Public Citizen to TX Lawmakers: Fund PUC Fire Prevention Study
State House budget subcommittee meets today, a year to the day since the start of the Panhandle Wildfires
AUSTIN, Texas — A state House budget subcommittee must ensure a key state agency receives needed funding to study how it can help prevent disasters like the Panhandle Wildfires, Public Citizen told lawmakers today on what marks one year since the start of the fires.
This morning, the Texas House Committee on Appropriations – Subcommittee on Articles VI, VII, & VIII gathers to discuss the portion of the state budget that includes the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC).
Following last year’s Panhandle Wildfires, a legislative investigation determined the likely spark of the Smokehouse Creek Fire was a brittle oilfield electric utility pole that broke and fell on dry grass. However, both the PUC and the state’s oil and gas regulator, the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC), argued they lacked the oversight authority to inspect utility poles or hold oilfield operators accountable for faulty power equipment that could cause fires.
“The House’s wildfires investigation was blunt about how a regulatory ‘no man’s land’ creates a situation in which irresponsible oil and gas operators can ignore poorly-maintained utility poles on their fields,” Kamil Cook, a climate and clean energy associate for the Texas office of Public Citizen, said ahead of delivering testimony at today’s committee hearing.“It’s too often the case in Texas that industries are left to operate on the honor system in the name of profit. But everyday Texans usually pay the price for that so-called ‘business-friendly’ attitude. It’s time to put people first. If the Public Utility Commission and Railroad Commission say they don’t have the authority to act, the Legislature should make sure they do before the current legislative session ends.”
The Panhandle Wildfires were the largest in the state’s recorded history. When the fires were extinguished, three people had been killed, more than 1 million acres had burned and approximately 15,000 head of cattle were destroyed.