'We look forward to working on securing our electric grid': Texas Democrats meet with U.S. Energy Department officials

A cadre of Texas Democratic lawmakers who fled to Washington, D.C. met with U.S. Department of Energy officials to discuss the Texas power grid.

On July 12, Texas Democratic lawmakers flew to Washington, D.C. to deny the House a quorum necessary to hold a vote in order to block the controversial Senate Bill 7 from being passed, according to NBC News. 

While in the nation's Capitol, they have found time to meet with U.S. Department of Energy Department officials to discuss improving the Texas power grid.

"Just had a productive meeting with officials from the @DOEelectricity @ENERGY! We look forward to working on securing our electric grid," Texas State Sen. Carol Alvarado (D-Houston) wrote in a July 15 Twitter post.

The Texas grid has been under intense scrutiny this year following devastating blackouts during a severe winter storm in February, Newsweek reported. A month into the summer season, Texas has already experienced more than 1,200 unplanned power outages.

On July 6, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) to take several actions to strengthen the reliability of the Texas energy grid, especially those dealing with the unreliable nature of intermittent generators like solar and wind power. 

Abbott's order directs the PUC to streamline incentives within the ERCOT to support the development and maintenance of proven sources of power including natural gas, coal and nuclear power. It also has directives to allocate reliability costs to energy producers that cannot guarantee availability, such as wind or solar power.

"Today I'm directing the @PUCTX to take immediate action to improve electric reliability across the state," Abbott said in a July 6 Twitter post. "These directives build upon the reforms passed this session to increase power generation capacity and ensure the reliability of the Texas power grid."

In response to the orders, ERCOT released a 60-item roadmap detailing its approach to improve the power grid's reliability, ABC 13 News reported.

"The objective of these directives is to ensure that all Texans have access to reliable, safe and affordable power, and that this task is achieved in the quickest possible way," Abbott said in his letter to PUC. "Through clear communication, transparency and implementation of these critical changes, the PUC and ERCOT can regain the public's trust, restore ERCOT's status as a leader in innovation and reliability, and ensure Texans have the reliable electric power they expect and deserve."