The power outage has subsided, but the water supply still remains
Until the controversy that electricity bills surged 180 times
Provision of shelter for the victims, restoration of damage, etc.
Policy of expediting federal budget input
In-person visits are also carefully considered
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US President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster in Texas, which has suffered massive blackouts and water shortages due to a record cold wave. Texas is now able to receive federal support, but it is still struggling with water supply, which is expected to continue to damage residents.
According to the Washington Post (WP), the White House said on the 20th (local time) that President Biden has signed a declaration of a major disaster in Texas. This allows the federal government to expedite the expenditure of the federal government to recover damage in Texas. Supports such as provision of temporary shelters for the displaced, home repair costs, and low-interest loans are included.
President Biden is also considering a direct visit to Texas to monitor the state of disaster response at the federal level. President Biden, who had originally planned to visit Texas mid-week, said his visit would rather interfere with the state’s recovery efforts, so he is considering carefully. WP said, “This cold wave is a leadership test at the beginning of his inauguration,” and said, “It emphasizes that President Biden is focusing on responding according to principles rather than showing dramatic gestures such as on-site speeches.”
Texas is the state that suffered the most damage in the United States due to a cold wave falling below -16 degrees Celsius. More than 60 people died across the United States, and more than 20 people died in Texas alone. In Texas, a power outage broke out due to extreme weather, and about half of the residents still do not have adequate water supply. The Texas Environmental Quality Commission (TCEQ) announced that the water supply to 15.1 million people was cut off due to freezing of 1,300 public water supply systems. Accordingly, state authorities are making water supply a top priority and transporting water and food by aircraft. However, as the power system normalized, the massive blackout that once reached 4.5 million households has calmed down.
But electricity bills soared to abnormal levels. According to Fox News, Ty Williams, based in Arlington, Texas, received an electricity bill worth $17,000 this month. Prior to the cold wave, he spent an average monthly electricity bill of $660 for his usual house, guesthouse, and office combined. Holtham City resident Jose Del Rio turned on a heater to prevent freezing of water pipes in a two-bedroom house and received a $3,000 bill for electricity. His usual electricity bills ranged from 125 to 150 dollars a month.
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They are said to be customers of a wholesale power company called’Greedy’, which is subject to a variable rate plan. In Texas, the average price per ㎿h was usually 50 dollars, but the cold wave caused wholesale prices to soar to 9,000 dollars per ㎿h. In this regard, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he would launch an investigation into how erroneously the Electric Reliability Commission (ERCOT), which operates the Texas electricity grid, and utilities responded to the cold wave.
However, the worst cold wave is expected to improve as the temperature rises. CNN, citing data from the U.S. Meteorological Agency, reported that the area covered with snow and ice began to melt from last weekend, and that the highest temperature in most of Texas in the middle of this week will be around 10-20 degrees.
Meanwhile, international oil prices plummeted due to anticipation that oil facilities in Texas, which had been halted by the blackout, will soon be put into operation. Western Texas crude oil (WTI) for March delivery on the New York Commercial Exchange (NYMEX) on the previous day closed at $59.24, down 2.1% per barrel from the previous day. The $60 per barrel mark has collapsed. The observation that major oil-producing countries can reduce the scale of crude oil production from next month and the US’s prospect of melting in relations with Iran are also analyzed to have burdened oil prices.
/ Reporter Kihyuk Kim [email protected]
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