutional authority to regulate interstate commerce. I refer the reader to Article I, Section 8 “The Congress shall have Power To … regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes.” This is known as the Interstate Commerce Clause.
As my wife and I, two senior citizens, huddled in our living room heated only by a gas-log fireplace, I reviewed ERCOT’s performance in real-time using the web browser on my iPhone. The theoretical total capacity was far beyond what we needed that frigid season of February 2021.
ERCOT classifies windmills and solar power as intermittent sources. At the time of the freeze, the maximum capacity of those very costly, intermittent windmills was greater than 30,000 megaWatts, but the windmills produced only 5,000 megaWatts. Why? Do you remember I told you windmill power is an intermittent source? The windmills were iced up.
Why were the coal-fired power plants not brought online? They were not scheduled to be up and running. The coal stocks were frozen. The coal-fired power plants could not come to the rescue. Obviously, intermittent energy sources, Windmills, and Solar Panels are unreliable. What does the ‘R’ in ERCOT stand for? RELIABILITY!
After the February 2021 ‘Big Freeze,’ I and many other Texas homeowners installed our own whole-house generators. Generator Supercenter tests it weekly and provides 100% of the inspections and services for a modest monthly fee. I have a contract that empowers ERCOT to start my generator and disconnect my home from the ERCOT grid. This is an experiment using privately owned generators to serve as microgrids.
We Texans neither want nor need to depend on electrical power from Mississippi or any other state. We want more RELIABLE power sources added to the ERCOT grid.
“The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
President Ronald Reagan
John White
Rockwall, Texas
John N. White 