WEBVTT

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<v ->I wanna do it just 'cause I won't</v>

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maybe have another chance.

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(gavel pounding)

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Welcome everybody.

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Today, we're here to have a public hearing for project

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number 51841, which relates to emergency service,

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or Emergency Operation Planning.

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My name is David Smeltzer.

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I'm the Director of Rules and Projects.

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The sort of sequence of events today is,

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our Director of Enforcement and project team lead on this,

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English Barksdale, Barksdale English will give us

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a brief introduction to the rulemaking package

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that we're discussing.

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Then we will take any testimony from anyone

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who's here in person, and then we'll go to the phone lines.

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I think that the number of people that are signed up

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is smaller than anticipated,

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so we can do four or five minutes or, per person.

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So I'm fine with that.

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Barksdale.

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<v ->Good morning, everybody.</v>

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I'm Barksdale English on behalf of Commission staff,

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and we are here to discuss the proposal for publication

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of the repeal and replacement

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of Texas Administrative Code 25.53,

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which relates to emergency operations plans.

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The fact that it's a repeal and replacement might sound like

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there's lots of wholesale changes in the rule,

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but largely the substantive requirements of the rule

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are identical to what they are today.

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It's mostly just a reorganization of the requirements

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so that we can start getting everybody's

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emergency operations plans into a format that makes it

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consistent across the industry.

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As you may be aware, in this last legislative session,

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the Legislature and Governor adopted Senate Bill 3.

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One of the requirements of that is that every biennium,

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or every even numbered year, the Leg, the Commission

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has to provide a report to the legislature

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on the preparedness of the electric utility industry

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to withstand emergencies on the grid, and to do that,

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we need to review the emergency operations plans

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of each utility in the state.

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This, we believe, is going to be the first of two steps

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in which first, we are starting to lay out a format

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of how we would like to see these plans relying on the way

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FEMA sets up their emergency operations plans

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and how state and local governments also start to organize

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their plans by having a structure that is understandable

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across different kinds of emergency responders.

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So not only will this help the Commission review

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the 850 or so plans that we're going to need to review

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at least once every other year, but it also makes sure

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that those plans are easily understandable,

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and that it's easier to communicate across different lines

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of government because we'll all be using

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the same kind of language.

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I will be here to answer substantive questions as needed,

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but David will be running the meeting.

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Thanks very much for being here.

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<v ->Thanks Barksdale.</v>

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So I know from speaking from some of

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the interested commenters,

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some of you have experience with legislative hearings.

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I think for the purpose of just clarifying process,

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I'll say that unlike a Commission open meeting

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or a legislative hearing, I think there are

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specific requirements under the Texas government code

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that we have to meet today in addition to hearing

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your comments and what those are is with every rulemaking,

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the Commission has to list off all interested persons

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who want to comment on the rule.

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We have to list their name and their position on the rule,

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and then we also later, when we adopt the final rule,

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we will have to summarize comments that are made

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and put a response whether or not the Commission

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agrees or disagrees, and so the reason I'm clarifying this

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is because if you see me tinkering away or doing things

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up here, it's because we have sort of checklist of things

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that we're taking care of and also so that

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we can accomplish this task, it's important that everyone

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sort of state their name clearly in a way that we'll be able

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to memorialize in text later.

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So it's for instance, people on the line,

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if your name might be spelled in a way that's not intuitive,

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you can help us with that, it would be great,

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and also if you would like your comments

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to be considered as part of an organization,

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rather than as individual comments,

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let us know that at the start.

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Another thing that would be helpful in summarizing

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the comments would be is if there are specific suggestions

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that you have on how the rules should be changed,

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sort of state those plainly at some part so that we know

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that we are fully capturing your intent and, you know,

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considering the changes appropriately.

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So with that, I guess, let's get started.

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The first person signed up is Carol.

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<v Carol>I'll stay as far away from everybody as I can.</v>

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I'll be over here.

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<v ->That's all right, and Carol B. as you're known,</v>

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but I'll let you handle the pronunciation.

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I haven't learned it.

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<v ->Sorry, oh yes.</v>

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My name is Carol Biedrzycki.

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I am the former executive director of Texas Ratepayers

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Organization to Save Energy, so I've spent some time

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here around the Commission.

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I've been retired for the last, almost the last three years,

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and I have become a member of what is called

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the Durable Medical Equipment Power task force,

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and I have worked with Texas Legal Services Center

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to prepare comments on this rule.

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So a more or less a technical testifier more than someone

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who experienced the kinds of problems

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that we're bringing to light here.

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I am a customer of Austin Energy and I was without power

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for about four days and I was miserable,

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but there are people throughout Texas who are dependent

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on electricity for medical purposes and their lives

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were threatened every minute of the outage,

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and there were a lot of experiences that they had

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that were something that nobody should need,

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nobody should have to go through.

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So I'm happy that TLSC, Texas Legal Services Center

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was able to participate in this project because I feel like

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we're bringing a problem to the Commission's attention

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that needs to be addressed within

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the emergency operations plans, and that's why

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we are proposing that the rule that you have put forth

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to be amended to include an annex that is dedicated

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to making sure that there are safety measures

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and emergency services for people who are critical care

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and chronic condition customers at our utilities.

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I have a couple of things that I wanted to bring up.

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One is the definition of emergency.

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In reviewing the comments filed by the other parties,

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I was rather surprised at the amount of attention

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that was placed on the definition of emergency,

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and it seems to be that the industry comments want

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to make it more difficult to declare the emer,

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to put the plans in effect, and so I would like to state

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that we support the staff definition

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because it's more flexible and that there are times

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when maybe there will be a smaller scale emergency,

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which is just as serious

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for individual customers on the system.

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There were also a lot of comments that

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this whole rulemaking is so disruptive of

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the current emergency operations planning process,

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and I have to say that that's a really good thing

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because what is in place right now certainly didn't work

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in favor of any customers, whether they're dependent

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on medical equipment or not.

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So I would just like to say that what's happening now,

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the status quo, failed miserably and so I think

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it's a good thing if things are being shaken up a lot,

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because I think that a massive change is in order

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because we had a massive problem, and then the third item,

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and one that's really important to those who are dependent,

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medically dependent on electricity, is the confidentiality

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of critical load customer information.

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There was a lot of discussion about this

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in the comments as well, and I felt like they were all

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kind of like moving in the wrong direction.

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I mean, this is a time when we would like to see

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some measures put in place so that information

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can be exchanged if it's for the good of the customer,

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and I know that I started to get into this issue earlier

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because somebody who works with emergency management

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came to me and talked about the fact that during

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the emergency in Houston that they contacted utilities,

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trying to get information about critical care customers

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so that they could go and knock on doors.

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They had volunteers ready to do that and that they were told

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that they couldn't provide the information

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because it was confidential.

