Below is an interesting mass message I got ahold of, blasted out today by Mike Collier to probably hundreds of thousands of folks:
"This message is a little longer than what I usually write, but it’s important, and I hope you will take a few moments to read it.
As we continue to experience record-breaking temperatures this summer, I wanted to reach out because you probably have a lot of questions about the state of our power grid.
Right now, we’re currently in the fourth heatwave of the season. This recent wave began more than a week ago and is still going strong. And this heat, day after day, is now putting a massive strain on our state’s power grid.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which manages the flow of electric power to more than 26 million Texas customers, recently put out a statement urging folks to conserve power — especially during peak hours.
Here’s the problem, the Texas GOP claims that the power grid “is better today than it’s ever been” yet the facts show the opposite.
Just last week, ERCOT announced that the state’s air quality regulator, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), will “exercise discretion” in enforcing pollution limits on power plants in an effort to ensure that the state’s power grid will be able to meet expected demand.
And earlier this summer, ERCOT also told power plants to delay planned maintenance to help meet demand, with at least one of those plants later going offline due to mechanical failure.
Deferring maintenance and allowing pollution to meet demand is proof that Dan Patrick and Greg Abbott have not fixed the damn grid.
And here’s the real problem: When the power grid failed during the February Freeze, instead of working to fix it to make sure Texans power stayed on, Patrick rewarded his campaign donors instead.
Patrick received over a million dollars in donations from two energy industry donors who he then appointed to paid positions on the board that oversees the power grid. The donor who was appointed chair of the board donated $350,000 to Patrick’s campaign.
So, let me ask you this: How can we expect our state leaders to fix the grid while they cash checks from the folks that made money from the grid failure?
We can’t. And they won’t.
And since Abbott and Patrick refuse to do right by the people of our great state and deliver them a fully repaired, updated, and modernized energy grid — we’re holding them accountable.
As an energy expert, you have my word that I will fix the damn grid.
These corporate handouts paid for by Texas families and get-out-of-jail-free cards that keep our state’s power grid unstable will be put to an end once I’m elected.
And when we defeat Dan Patrick, I will fully invest in our critical infrastructure and redesign our grid to serve Texas families — not massive corporations.
But we must act now. It’s not a question of if, it’s only a question of when the grid fails.
So, we need to fix the damn grid right now. And if you elect me this November, we will.
Thanks for hearing me out today. I’ll be in touch with more information when I have it."
Mike Collier
