11: Public Policy in Texas

Last updated
Save as PDF

Page ID: 129188

$ \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } $ $ \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} $$\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}$ $ \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}$ $ \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}$ $ \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}$ $ \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}$ $ \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}$ $ \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}$ $ \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}$ $ \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}$ $ \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}$ $\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}$ $ \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}$ $ \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}$ $ \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}$ $ \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}$ $ \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}$ $ \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}$ $ \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}$ $ \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}$ $ \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}$$\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}$

Learning Objectives

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

Explain what policies are provided by government and why.
Describe the various stages and actors in the policy process.
Analyze the different roles played by the three levels of government, including areas where their powers overlap and areas where there is conflict.
Assess the specific policies Texas engages in, and how those are tied into the various agencies the legislature has created over time.
Explain how a market is supposed to work, and articulate why a government might choose to become involved in market transactions.

On Valentine’s Day weekend 2021 a massive storm blew through the entire state of Texas (Figure 11.1). According to the National Weather Service, the average temperature for the state was below freezing for eight days from Thursday February 11 until Friday February 19. The average temperature on Monday February 15 was 11.8 degrees Fahrenheit, a new record low.¹ (While extreme, it is not uncommon for freezing temperatures to occur in winter. What was uncommon was for the state’s electric grid to crash as a consequence of the cold temperatures and increased demand, causing millions in the state to be without power for several days and resulting in over 100 deaths.² Damages and economic loss for the state are estimated to be as much as $130 billion.³

截屏2021-09-23 下午9.51.10.png — Figure 11.1 National Weather Service map of Winter Storm Warning covering the entire state of Texas, February 14, 2021. SOURCE: National Weather Service.

The failure of the electric grid brought attention to the peculiar way that Texas manages electricity, in addition to the way that electricity is distributed across North America. People became immediately aware of the fact that Texas has its own electric grid, the Texas Interconnection, which is regulated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). Texas likes to be as free as possible from federal regulations, and having a grid entirely within the state’s borders provides it that freedom since the federal government can only regulate electricity which crosses over state borders.⁴

Beyond that is an even simpler question. Why is it the responsibility of Texas to provide electricity? The provision of electricity, or at least some form of power, is considered to be by most a basic service to be provided to the general population. It is a component of energy policy, which itself is a component of public policy, which is the subject of this chapter. But why does it have to be government that provides it? Why not the private sector? And if a government is to provide it, why the state? Why not the national or local government? These are among the questions addressed in this chapter.

1. NWS Weather Prediction Center @NWSWPC, “Just to continue to show how extreme last week's Arctic air insurgence was down in Texas, here is a daily depiction of the average temperature spanning 10 days. You will see based on this analysis, the coldest day was February 15th, with a state average temperature of just 11.8F!,” Tweet, Feb. 22, 2021, https://twitter.com/NWSWPC/status/1363859233335349250

2. Mitchell Ferman, Sami Sparber, and Elvia Limón“2 Million Texas Households without Power as Massive Winter Storm Drives Demand for Electricity,” Texas Tribune, Feb. 15, 2021, https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02...ackouts-texas/.

3. “AccuWeather Raises Texas Damage, Loss Estimate from Winter Storm to $130B,” Insurance Journal, Mar. 5, 2021, https://www.insurancejournal.com/new.../05/604122.htm

4. Kate Galbraith, “Texplainer: Why Does Texas Have Its Own Power Grid?,” Feb. 8, 2011, https://www.texastribune.org/2011/02...wn-power-grid/.