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Well, okay, I get that and I will respect that,

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but we should be able to work something out

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in these plans to overcome that hurdle if we know

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that there are people who need help, and there are

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other people who want to get to them.

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I mean, this is, I think it's not a simple situation

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to address, but it's one that should be addressed

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because we need to be as like, helpful as possible

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when things start to go awry, and then the last thing

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is that I would like to see the Commission do something

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to maybe hold a couple meetings or workshops so that

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all the parties can talk about these things together,

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because I think that we can all learn from each other,

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and this is a classic situation where we learn

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from each other and we sit down and we try to work out

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some steps that can be taken that

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are in everybody's best interests, and that's all I have.

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Does any, if anybody has any questions

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about the testimony, I'll be happy to, the comments,

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I'll be happy to answer them.

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<v David>Okay, thank you, Carol.</v>

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<v Carol>All right.</v>

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<v ->Next, next person signed up is Amy Litzinger.</v>

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<v ->Thank you for this opportunity to speak today.</v>

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I am Amy Litzinger and I am from northwest Austin,

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speaking for myself, although I do work for a nonprofit

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that is represented here today.

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As you can see, I have quadriplegic condition

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and use a power wheelchair, plus other large devices

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such as an electric Hoyer lift to get in and out of bed.

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What you may not know is that dependent services in Texas

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for people like me only cover helping people in the daytime,

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not when you are in bed.

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If an electrical outage or other emergency begins

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in the night, there is nobody coming to assist you.

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You can't go get to warmer clothes,

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medicines, food, or water.

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You are stuck without help until someone can come by.

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Not only that, but in Texas, there is 150,000 person

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waiting list to receive attendant services,

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which takes you well into adulthood before receiving them.

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So if you think it's okay to take power away

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from a person like me, who cannot care for myself,

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it's actually rather serious, not nearly as serious

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as those who will stop breathing if they lose electricity,

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but it's still very serious.

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I was lucky in this past storm

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because my parents are still alive.

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Their average age is over 70.

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Some people without relatives had nobody to rescue them.

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So when their phones or other communication devices

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ran down and their chairs stopped, they became stuck,

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and one person that I know of died from this.

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These people without family need

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to be considered as serious.

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During Uri, we were also without water for four days.

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To summarize, we need a process where the power companies

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will differentiate which addresses seriously

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need electricity and to always keep

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their electricity turned on.

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I've been told that the technology already exists

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to do this, so please make a policy to serve

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these addresses during outages.

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Thank you for your time today.

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May I answer any questions?

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<v ->No, thank you.</v>

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Thank you for your testimony, Ms. Litzinger.

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<v Amy>Do you need copies?</v>

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<v Matt>Will we need a copy?</v>

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<v David>Sure, yeah, Matt can,</v>

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Matt can take one for you.

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Thank you.

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<v Amy>Just slide it in the back.</v>

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<v Matt>Just in the backpack?</v>

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<v Amy>Yeah.</v>

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Thank you.

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<v ->The next person signed up to speak is Linda Litzinger.</v>

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<v ->Thank you.</v>

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Can you hear me double masked, or should I take it off?

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<v Matt>It's a health issue, so it's your decision.</v>

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<v David>And I hate to tell anyone to take them off.</v>

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<v ->All right, sorry for the position here.</v>

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Good morning. Thank you for allowing me to speak today.

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My name is Linda Litzinger and I'm

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with Texas Parent to Parent.

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We are a Statewide cross-disability nonprofit

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serving 14,000 families across Texas, many who have children

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born with significant disability

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or special healthcare needs.

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One is coming, who is just now parking.

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Today, I'd like to talk about fragile children and adults.

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They're born to families anywhere in Texas,

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both metro and rural.

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Sometimes a family will have more than one child

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who was born to be medically complex.

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One family I know has adopted four children

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who are complex and critical.

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Sometimes one child in a family is in the hospital

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accompanied by one parent, and the other parent

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is caring for the remaining children at home.

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Imagine multiple children at an address vying for

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the last of the stored power when every child living there

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is labeled with a hospital level of care.

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Parents become well-versed in treatments,

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the necessary machinery, the ups and downs

00:18:31.830 --> 00:18:33.860
of their child's care.

00:18:33.860 --> 00:18:37.027
They see a fine line between when things are humming along

00:18:37.027 --> 00:18:40.493
versus situations that are quite frightening.

00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:44.170
This could easily be triggered by an inability

00:18:44.170 --> 00:18:47.128
to provide a ventilator, to be able to suction,

00:18:47.128 --> 00:18:50.544
or to keep someone cool in the summertime

00:18:50.544 --> 00:18:53.825
to prevent continuous seizures.

00:18:53.825 --> 00:18:58.350
Losing that balance, mixed with terrible weather,

00:18:58.350 --> 00:18:59.823
could be life-threatening.

00:19:00.890 --> 00:19:04.510
Imagine realizing that your child cannot breathe

00:19:04.510 --> 00:19:08.632
in your home, the ERs are too filled with COVID

00:19:08.632 --> 00:19:13.182
for your child to be near them, so you set out for a hotel

00:19:13.182 --> 00:19:17.420
that you've prepaid for, found that they have electricity

00:19:17.420 --> 00:19:22.330
and prepaid, thinking one tank of gas would concurrently

00:19:22.330 --> 00:19:25.277
keep your child breathing, keep your phone charged,

00:19:25.277 --> 00:19:29.195
and get you there, but the traffic becomes so slow

00:19:29.195 --> 00:19:32.321
that the gas pumps are inoperable,

00:19:32.321 --> 00:19:35.910
and the gas pumps are inoperable, so that

00:19:35.910 --> 00:19:38.300
you're continuously Googling the nearest hospital

00:19:38.300 --> 00:19:41.760
and gauging if you have enough gas to reach it.

00:19:41.760 --> 00:19:44.770
Suddenly things are just as scary as remaining

00:19:44.770 --> 00:19:46.913
in your home was, if not more.

00:19:47.800 --> 00:19:50.505
In the last few decades, it has become more prevalent

00:19:50.505 --> 00:19:54.410
that people of any age live at home while using,

00:19:54.410 --> 00:19:56.560
while being this complex.

00:19:56.560 --> 00:19:58.750
So here's our recommendation.

00:19:58.750 --> 00:20:00.626
A household with a critical need

00:20:00.626 --> 00:20:05.626
for uninterrupted electricity knows who they are.

00:20:06.590 --> 00:20:08.210
Please believe them and provide them

00:20:08.210 --> 00:20:11.110
with uninterrupted power, even when the rest

00:20:11.110 --> 00:20:12.940
of the neighborhood is dark.

00:20:12.940 --> 00:20:15.123
Thank you, may I answer any questions?

00:20:16.870 --> 00:20:18.940
Do you want a copy of this, David?

