Atmos Energy is being investigated by the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) and the state’s governor, Greg Abbott. After several Atmos Energy customers experienced a disruption in their gas service due to the winter weather event, the RRC indicated they would be opening an investigation.
Attorney General Ken Paxton and RRC Chairman Christi Craddick were sent letters by Governor Abbott requesting an investigation
According to the governor’s letter to Craddick, Texas state agencies worked around the clock to deploy resources and assist utilities in any manner necessary. Still, Atmos Energy has yet to ask for help.
Atmos Energy has been asked by the Railroad Commission to supply
1)Exact breakdown of how many people were affected, where they were located during the outage, and how long it lasted.
2)Explanations go into great detail about why natural gas service in each area suffers from low pressure or other problems.
Pipeline and system capacity statistics and the status of their ability to keep up with rising demand in the areas
4)Atmos’ strategy for resolving the problems to prevent future natural gas service outages, including an estimate of costs and a schedule for implementing the solution.
RRC Chairman Craddick assured affected customers that they would receive answers from the company. Many Central Texans were left fuming when their gas pressure remained low for hours, and they received no updates from their gas provider. Melissa Taylor, a Cedar Park, Texas resident, lost heat for more than six hours.
“It makes me happy that there may be some responsibility. In my opinion, everything that can be done to maintain a system of checks and balances is a positive step for the people of Texas. “Earlier on Thursday, Taylor had mentioned to CBS Austin.
The company Atmos Energy has apologized to its consumers, stating that their failure to meet their obligations is unacceptable.
source: cbsaustin.com
