TITLE: Relating to the membership and meetings of the Texas Energy Reliability Council.

SUMMARY: Relating to the membership and meetings of the Texas Energy Reliability Council.

FULL TEXT:
AN ACT relating to the membership and meetings of the Texas Energy Reliability Council. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 418.303(a), Government Code, as added by Chapter 426 (S.B. 3), Acts of the 87th Legislature, Regular Session, 2021, is amended to read as follows: (a) The council is composed of: (1) the chairman of the Railroad Commission of Texas; (2) the presiding officer of the Public Utility Commission of Texas; (3) the chief executive of the Office of Public Utility Counsel; (4) the presiding officer of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; (5) the chair of the Texas Transportation Commission; (6) a person to represent the independent organization certified under Section 39.151, Utilities Code, for the ERCOT power region, appointed by the governor; (7) the chief; (8) eight [five] persons to represent participants in the natural gas supply chain in this state, appointed by the Railroad Commission of Texas to represent as many types of participants as possible; (9) five persons to represent the electric industry, appointed by the Public Utility Commission of Texas, including: (A) one person to represent entities that provide dispatchable electric energy to the power grid in this state; (B) one person to represent transmission and distribution utilities, as defined by Section 31.002, Utilities Code; (C) one person to represent retail electric providers, as defined by Section 31.002, Utilities Code; (D) one person to represent municipally owned utilities, as defined by Section 11.003, Utilities Code; and (E) one person to represent electric cooperatives; (10) three persons to represent energy sectors not otherwise represented on the council, appointed by the Public Utility Commission of Texas; and (11) five persons to represent industrial concerns, appointed by the governor, including: (A) one person to represent motor fuel producers; and (B) one person to represent chemical manufacturers. SECTION 2. Section 418.308, Government Code, is amended by adding Subsection (c) to read as follows: (c) The council may not develop or present policy recommendations for participants in the energy and electric industries or for state agencies or local entities that regulate energy and electric industries except for the purposes of reporting to the legislature its recommendations under Section 418.310. SECTION 3. Section 418.309, Government Code, is amended by adding Subsection (e) to read as follows: (e) A member of the council may describe publicly the subject of any matter deliberated in a meeting of the council. The description may not contain or disclose specific confidential information. SECTION 4. As soon as practicable after the effective date of this Act, the Railroad Commission of Texas shall appoint members to the Texas Energy Reliability Council as required by this Act. SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.