00:20:18.940 --> 00:20:21.130
<v David>Sure, if you'll, Matt.</v>

00:20:21.130 --> 00:20:22.040
Matt will come get one for you.

00:20:22.040 --> 00:20:24.320
<v ->Okay, Matt, do you need one or two?</v>

00:20:24.320 --> 00:20:26.099
<v Matt>One should be good, thank you.</v>

00:20:26.099 --> 00:20:26.932
<v ->Okay.</v>

00:20:32.410 --> 00:20:35.710
<v ->Is there anyone else in person who would like</v>

00:20:35.710 --> 00:20:37.100
to provide testimony who is not

00:20:37.100 --> 00:20:39.073
on the signup sheet I have here?

00:20:40.828 --> 00:20:43.530
<v Linda>When that family gets inside, they can.</v>

00:20:43.530 --> 00:20:46.140
<v ->If people come after the phone testimony,</v>

00:20:46.140 --> 00:20:48.363
they can, they can join.

00:20:51.544 --> 00:20:53.620
(paper rustling)

00:20:53.620 --> 00:20:55.293
Yeah, take the list.

00:20:59.182 --> 00:21:00.265
Ellen Bowman.

00:21:02.468 --> 00:21:03.635
<v Ellen>Yes.</v>

00:21:15.007 --> 00:21:15.840
Any place?

00:21:15.840 --> 00:21:17.607
<v ->Wherever you're comfortable.</v>

00:21:23.470 --> 00:21:24.683
<v ->Good morning.</v>

00:21:24.683 --> 00:21:25.900
My name is Ellen Bowman.

00:21:25.900 --> 00:21:28.940
I live in Joshua, Texas.

00:21:28.940 --> 00:21:33.850
I am here representing The Arc of Dallas-Fort Worth area.

00:21:33.850 --> 00:21:38.650
I'm also the grandmother of a 29 1/2 year old young woman

00:21:38.650 --> 00:21:42.174
who does live with me, and I'm her primary caregiver.

00:21:42.174 --> 00:21:46.150
She has, she was born with a condition

00:21:46.150 --> 00:21:48.585
called Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome.

00:21:48.585 --> 00:21:51.490
At that time, there were only 100 cases of it known

00:21:51.490 --> 00:21:55.665
in the United States, and so I don't find many people

00:21:55.665 --> 00:21:58.930
who know what that is, so quick history.

00:21:58.930 --> 00:22:01.530
She has IDD.

00:22:01.530 --> 00:22:06.530
She has also autism and a few other things.

00:22:07.210 --> 00:22:11.600
She's legally blind in one eye.

00:22:11.600 --> 00:22:14.963
So she requires around the clock care.

00:22:17.327 --> 00:22:22.327
The, when Uri happened and I'm sorry, I'm out of breath.

00:22:22.970 --> 00:22:24.760
I've just hiked about three blocks.

00:22:24.760 --> 00:22:25.813
<v David>That's okay.</v>

00:22:26.754 --> 00:22:31.754
<v ->But we were fortunate in that we did not lose electricity.</v>

00:22:32.930 --> 00:22:35.010
Our provider is Reliant and of course

00:22:35.010 --> 00:22:39.236
they're the retailer for TXU in our area.

00:22:39.236 --> 00:22:44.236
The disaster that happened at our house was due to the power

00:22:46.290 --> 00:22:50.330
of being shut off to the water companies that provide water

00:22:50.330 --> 00:22:54.010
for all the residents and businesses in the city of Joshua

00:22:54.010 --> 00:22:59.010
and in Godley, another small town just south of Fort Worth,

00:22:59.067 --> 00:23:02.253
we were without water for eight days.

00:23:04.120 --> 00:23:09.120
Kayla's care requires a minimum of two baths a day.

00:23:09.580 --> 00:23:12.159
She's not an individual who has mastered

00:23:12.159 --> 00:23:14.820
a use of the toilet yet.

00:23:14.820 --> 00:23:19.150
Her primary functions happen in the bathtub.

00:23:19.150 --> 00:23:23.770
So fortunately we have a big support group,

00:23:23.770 --> 00:23:26.130
family, friends network.

00:23:26.130 --> 00:23:27.730
Many of them have trucks.

00:23:27.730 --> 00:23:31.040
So every day somebody managed to get out on the ice

00:23:31.040 --> 00:23:33.483
and bring us a lot of water.

00:23:34.830 --> 00:23:36.910
Five gallon buckets, coolers,

00:23:36.910 --> 00:23:38.910
whatever they could bring water in,

00:23:38.910 --> 00:23:41.899
and because we did have electricity, I was still able

00:23:41.899 --> 00:23:45.260
to heat water on the stove in large pots

00:23:45.260 --> 00:23:47.740
and fill up the bathtub a few times a day

00:23:47.740 --> 00:23:52.400
and keep her hygiene as normal as possible,

00:23:52.400 --> 00:23:56.573
and then keep our environment as clean as possible as well.

00:23:57.670 --> 00:23:59.150
Because she lives with me and I'm there

00:23:59.150 --> 00:24:03.040
as her support person, it was okay with her,

00:24:03.040 --> 00:24:04.922
but there were other people that I'm sure

00:24:04.922 --> 00:24:08.510
who did not have that type of support, and they're the ones

00:24:08.510 --> 00:24:13.510
I'm speaking for today primarily, because in addition

00:24:14.470 --> 00:24:19.070
to needing some means of communication and access to people

00:24:19.070 --> 00:24:21.710
with disabilities because of their loss of power

00:24:21.710 --> 00:24:25.140
and their need for it for their DMEs,

00:24:25.140 --> 00:24:28.214
we also have people with other issues such as Kayla's

00:24:28.214 --> 00:24:32.700
and that issue, that hygiene issue all also comes

00:24:32.700 --> 00:24:37.700
with behavior issues when those needs are not met in a way

00:24:38.040 --> 00:24:40.826
that she's familiar with and comfortable with.

00:24:40.826 --> 00:24:43.900
So not only do we need to try to make sure

00:24:43.900 --> 00:24:48.640
that those people have electricity, we've got to make sure

00:24:48.640 --> 00:24:51.610
that the water company still has electricity so that

00:24:51.610 --> 00:24:56.230
they can provide for basic human needs and just having

00:24:56.230 --> 00:24:58.682
the availability of running water.

00:24:58.682 --> 00:25:03.682
That's basically, I'm sure everybody else has addressed

00:25:03.800 --> 00:25:06.720
the need for electricity, but when we,

00:25:06.720 --> 00:25:10.110
we need to be inclusive of the other utilities

00:25:10.110 --> 00:25:12.400
that are dependent on electricity too to support

00:25:12.400 --> 00:25:14.870
this population, and I appreciate you

00:25:14.870 --> 00:25:16.690
hearing me this morning.

