Photo by Emma Pabst
By Cyrus Reed
OK folks, remember that Texas has a very unique process known as “sunset” and a whole state agency called the Sunset Advisory Commission. That commission – and its 12 commissioners led by State Senator Charles Schwertner – is in the midst of assessing the actions and efficiency of dozens of state agencies. Questions it is considering include:
- Are the agencies effective in meeting their mission?
- Are they enforcing the law?
- Do they have proper resources?
- Should they continue to exist?
In 2023, the Texas Legislature will consider several sunset bills related to whether those state agencies are authorized to continue, and if so, what operational changes are needed. But before that happens, the public can engage with the process, particularly for key agencies like:
- Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC)
- Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT)
- Office of Public Utility Counsel (OPUC)
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)
- Texas Water Development Board
PUC, OPUC, ERCOT
Recently we submitted initial comments on the PUC sunset, as well as joint comments with other organizations, pointing both to PUC's lack of attention to the public, failure to adequately represent residential consumers, and the need to increase enforcement and attention to gas supply issues. We want to put the public back into the PUC!
The sunset staff report on PUC, ERCOT, and OPUC is scheduled to be released mid-November, so the Sunset Commission – and eventually the Legislature – need to hear from you now. Join us for the following learning and listening sessions:
- Oct. 12, 6:30 p.m.: “Educational Townhall and People's Hearing on the ‘Sunset’ of the PUC: Getting the Public Back in the Public Utility Commission of Texas (and ERCOT and OPUC too!)” This is a virtual webinar so people can attend no matter where they live in Texas. After registering, you’ll receive an email with information on how to join the webinar.
This event will focus on the sunset process and the three specific agencies. Public Citizen and the Coalition for Environment, Equity and Resilience (CEER), and other organizations will be joining us as well as staff from the commission. We want you to learn from us about the process, but we also want to learn from you on your experiences and visions for these agencies and the electric grid!
Editor's note: The slide presentation from this past event is available here.
- Oct. 22, 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.: CEER’s in-person People's Hearing in Houston.
Carl Walker Jr. Multipurpose Center
4300 Noble St., Houston, TX
Register here.
Box lunches will be provided.
- Nov. 29, 6 p.m.: Statewide Virtual People's Hearing with Public Citizen and CEER. We will go over the staff report and get additional input from the public.
- Dec. 6: Sunset Commission meeting at the Capitol in Austin. The commission will report decisions on these three agencies. Please check the sunset website for details as times and dates can change.
TCEQ
In June, some 200 Texans representing different organizations – or themselves – provided input in a public meeting on the staff report on TCEQ sunset. Most people were blistering in their criticism of the agency, which they said did not represent the public or environmental protection, and ended up largely representing industrial issues.
Sierra Club’s Alex Ortiz lambasted the agency for its lack of action on establishing or enforcing water quality standards or cleaning up hundreds of polluted rivers, and reservoirs, while Conservation Director Cyrus Reed lambasted the lack of action on enforcement, while cutting the public out of decision-making. A copy of our comments can be found here.
Sierra Club is working hard to make sure our main issues are considered in their final recommendations, which will be released at the following event:
- Nov. 10, time TBD: Sunset Commission meeting at the Capitol in Austin. The commission will report its final decisions on TCEQ sunset report from staff.