If you read one thing: Throughout his bid to become Texas' next governor Beto O'Rourke has repeatedly pinned the failure of the grid during the 2021 winter storm and its vast financial toll on Gov. Greg Abbott. Our politics team fact checked both Abbott's and O'Rourke's claims about the grid.
What are both sides saying? During last month's debate, O'Rourke claimed that Texans are all paying $45 more on average on our monthly utility bills after last year's winter storm, calling that increase the "Abbott tax."
In response, Abbott said the grid is "more resilient and reliable than it's ever been," claiming that Texas has one of the lowest electricity prices in the country, less than half of what it costs in California.
Fact checking O'Rourke: Since the winter storm, costs to address the problems that led to the widespread blackouts have added up and are starting to trickle down to the average residential electricity bill.
An ABC13 investigation in February found that residents were paying 32 percent more, or $45 every month, on average for 1,000 kilowatt-hour plans.
But some recent cost rises are also because of the war in Ukraine, which has tightened global markets and driven up demand for natural gas. Those global concerns are expected to add further stress to Texas' grid this winter.
Fact checking Abbott: While electricity rates in Texas are among the lowest in the country, Abbott's claims have an important caveat, energy experts say.
Alison Silverstein, an energy consultant and former state and federal energy regulator, said that Abbott's claim is almost completely irrelevant as the average monthly electricity bill in Texas is among the highest in the country.
That's because Texans tend to consume more electricity than others to heat or cool their homes, since the state has less rigorous efficiency standards and a lot of large homes. Hotter summers and cooler winter months because of climate change have also driven up energy demand across the state.
Silverstein: "Everyone in the utility business knows it's not the price, it's the bill that kills you."
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