00:25:16.690 --> 00:25:18.983
<v David>Thank you for making the trek out here.</v>

00:25:25.320 --> 00:25:27.770
Is there anyone else in person who would like to,

00:25:31.260 --> 00:25:33.645
was that a wave of interest?

00:25:33.645 --> 00:25:35.218
<v Attendee>No, I was waving to Ellen.</v>

00:25:35.218 --> 00:25:36.487
<v ->Oh, okay.</v>

00:25:36.487 --> 00:25:37.830
Not all about me, I get it.

00:25:37.830 --> 00:25:38.900
(crowd laughing)

00:25:38.900 --> 00:25:42.720
Okay, if there's no one else in person, I guess,

00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:44.220
do we have anyone on the line?

00:25:48.770 --> 00:25:50.760
<v Operator>Thank you, ladies and gentlemen on the line.</v>

00:25:50.760 --> 00:25:52.780
If you would like to make a public comment,

00:25:52.780 --> 00:25:55.663
please press one, then zero at this time.

00:26:01.680 --> 00:26:04.020
Our first public comment is from Rachel Lau.

00:26:04.020 --> 00:26:05.093
Please go ahead.

00:26:06.490 --> 00:26:07.470
<v Rachel>Good morning.</v>

00:26:07.470 --> 00:26:08.810
My name is Rachel Lau.

00:26:08.810 --> 00:26:12.040
I'm a staff attorney at the Medical Legal Partnership

00:26:12.040 --> 00:26:13.848
at Texas Legal Services Centers.

00:26:13.848 --> 00:26:16.830
We work in tandem with People's Community Clinic

00:26:16.830 --> 00:26:19.130
and Texas Health Action, two clinics

00:26:19.130 --> 00:26:21.700
serving the central Texas area.

00:26:21.700 --> 00:26:24.560
The communities we serve are historically underrepresented

00:26:24.560 --> 00:26:26.890
and particularly vulnerable to disparities

00:26:26.890 --> 00:26:28.403
in utilities and housing.

00:26:29.640 --> 00:26:31.830
Historically and particularly in Austin,

00:26:31.830 --> 00:26:34.210
the law has been used to create inequity

00:26:34.210 --> 00:26:37.810
in a way that affects health, utilities, and housing,

00:26:37.810 --> 00:26:40.370
our key social determinants of health that affect

00:26:40.370 --> 00:26:42.960
a wide range of health, functioning,

00:26:42.960 --> 00:26:45.343
and quality of life, outcomes, and risks.

00:26:46.250 --> 00:26:49.330
As early as the Reconstruction era, Austin has used

00:26:49.330 --> 00:26:52.720
city planning, including utility restrictions,

00:26:52.720 --> 00:26:55.830
to actually further residential segregation.

00:26:55.830 --> 00:26:58.300
The state needs to recognize how law has been used

00:26:58.300 --> 00:27:01.070
to create inequity in a way that affects health

00:27:01.070 --> 00:27:03.920
and the state should strive to include health

00:27:03.920 --> 00:27:08.060
in all policies, a collaborative approach to integrate

00:27:08.060 --> 00:27:11.453
and articulate health considerations into policy making.

00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:16.910
One of the main issues is current utilities regulation,

00:27:16.910 --> 00:27:19.967
prioritizes circuits with hospitals on them,

00:27:19.967 --> 00:27:23.510
and that means that historically oppressed populations

00:27:23.510 --> 00:27:27.810
are primed for disparate impact in a weather crisis.

00:27:27.810 --> 00:27:30.720
So while it's reasonable that blackouts are based

00:27:30.720 --> 00:27:34.171
on the infrastructure of each circuit, the prioritization

00:27:34.171 --> 00:27:37.830
of electricity relies on the geography of a hospital system,

00:27:37.830 --> 00:27:40.283
which is steeped in racial politics.

00:27:41.190 --> 00:27:43.333
This means that even though the electricity outages

00:27:43.333 --> 00:27:46.340
and rolling blackouts during the winter storm

00:27:46.340 --> 00:27:50.480
were fairly based on the infrastructure on each circuit,

00:27:50.480 --> 00:27:53.330
the prioritization of electricity relied again

00:27:53.330 --> 00:27:56.810
on the hospital system steeped in racial politics,

00:27:56.810 --> 00:27:59.750
and this system itself was built on segregation

00:27:59.750 --> 00:28:01.843
enforced by race-based utility access.

00:28:02.860 --> 00:28:06.020
So specifically we're proposing that the state adopt

00:28:06.020 --> 00:28:09.196
health and all policies, again, a collaborative approach

00:28:09.196 --> 00:28:12.520
that integrates and articulates health consideration

00:28:12.520 --> 00:28:15.720
in policymaking, and while natural disasters

00:28:15.720 --> 00:28:19.870
may be unavoidable, the state's current and future response

00:28:19.870 --> 00:28:23.210
should be structured to proactively review connections

00:28:23.210 --> 00:28:26.620
to pass state action and to ensure health is considered

00:28:26.620 --> 00:28:30.220
and incorporated into policymaking to improve the lives

00:28:30.220 --> 00:28:31.990
of all communities and people.

00:28:31.990 --> 00:28:33.503
Thank you for your time today.

00:28:34.500 --> 00:28:36.400
<v David>Thank you for your comments.</v>

00:28:39.750 --> 00:28:42.390
<v Operator>Our next public comment is from Laura Taylor.</v>

00:28:42.390 --> 00:28:43.383
Please go ahead.

00:28:54.410 --> 00:28:56.420
<v Laura>Can you all hear me?</v>

00:28:56.420 --> 00:28:57.470
<v David>Yes, ma'am.</v>

00:28:58.370 --> 00:28:59.240
<v Laura>Okay.</v>

00:28:59.240 --> 00:29:01.575
My name is Laura Taylor from Katy, Texas.

00:29:01.575 --> 00:29:04.280
I'm a customer of Centerpoint Energy

00:29:04.280 --> 00:29:07.470
and my retail electric provider is Sparks.

00:29:07.470 --> 00:29:10.307
I serve as a council member of the Texas Council

00:29:10.307 --> 00:29:13.246
for Developmental Disabilities and am a member

00:29:13.246 --> 00:29:17.070
of the Durable Medical Equipment task force.

00:29:17.070 --> 00:29:20.216
I am the mother and primary caregiver of a 40 year old

00:29:20.216 --> 00:29:23.580
severely disabled and medically fragile daughter

00:29:23.580 --> 00:29:28.220
who is listed on your critical care residential care status

00:29:28.220 --> 00:29:32.908
and is on the state of Texas emergency assistance registry.

00:29:32.908 --> 00:29:35.764
I am asking you to make a plan to be able to meet

00:29:35.764 --> 00:29:39.310
the power needs of families like mine who depend

00:29:39.310 --> 00:29:43.920
on electricity to sustain life as clearly this did not exist

00:29:43.920 --> 00:29:47.650
during winter storm Uri and many lives were lost.

