Congress wants to investigate the Texas power crisis caused by the February winter storm.
Two subcommittees of the House Energy and Commerce Committee will hold two separate hearings on Wednesday, March 24.
One will be held by the Energy subcommittee chaired by Illinois Democrat Bobby Rush and the other will be held by the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee chaired by Colorado Democrat Diana DeGette.
“We must examine the failures that led to the crisis, as well as what lessons must be learned to prevent history from repeating itself,” said Rush and DeGette.
The Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee will hold its hearing at 11:30 a.m. (EDT) on the extreme weather event last month that left Texas with sustained power outages and contaminated drinking water, threatening the health and safety of millions of Americans.
The hearing, entitled, “Power Struggle: Examining the 2021 Texas Grid Failure,” is part of the Committee’s ongoing investigation into the preparedness for and the response to the severe Texas winter weather. The hearing will examine factors that contributed to the devastating power crisis, including policy failures and leadership challenges, as well as solutions moving forward.
The Energy Subcommittee will hold its hearing at 2 p.m. (EDT) on the Climate Leadership and Environmental Action for our Nation’s (CLEAN) Future Act, which was introduced earlier this month. The legislative hearing will examine the CLEAN Future Act’s provisions on grid modernization, resilience, and energy efficiency, focusing on how they relate to the recent Texas power crisis. The hearing is entitled, “The CLEAN Future Act: Powering a Resilient and Prosperous America.”
The two chairmen issued a statement.
“It’s clear that in many parts of the country our electric grid is simply not resilient enough to withstand extreme weather – something we must change if we are going to successfully navigate a rapidly changing climate.”
Oklahoma Congressman Markwayne Mullin sits on the full Energy and Commerce Committee and is not a member of either subcommittee.