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CenterPoint Energy in Hot Seat for its Response to Hurricane Beryl

Texas Governor Greg Abbott in Houston, speaking at a news conference on Sunday.
Tom Perumean
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott in Houston, speaking at a news conference on Sunday.

It’s time to re-evaluate whether or not CenterPoint should have such a large territory.”

One week after Hurricane Beryl hit land, more than a quarter of a million CenterPoint Energy customers still have no power in Southeast Texas as of Monday morning. Governor Greg Abbott has called CenterPoint’s response “completely unacceptable.” Speaking in Houston on Sunday, Governor Abbott went further, by setting a deadline of July 31 for CenterPoint to deliver plans on how the utility giant plans to tackle vegetation close to powerlines moving forward. And Abbott also wants to see the company’s plans for the next hurricane. If CenterPoint does not comply, Abbott says he will “impose my own requirements on CenterPoint that are geared to keep power on through hurricane season until the next legislative session."

As Houston Public Media reports, Governor Abbott says lawmakers will also look at CenterPoint’s territory. “Maybe they have too large of an area for them to be able to manage adequately. It’s time to re-evaluate whether or not CenterPoint should have such a large territory.”
Lawmakers will hold hearings in August about CenterPoint’s handling of the storm. Abbott says it’s clear the company was caught flat-footed and wasn’t ready for Hurricane Beryl.
In a news release, CenterPoint says 90% of customers should have their power restored by Monday night. But based on the utility's outage map in the Houston area, power may not be fully restored until July 19.

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, and a graduate of the University of Washington, Jeff began his on-air broadcasting career 33 years ago in the Black Hills of South Dakota as a general assignment reporter.