00:29:47.650 --> 00:29:49.890
The rule under consideration should include

00:29:49.890 --> 00:29:53.240
a required section specifically devoted

00:29:53.240 --> 00:29:56.062
to emergency assistance to residential customers

00:29:56.062 --> 00:29:58.493
medically dependent on electricity.

00:29:59.800 --> 00:30:03.323
My daughter Julie has a life-threatening seizure condition

00:30:03.323 --> 00:30:07.780
which is exacerbated by extreme temperature changes.

00:30:07.780 --> 00:30:09.136
Because she has had asthma

00:30:09.136 --> 00:30:12.288
and has had pneumonia multiple times,

00:30:12.288 --> 00:30:16.310
she is on a full regimen of breathing treatments.

00:30:16.310 --> 00:30:19.280
Multiple times a day, we use a nebulizer

00:30:19.280 --> 00:30:23.020
to dispense medication, a cough assist machine,

00:30:23.020 --> 00:30:26.840
which is similar to a BiPap, a suction machine

00:30:26.840 --> 00:30:31.790
to constantly clear her airway, and an oxygen concentrator.

00:30:31.790 --> 00:30:33.670
She's fed through a feeding tube.

00:30:33.670 --> 00:30:38.480
She is non-ambulatory and she requires 24/7 care.

00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:39.930
During the winter storm Uri,

00:30:39.930 --> 00:30:43.330
we were without power for 52 hours.

00:30:43.330 --> 00:30:45.580
This resulted in a pipe bursting

00:30:45.580 --> 00:30:47.950
in Julie's handicapped bathroom.

00:30:47.950 --> 00:30:51.683
So we were without water in the entire house for five days.

00:30:52.690 --> 00:30:56.010
She was unable to be in her accessible bedroom or bathroom

00:30:56.010 --> 00:30:59.323
for over a month while repairs were being made.

00:31:00.370 --> 00:31:03.730
I cannot begin to express in words the terror that

00:31:03.730 --> 00:31:06.293
we experienced because of the lack of power.

00:31:07.290 --> 00:31:10.400
During those 52 hours, we were frantically trying

00:31:10.400 --> 00:31:13.530
to keep Julie warm and perform her breathing treatments

00:31:13.530 --> 00:31:14.763
the best that we could.

00:31:16.060 --> 00:31:18.940
Two of her breathing machines have car chargers,

00:31:18.940 --> 00:31:23.110
but the charge was simply not the same as being plugged in,

00:31:23.110 --> 00:31:26.600
and having my 67 year old husband going back and forth

00:31:26.600 --> 00:31:29.280
over icy sidewalks in the middle of the night

00:31:29.280 --> 00:31:33.603
created another level of trauma.

00:31:34.690 --> 00:31:37.330
We were in constant fear that those machines

00:31:37.330 --> 00:31:40.540
would stop working all together and leave us stranded.

00:31:40.540 --> 00:31:42.920
Keep in mind that we were in the middle of the pandemic

00:31:42.920 --> 00:31:44.970
and all of the roads were icy.

00:31:44.970 --> 00:31:49.200
Most of the hospitals were flooded with dialysis patients

00:31:49.200 --> 00:31:52.373
and the few hotels that had power were already filled.

00:31:53.220 --> 00:31:55.835
I did call 211 and the Centerpoint emergency line,

00:31:55.835 --> 00:31:59.233
but was told there was nothing that they could do.

00:32:00.220 --> 00:32:03.550
Again, I am asking that the rule under consideration

00:32:03.550 --> 00:32:07.162
include a required section specifically devoted

00:32:07.162 --> 00:32:11.340
to providing emergency assistance to residential customers

00:32:11.340 --> 00:32:14.345
who are medically dependent on electricity.

00:32:14.345 --> 00:32:16.790
This is simply a matter of life and death.

00:32:16.790 --> 00:32:19.480
Thank you for your time and your consideration.

00:32:19.480 --> 00:32:20.480
<v David>Thank you.</v>

00:32:23.700 --> 00:32:25.930
<v Operator>Our next public comment is Adrian Trigg.</v>

00:32:25.930 --> 00:32:26.823
Please go ahead.

00:32:32.900 --> 00:32:33.733
<v Adrian>Hello, yes.</v>

00:32:33.733 --> 00:32:36.847
My name is Adrian Trigg and I am in Austin, Texas.

00:32:36.847 --> 00:32:39.836
I am testifying on behalf of

00:32:39.836 --> 00:32:44.440
Texas Medical Equipment Providers and for myself

00:32:44.440 --> 00:32:47.240
as a parent to a medically fragile child.

00:32:47.240 --> 00:32:51.262
I just want to concur in support the initial comment

00:32:51.262 --> 00:32:54.950
of Texas Legal Services Center and Disability Rights

00:32:54.950 --> 00:32:57.250
that was filed for rulemaking

00:32:57.250 --> 00:33:01.400
on January 4th of 2020 in their recommendation,

00:33:01.400 --> 00:33:04.034
Texas Medical Equipment Providers support,

00:33:04.034 --> 00:33:08.530
and as we are the boots on the ground

00:33:08.530 --> 00:33:11.731
during these emergencies and we are the ones that provide

00:33:11.731 --> 00:33:16.731
and support these electrical devices and services

00:33:17.430 --> 00:33:22.030
and equipment beyond the electrical equipment,

00:33:22.030 --> 00:33:24.700
we would be the ones that we would hope to work together

00:33:24.700 --> 00:33:28.550
with the utilities Commission, any of the first responders,

00:33:28.550 --> 00:33:30.270
or the emergency management groups.

00:33:30.270 --> 00:33:33.392
So we want to offer those services on behalf of

00:33:33.392 --> 00:33:36.720
the durable medical equipment providers.

00:33:36.720 --> 00:33:38.850
My story is personal as well.

00:33:38.850 --> 00:33:40.240
I am in Austin.

00:33:40.240 --> 00:33:44.910
I use the Austin Utilities and while I had power,

00:33:44.910 --> 00:33:47.810
we did run out of water for five days

00:33:47.810 --> 00:33:52.810
for my medically dependent child that requires 24 hours care

00:33:53.150 --> 00:33:56.641
in hospital level of care, and while we were without water,

00:33:56.641 --> 00:34:01.000
I happened to collect rain water and have other sources

00:34:01.000 --> 00:34:06.000
of water that I had to boil as he is paralyzed completely

00:34:07.330 --> 00:34:12.330
in his mobility for digestion and for any of

00:34:12.370 --> 00:34:15.280
his gastrointestinal tract is paralyzed.

00:34:15.280 --> 00:34:19.750
That requires he has fresh clean water every day

00:34:19.750 --> 00:34:24.750
to force mobility in his system, so we had

00:34:25.400 --> 00:34:28.171
to boil his water every day.

