Flood Basics still causing pain for some
Climate-Proofing Our Infrastructure: Building Climate Resilience with the Army Corps of Engineers
The Calm Before and After the Storm: How to Maximize Insurance Recovery for Catastrophic Weather Events
Law Brief®: David Pfeffer and Richard Schoenstein Discuss the Legal Implications of Infrastructure Collapses
Employer Responsibilities During the Texas Winter Storm
Filing Insurance Claims After the Texas Winter Storm
Hurricane Season Begins
On June 14, 2024, the Supreme Court of Texas issued a pivotal opinion concerning the actions of the Public Utility Commission of Texas (Commission) during 2021’s Winter Storm Uri. In Public Utility Commission of Texas v....more
In February 2021, winter storm Uri hit Texas, causing a sharp spike in electricity demand that could not be satisfied by available generation resources, resulting in statewide blackouts. Commercial, industrial and residential...more
On November 7, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) issued a joint report including recommendations targeting the natural gas industry from the...more
In re Luminant Generation Company LLC et al is a bitter pill for the litigation hangover from Winter Storm Uri. Takeaway: Texas does not recognize a legal duty owed by wholesale power generators to retail customers to provide...more
The use of factual/counterfactual comparisons—that is, estimating the difference between what actually happened and what would have happened absent an event—is a fundamental tool in the economists’ work box in the context of...more
On Sept. 29, 2023, the Supreme Court of Texas announced it will review a lower court’s reversal of two winter storm Uri orders by the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT), which date back to 2021. During the historic...more
On August 15, 2023, ISO New England (ISO-NE) presented preliminary results for an extended timeframe through Winter 2032 as the next phase in its ongoing exploration of potential resource adequacy impacts during extreme...more
On June 15, 2023, FERC issued two final rules aimed at boosting bulk power system resilience by improving how grid operators assess and plan for extreme weather impacts to the transmission system. One rule directs NERC to...more
With patient health at stake, a power outage poses major risks to hospitals. Emergency backup power systems are essential for hospitals when prolonged power outages occur. Although advances in technology have expanded options...more
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or Commission) on June 15, 2023, finalized a rule requiring interstate electric transmission providers to file one-time informational reports assessing the susceptibility of...more
On February 16, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) issued an order approving two extreme cold weather reliability standards: EOP-011-3 (Emergency Operations) and EOP-012-1 (Extreme Cold Weather...more
On February 16, 2023, FERC approved two new extreme cold weather Reliability Standards—EOP-011-3 (Emergency Operations) and EOP-012-1 (Extreme Cold Weather Preparedness and Operations)—filed by the North American Electric...more
In the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri, the Texas Legislature in Senate Bill 3 (2021) required the Railroad Commission of Texas to adopt rules requiring certain pipeline facility operators to weatherize equipment in order to...more
To help prevent wildfires during extreme weather conditions, California electric utility companies have adopted the use of Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS). Beginning in 2017, PSPS have been utilized to reduce the risk of...more
If 2020 was the year of the great energy disconnect, 2021 was the year the people carrying out the energy debate appeared to be living on different planets, floating aimlessly through time and space and never intersecting...more
On November 16, 2021, staff from FERC, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (“NERC”), and certain Regional Reliability Entities issued a final report on the 2021 winter storms that severely impacted the bulk...more
On November 10, 2021, ERCOT held a workshop on Generation Entity Winter Weather Preparedness. At this workshop, ERCOT provided an explanation of its approach to implementing the Public Utility Commission’s Winter Emergency...more
In the aftermath of Winter Storm Uri, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 3, which, among other things, required the Public Utility Commission of Texas (“the Commission”) to adopt certain market-related rules. A key...more
With winter coming, many are questioning whether Texas will be able to avoid another catastrophic loss of power like that experienced during Winter Storm Uri in February 2021. While regulators have known the causes of the...more
As the cold weather season approaches, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) are taking action to prevent a repeat of the devastating electric power...more
During the 87th regular legislative session, the Texas Legislature passed several bills to address energy-related issues resulting from Winter Storm Uri. Together, the legislation required an overhaul of the ERCOT board of...more
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's ("FERC") Office of Electric Reliability and Enforcement and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation ("NERC") staff presented a series of findings and preliminary...more
At the open monthly meeting of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Sept. 23, 2021, a joint team composed of the staffs of FERC, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and NERC's various...more
On August 24, 2021, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC") approved new cold weather electric reliability standards proposed by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation ("NERC"). The standards will apply...more
The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) has issued draft regulations to implement new electric weather-related requirements set forth in Texas Senate Bill 3 (SB 3), which was enacted in response to what the PUCT...more