The repercussions of Hurricane Beryl continue to unfold in Texas as Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an investigation into CenterPoint Energy for its handling of the storm that left over 2 million Houston-area residents without power. According to the Houston Chronicle, the inquiry will closely examine allegations of fraud and misuse of public funds against the utility company. "My office is aware of concerning allegations regarding CenterPoint and how its conduct affected readiness during Hurricane Beryl, a storm that left millions of Texans without power," Paxton said.
Lawmakers seem to agree that CenterPoint needs to name improvements in their operations. The Public Utility Commission has also begun to investigate, pushing the company to quickly bring to the table solutions for better service. "CenterPoint has to do better. I cannot urge this enough. I have tried to stress with their executives that CenterPoint has to have a sense of urgency," PUC Chairman Thomas Gleeson said, as reported by ABC13. His call to action was reinforced by Texas Governor Greg Abbott's ultimatums to CenterPoint for vegetation management and reliability plans.
CenterPoint has been scrutinized in the past by lawmakers like state Sen. Paul Bettencourt who characterized their actions as fraudulent. "If I were an Inspector General, I would be investigating their 800 Million dollar generator contract for fraud," Bettencourt was reported saying in response to Paxton’s announcement, in a statement obtained by the Houston Chronicle. This is not the company's first brush with controversy following a disaster, as Paxton previously launched investigations into various power and utility companies, including CenterPoint, after a devastating winter storm in February 2021.
The latest from CenterPoint suggests that the company is already looking into making amends. They have apologized for the power outages and have shared a plan including upgrades on resiliency, communication enhancements, and strengthening community partnerships. "The clock is ticking for CenterPoint to step up and get the job done," Governor Abbott expressed, anticipating significant steps towards progress by the end of August, according to ABC13.