00:34:28.171 --> 00:34:33.171
It was an all day process to just keep him at baseline,

00:34:33.530 --> 00:34:34.590
to keep him healthy.

00:34:34.590 --> 00:34:38.900
We were without his medically compounded

00:34:38.900 --> 00:34:41.341
pharmacy medicine that's delivered weekly,

00:34:41.341 --> 00:34:45.710
so we had ran out of that because we didn't have any way

00:34:45.710 --> 00:34:47.780
to get that delivered to us.

00:34:47.780 --> 00:34:50.192
While we had power, we did have to rely on propane

00:34:50.192 --> 00:34:55.130
to boil his water and to get that clean.

00:34:55.130 --> 00:34:58.790
So there was not anyone that had reached out to us

00:34:58.790 --> 00:35:03.091
other than our DME and our pharmacy that could not reach us,

00:35:03.091 --> 00:35:06.900
but we do hope that the comments made

00:35:06.900 --> 00:35:10.230
by Texas Legal Services and the Governor's Council

00:35:10.230 --> 00:35:14.780
be strongly considered as those recommendations

00:35:14.780 --> 00:35:16.060
that we do support.

00:35:16.060 --> 00:35:17.908
So that's all for my testimony.

00:35:17.908 --> 00:35:18.871
Thank you.

00:35:18.871 --> 00:35:20.538
<v David>Thank you.</v>

00:35:22.820 --> 00:35:27.186
<v Operator>Our next public comment comes from Mark Gowen.</v>

00:35:27.186 --> 00:35:28.363
Please go ahead.

00:35:30.190 --> 00:35:32.190
<v Mark>Yes, hi, thank you.</v>

00:35:32.190 --> 00:35:36.103
This is Mark Gowen, born and raised and live in Katy, Texas.

00:35:37.076 --> 00:35:39.997
I'm a customer of Reliant Energy.

00:35:39.997 --> 00:35:44.997
I'm also CFO of Angel Medical Supply.

00:35:45.850 --> 00:35:47.907
We're a provider of respiratory equipment,

00:35:47.907 --> 00:35:50.650
specializing in ventilators and oxygen.

00:35:50.650 --> 00:35:53.430
I'm treasurer of Texas Medical

00:35:53.430 --> 00:35:56.547
Equipment Providers, or TexMEP.

00:35:56.547 --> 00:35:59.291
We're the non-profit state association

00:35:59.291 --> 00:36:01.213
that operates in Texas.

00:36:02.830 --> 00:36:05.550
I'm also here in support of the comments filed by

00:36:05.550 --> 00:36:07.870
the Texas Legal Services Center regarding

00:36:07.870 --> 00:36:10.023
the emergency operations plans rule.

00:36:11.140 --> 00:36:16.140
Like Adrian just said, the DME providers,

00:36:17.300 --> 00:36:21.370
we are the boots on the ground prior to the storms,

00:36:21.370 --> 00:36:24.570
during the storms, and even after the storms.

00:36:24.570 --> 00:36:29.570
The DME companies are not only expected, we're not asked,

00:36:29.860 --> 00:36:32.529
but we're expected to provide the extra equipment,

00:36:32.529 --> 00:36:36.770
extra supplies, extra batteries, and many cases,

00:36:36.770 --> 00:36:41.770
all of the new equipment and all of this extra supplies,

00:36:42.210 --> 00:36:44.830
and I'm putting quotes up, all of this

00:36:44.830 --> 00:36:48.383
is applied for free because Medicare and Medicaid

00:36:48.383 --> 00:36:50.663
does not reimburse for this stuff.

00:36:51.729 --> 00:36:55.088
I submitted a written testimony the other day,

00:36:55.088 --> 00:36:57.720
and I know it was past the deadline, but I hope

00:36:57.720 --> 00:37:00.850
the Commission will accept it because there

00:37:00.850 --> 00:37:05.390
was a little bit of confusion, plus 75% of my staff,

00:37:05.390 --> 00:37:07.217
including myself, have COVID.

00:37:07.217 --> 00:37:11.960
So I hope you guys will accept it and read it.

00:37:11.960 --> 00:37:15.950
It kind of summarizes what my company went through

00:37:15.950 --> 00:37:19.607
during the freeze and many other companies went through.

00:37:19.607 --> 00:37:24.607
We had many patients that we went above and beyond

00:37:26.054 --> 00:37:29.032
delivering free equipment, free batteries,

00:37:29.032 --> 00:37:30.973
free backup batteries.

00:37:33.119 --> 00:37:37.652
We all did, I mean, I know Angel Medical provided

00:37:37.652 --> 00:37:41.680
over 36 free backup batteries

00:37:41.680 --> 00:37:44.295
for ventilators, oxygen concentrators.

00:37:44.295 --> 00:37:46.620
I know Adrian's company, Apple,

00:37:46.620 --> 00:37:48.883
provided free concentrators, cylinders.

00:37:50.100 --> 00:37:53.011
We all did this out of the goodness of our heart

00:37:53.011 --> 00:37:55.588
because we care about our patients

00:37:55.588 --> 00:38:00.265
and all of this done without being reimbursed.

00:38:00.265 --> 00:38:05.265
So we're asking the Utility Commission,

00:38:05.440 --> 00:38:09.740
and I know we've addressed the need for electricity.

00:38:09.740 --> 00:38:12.850
With Carol, Linda, and Ellen we've addressed

00:38:12.850 --> 00:38:16.850
the needs for electricity, but we haven't addressed the need

00:38:16.850 --> 00:38:19.150
for backup power, which I think some of

00:38:19.150 --> 00:38:23.510
the comments have addressed, and we all know Texas

00:38:23.510 --> 00:38:25.940
can do better protecting the lives

00:38:25.940 --> 00:38:28.220
of our medical fragile children,

00:38:28.220 --> 00:38:30.063
and the backup power will help this.

00:38:31.000 --> 00:38:35.850
So I think the filing with the PUC is a good start,

00:38:35.850 --> 00:38:37.500
and those are my comments.

00:38:37.500 --> 00:38:39.100
Thank you.

00:38:39.100 --> 00:38:41.105
<v David>Thank you, sir, and staff will of course</v>

00:38:41.105 --> 00:38:42.913
read your written comments as well.

00:38:44.160 --> 00:38:45.360
<v Mark>Thank you, sir.</v>

00:38:51.510 --> 00:38:53.710
<v Operator>Our next public comment is Stephanie Duke.</v>

00:38:53.710 --> 00:38:54.653
Please go ahead.

00:38:57.370 --> 00:38:58.990
<v Stephanie>Hello, can you hear me?</v>

00:38:58.990 --> 00:39:00.890
<v David>Yes, ma'am, loud and clear.</v>

00:39:00.890 --> 00:39:01.850
<v Stephanie>All right, hi.</v>

00:39:01.850 --> 00:39:04.100
My name is Stephanie Duke and I'm an attorney

00:39:04.100 --> 00:39:05.833
with Disability Rights Texas.

