Abbott’s appointees include Brad Jones, the interim CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, as well as representatives from Samsung, Valero and H-E-B from each of Texas’ four largest metros.
Senate Bill 3, which was authored by state Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, during the regular 2021 legislative session, tasks the council with overseeing the weatherization of the power grid and improving communication in the energy sector.
The council is one of several provisions established under the new law aimed at “preparing for, preventing and responding to weather emergencies and power outages,” per the bill’s text. Other mandates include “creating a civil penalty for disconnecting natural gas service to residential customers during an extreme weather emergency” and requiring energy provides to weatherize their systems and practice for various emergencies.
The council:
- Brad Jones
- Interim CEO of ERCOT, Liberty Hill
- Nate Murphy
- Senior counsel for Valero, San Antonio
- George Presses
- Vice president of fuel and energy for H-E-B, San Antonio
- Edward Stones
- Global business director for energy and climate change for Dow, Houston
- Jon Taylor
- Corporate vice president of fab engineering and public affairs at Samsung Austin Semiconductor, Austin
- Melissa Trevino
- Assistant vice president for power at Occidental Energy Ventures, Houston
