The fallout for CenterPoint Energy after Hurricane Beryl has been one Houston may never forget. After saying they were ready with thousands of crews standing by, they then backtracked post-Beryl, saying many were not even staged here in Houston before the storm. It ended with 2.6 million without power, some still not having it at the time of this writing.
The CEO has faced criticism for the lack of communication, lineman have accused them of failing to abide by contracts, and some Houstonians have even threatened CenterPoint employees with weapons. The fallout has caught attention of many state leaders as well, such as Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, with Abbott calling for a new response plan from the company by month's end.
The anger has been palpable, but will anything actually get accomplished? If so, what are the options? Holly Hansen of The Texan says there are really two big options for the state in this case.
"They can possibly break up the company...as far as the territory they control...there are a lot of questions about whether they can handle what they have," she says. "The other thing on the table would be a rate hike...they could deny that."
CenterPoint is not responsible for the largest coverage in Texas, but they make it seem that way sometimes.
Texans are no stranger to absurd rate hikes in the midst of disasters, with 2021 Winter Storm Uri as a prime example. Doing that now though would really be tasteless, considering some people went an entire week without power.
Seeing lobbying donations and such as well for elected officials is worrisome for some, but that should not have any impact on the results of this aftermath. But everyone's ultimate worry is that this just ends with hot air in Austin and not much else. Those fears are valid, too.
"Whether or not there will actually be penalties...that we do not know," she says.
Lt. Governor Patrick has been especially vocal, alongside Houston Mayor John Whitmire, both calling for reviews of their procedures.
While people will surely file some lawsuits, one of them was filed by Houston attorney Tony Buzbee already this week, they might not do much in overall accountability.
"It is going to be up to the state and local leaders to make sure that happens...and if it does not, there could be an electoral consequence to pay for that," she says.
Hansen adds that the lawsuits might be the only avenue to some true accountability.
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