00:39:06.690 --> 00:39:08.863
I'm also working with the DME Power Dependent task force

00:39:08.863 --> 00:39:11.400
that has been mentioned.

00:39:11.400 --> 00:39:14.300
In conjunction with written comments that we filed

00:39:14.300 --> 00:39:16.322
with the Legal Service Center, I am here today

00:39:16.322 --> 00:39:21.098
to highlight the obligation to account the needs and risks

00:39:21.098 --> 00:39:24.970
of the disability community in disasters and emergency.

00:39:24.970 --> 00:39:28.390
These proposed rules relevant to emergency operations plans

00:39:28.390 --> 00:39:31.473
provides a continued opportunity to protect lives

00:39:31.473 --> 00:39:34.970
and ensure continuity of adequate electric service

00:39:34.970 --> 00:39:36.900
in response to the emergency.

00:39:36.900 --> 00:39:40.570
However, to protect each life, specifically

00:39:40.570 --> 00:39:43.130
our most vulnerable, their needs and risks

00:39:43.130 --> 00:39:46.697
must be identified, acknowledged and prioritized.

00:39:46.697 --> 00:39:48.749
Every disaster emergency is unique

00:39:48.749 --> 00:39:50.870
to an individual and family.

00:39:50.870 --> 00:39:53.750
However, their experiences confirm that without

00:39:53.750 --> 00:39:57.250
inclusive planning in blue sky or steady-state time,

00:39:57.250 --> 00:40:00.320
our most vulnerable continue to suffer the consequences

00:40:00.320 --> 00:40:03.960
because there is denied or unreasonably delayed access

00:40:03.960 --> 00:40:06.190
to services and supports.

00:40:06.190 --> 00:40:08.810
Every disaster emergency, whether nationally declared

00:40:08.810 --> 00:40:12.400
or not, impacts the environment and community differently,

00:40:12.400 --> 00:40:15.520
not because each disaster emergency discriminates

00:40:15.520 --> 00:40:17.990
against individuals in a community, but rather how

00:40:17.990 --> 00:40:20.653
the community is set up to respond to such events.

00:40:21.500 --> 00:40:24.430
Disasters or the events themselves do not discriminate.

00:40:24.430 --> 00:40:26.010
The event merely exacerbates

00:40:26.010 --> 00:40:28.300
inequalities which already exist.

00:40:28.300 --> 00:40:30.250
Failure to integrate the needs

00:40:30.250 --> 00:40:32.953
of individuals with disabilities into emergency planning

00:40:32.953 --> 00:40:37.560
or inclusively plans denies them equitable recovery

00:40:37.560 --> 00:40:39.930
and even the opportunity to build resiliency

00:40:39.930 --> 00:40:42.980
in preparing for such events, and inclusive planning

00:40:42.980 --> 00:40:46.910
means planning beforehand with the appropriate people

00:40:46.910 --> 00:40:50.408
or entities at the table to discuss, collaborate,

00:40:50.408 --> 00:40:54.150
and identify the needs so inclusive planning mitigates

00:40:54.150 --> 00:40:56.918
the harm and is how equitable opportunities in

00:40:56.918 --> 00:40:59.803
disaster emergency response are found.

00:41:00.780 --> 00:41:03.370
Utility has provided critical community life plan

00:41:03.370 --> 00:41:06.384
as one component of a multifaceted complex discipline

00:41:06.384 --> 00:41:09.210
within emergency management.

00:41:09.210 --> 00:41:11.180
The proposed rule is being discussed today

00:41:11.180 --> 00:41:13.760
and developing an sustaining emergency operation plan

00:41:13.760 --> 00:41:16.690
for an all hazards approach are essential

00:41:16.690 --> 00:41:19.070
because they outline operational questions

00:41:19.070 --> 00:41:22.750
from a variety of incidents, yet without acknowledging

00:41:22.750 --> 00:41:25.210
and identifying the risks for the most vulnerable people

00:41:25.210 --> 00:41:27.847
you serve during these types of incidents,

00:41:27.847 --> 00:41:30.170
operational plans will fail to provide

00:41:30.170 --> 00:41:32.160
to the entire community.

00:41:32.160 --> 00:41:34.163
Utility providers play a crucial role in helping us

00:41:34.163 --> 00:41:37.170
provide a coordinated response for their communities

00:41:37.170 --> 00:41:39.110
in their greatest time of need.

00:41:39.110 --> 00:41:41.749
Thus, the emergency operation plans and utility providers

00:41:41.749 --> 00:41:44.460
in conjunction with how they will maintain

00:41:44.460 --> 00:41:47.412
a continuity of operations, but also address the steps

00:41:47.412 --> 00:41:50.756
that utility providers will take to manage the impact

00:41:50.756 --> 00:41:54.300
that has sustained losses are likely

00:41:54.300 --> 00:41:56.450
to trigger within our community.

00:41:56.450 --> 00:41:58.970
The proposed rules mention critical customers,

00:41:58.970 --> 00:42:01.790
but there's no delineation to those integrated

00:42:01.790 --> 00:42:04.110
into the community or those registered

00:42:04.110 --> 00:42:06.140
as a residential critical care

00:42:06.140 --> 00:42:09.570
or chronic condition customer, nor do the proposed rules

00:42:09.570 --> 00:42:12.800
address how wellness checks will occur for those identified

00:42:12.800 --> 00:42:16.403
as medically fragile during a sustained power outage.

00:42:16.403 --> 00:42:18.620
Continuity of power for those that rely on equipment

00:42:18.620 --> 00:42:22.610
for life-sustaining measures is just that, life and death.

00:42:22.610 --> 00:42:24.950
Continuity of power and plan for accessing

00:42:24.950 --> 00:42:28.760
alternative power sources also safeguard individuals

00:42:28.760 --> 00:42:30.323
integrated into the community

00:42:30.323 --> 00:42:33.973
from unnecessarily institutionalization,

00:42:33.973 --> 00:42:37.380
thus the importance and reliance of this critical lifeline

00:42:37.380 --> 00:42:40.770
for those that are power dependent must be acknowledged.

00:42:40.770 --> 00:42:42.280
When the infrastructure is destroyed

00:42:42.280 --> 00:42:46.030
or services are uncertain, a collaborative, inclusive

00:42:46.030 --> 00:42:48.586
planning process can ensure the whole community

00:42:48.586 --> 00:42:51.850
has planned for and will subsequently support

00:42:51.850 --> 00:42:54.150
a disaster survivors recovery.

