After some Texans said they had electricity bills totaling $5,000 following the historic cold weather, the Public Utility Commission in the state announced over the weekend that utilities were temporarily barred from cutting off service because of unpaid bills.
Gov. Greg Abbot announced the move on Sunday after an emergency meeting was held Saturday. The commission issued orders so those with unpaid bills would not lose service on Monday.
It said orders were “intended to protect Texas electricity customers while leaders in the state consider solutions for the financial aftershocks of the winter storm grid event.”
“Our absolute top priority as a commission and a state is protecting electricity customers from the devastating effects of a storm that already affected their delivery of power,” said DeAnn Walker, the commission chairman.
She said orders were temporary and would likely be in effect for the remainder of the week.
Some Texas residents had complained to the Commission after their electric bills were more than $5,000 for less than one week of service.
Source: Insider