Texas Gov. Abbott Meets With Legislature To Address Spike In Energy Bills
AUSTIN, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott held an emergency meeting with lawmakers on Saturday to address spikes in energy bills following the devastating winter storms this week.
Abbott said he met with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Speaker Dade Phelan and numerous state senators and representatives as residents continue to see effects of the storms.
Millions are still recovering from power outages that lasted days after the storms heavily affected the state's power grid. But now, many residents are facing spikes in their energy bills.
One Dallas man, DeAndre Upshaw, told CNN he received a $7,000 bill from his utility company, Griddy.
"We have a responsibility to protect Texans from spikes in their energy bills that are a result of the severe winter weather and power outages," Abbott said. "Today's meeting was productive, and I applaud Republican and Democrat members of the Legislature for putting aside partisan politics to work together on this challenge. We are moving quickly to alleviate this problem and will continue to work collaboratively throughout this week on solutions to help Texas families and ensure they do not get stuck with skyrocketing energy bills."
Although no formal action was taken, the Texas officials discussed plans on how to solve the billing issues. According to the governor, they talked about needing to calculate the total cost of the energy bills and find a way to reduce the burden.