The bill titled "An Act relating to the resilience of the electric grid and certain municipalities" aims to enhance the resilience of Texas's electric grid in light of past outages that have adversely affected the state's citizens and economy. It introduces a new chapter in the Utilities Code called "Grid Resilience," which establishes the Texas Grid Security Commission. This commission is tasked with evaluating threats to the electric grid, assessing the resilience of municipalities, and identifying methods to support national security functions related to electric utilities. The bill emphasizes the need for members of the commission to obtain federal security clearances to access sensitive grid security information and mandates a comprehensive evaluation of past outages and essential services.

Additionally, the bill outlines the commission's responsibilities to develop resilience standards for municipalities and critical components of the ERCOT electric grid, ensuring protection during catastrophic power outages. It requires the commission to prepare a comprehensive plan addressing weatherization, cyber vulnerabilities, and infrastructure improvements, with a report due to the legislature by October 1, 2026. The commission is also directed to produce an annual nonclassified report on threats to the electric grid and mitigation efforts, which will be publicly accessible. The bill will take effect immediately upon a two-thirds vote from both houses or on September 1, 2025, if that threshold is not met.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: ()