Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) continued her work investigating the failures of the Texas power grid that occurred during last month’s winter storm and evaluating next steps forward during two Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee hearings held this week.

“What we saw in Texas during last month’s winter storm was a catastrophic failure of our electric grid—one that did not have to happen.  There were ample warnings about how the Texas grid was vulnerable to winter resilience issues that had been documented in detail after the 2011 winter storms,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.  “I am glad our Energy and Commerce Committee is committed to thoroughly examining the failures that led to last month’s disaster, and to finding solutions to strengthen our energy reliability and help make sure this doesn’t happen again.” 

Congresswoman Fletcher added: “I am grateful to Mayor Turner for joining our committee as a witness for one of these hearings.  His experience, leadership, and partnership navigating the challenges facing our region is insightful as we continue this critical work.”

The first hearing, held by the E&C Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, focused on the cascading failures during the winter storm that left nearly 4 million Texans without power.  Congresswoman Fletcher previously joined committee leaders in calling for this hearing.  Watch Congresswoman Fletcher’s questions here.

The second hearing, held by the E&C Energy Subcommittee, focused on the country’s energy future and the need for investment in infrastructure resilience, grid modernization, and energy efficiency.  Watch Congresswoman Fletcher’s questions here.