00:42:54.150 --> 00:42:56.670
Today the Commission has an opportunity to take steps

00:42:56.670 --> 00:42:59.000
in the right direction and acknowledge the role

00:42:59.000 --> 00:43:02.100
of utility providers both as an entity themselves

00:43:02.100 --> 00:43:04.134
that provides a critical community lifeline

00:43:04.134 --> 00:43:08.611
as well as the utilities' provider role among other entities

00:43:08.611 --> 00:43:12.230
involved in staff response and recovery measures.

00:43:12.230 --> 00:43:15.140
Inclusive planning in blue sky or steady-state times

00:43:15.140 --> 00:43:17.880
is necessary to identify the needs and prepare

00:43:17.880 --> 00:43:22.010
a full community response, and each emergency operation plan

00:43:22.010 --> 00:43:24.713
must recognize and afford this opportunity.

00:43:24.713 --> 00:43:26.420
Thank you.

00:43:26.420 --> 00:43:27.420
<v David>Thank you.</v>

00:43:30.230 --> 00:43:32.180
<v Operator>Is there any additional public comment,</v>

00:43:32.180 --> 00:43:34.313
please press one zero at this time.

00:43:41.510 --> 00:43:43.453
Laura Lehman, please go ahead.

00:43:45.052 --> 00:43:46.473
<v Laura>Hi, thank you for taking my call.</v>

00:43:46.473 --> 00:43:50.253
I don't have anything prepared as well as others.

00:43:51.120 --> 00:43:53.495
I just heard the last speaker and I can echo

00:43:53.495 --> 00:43:57.090
what I just heard from her.

00:43:57.090 --> 00:43:59.529
I am a parent of a child who is

00:43:59.529 --> 00:44:02.520
medically complex and disabled.

00:44:02.520 --> 00:44:07.520
My son requires 24/7 nursing care, oxygen 24/7.

00:44:08.092 --> 00:44:13.092
He uses various medical equipment.

00:44:14.040 --> 00:44:18.780
He requires three times a day nebulizer treatments.

00:44:18.780 --> 00:44:22.500
He has a PICC line, meaning that he gets

00:44:22.500 --> 00:44:24.803
all of his nutrition through his arm,

00:44:25.640 --> 00:44:28.363
no longer can sustain anything in his guts

00:44:28.363 --> 00:44:33.363
and he also has, which requires him to have pumps in order

00:44:37.090 --> 00:44:38.883
to get his TPN and lipids.

00:44:40.200 --> 00:44:45.200
Our experience last winter was not as dire as the majority

00:44:46.400 --> 00:44:49.486
of people who live a similar lifestyle as us,

00:44:49.486 --> 00:44:54.486
but we were only, we only lost power for a couple hours.

00:44:55.910 --> 00:45:00.910
However, in the couple hours, it was extremely dramatic here

00:45:04.750 --> 00:45:08.290
where we were trying to figure out if we had enough

00:45:08.290 --> 00:45:10.911
oxygen tanks for him to maintain,

00:45:10.911 --> 00:45:13.960
how we were going to hook all of his equipment up.

00:45:13.960 --> 00:45:17.200
I mean, he has a pulse oximeter, he has cough assist.

00:45:17.200 --> 00:45:20.357
He has a chest percussion machine

00:45:20.357 --> 00:45:23.280
and I'm just walking through the house,

00:45:23.280 --> 00:45:24.503
looking at all his things.

00:45:24.503 --> 00:45:27.730
All of those things, we kept trying to figure out how,

00:45:27.730 --> 00:45:30.033
what we could power off of our car,

00:45:30.033 --> 00:45:34.020
which was pretty ridiculous, and I figured out that we had,

00:45:34.020 --> 00:45:36.450
you know, a certain number of hours of oxygen

00:45:36.450 --> 00:45:39.190
available to us, but what would we do after that?

00:45:39.190 --> 00:45:42.280
Taking him into a hospital or sorry, a hotel room,

00:45:42.280 --> 00:45:44.359
which some folks were doing around us

00:45:44.359 --> 00:45:49.292
in the north Texas area, where it was hit pretty hard

00:45:49.292 --> 00:45:52.613
with power outages for a very long period of time,

00:45:52.613 --> 00:45:56.568
we could not just do that.

00:45:56.568 --> 00:46:01.080
Also, given COVID, that's a whole 'nother issue,

00:46:01.080 --> 00:46:06.080
but getting him to a hospital was another concern of ours.

00:46:06.171 --> 00:46:10.758
I will say that since that time, it,

00:46:10.758 --> 00:46:15.758
I went through the process of getting him a generator.

00:46:16.640 --> 00:46:18.997
However, to get everything approved through Medicaid

00:46:18.997 --> 00:46:20.990
and get estimates and so forth,

00:46:20.990 --> 00:46:23.124
that took an eight month process.

00:46:23.124 --> 00:46:26.230
It should not take that long, but it did,

00:46:26.230 --> 00:46:29.780
and I'm thinking that if power is going to be an issue

00:46:29.780 --> 00:46:32.031
coming up soon for a lot of people who live

00:46:32.031 --> 00:46:35.679
the same lifestyle as us, as I mentioned,

00:46:35.679 --> 00:46:38.890
getting a generator is difficult, just getting through

00:46:38.890 --> 00:46:41.050
the process and probably a number of people

00:46:41.050 --> 00:46:44.840
don't even realize that they can try to get access to that.

00:46:44.840 --> 00:46:48.800
So power is important of course, for everyone,

00:46:48.800 --> 00:46:52.423
but having a child who is 16 years old, medically complex,

00:46:52.423 --> 00:46:56.460
it's even more important so that we can make sure

00:46:56.460 --> 00:46:59.140
that he can continue breathing.

00:46:59.140 --> 00:47:02.220
It is seriously a matter of life and death.

00:47:02.220 --> 00:47:04.830
Thank you so much for taking my call.

00:47:04.830 --> 00:47:05.830
<v David>Thank you.</v>

00:47:08.550 --> 00:47:10.820
<v Operator>Public comment from Greta James.</v>

00:47:10.820 --> 00:47:11.923
Please go ahead.

00:47:15.653 --> 00:47:18.649
<v Greta>Hello, my name is Greta.</v>

00:47:18.649 --> 00:47:22.910
<v David>Ms. James, could you speak up please?</v>

00:47:22.910 --> 00:47:24.137
We're having a difficult time hearing you.

00:47:26.570 --> 00:47:27.673
<v Greta>Can you hear me?</v>

00:47:29.750 --> 00:47:30.900
<v David>I'll try and.</v>

00:47:33.890 --> 00:47:35.240
Let's try it one more time.

00:47:37.503 --> 00:47:38.803
<v Greta>Can you hear me.</v>

00:47:40.560 --> 00:47:42.710
<v David>Yes, I can hear you a little bit.</v>

00:47:45.070 --> 00:47:45.903
<v Greta>Oh really, okay.</v>

00:47:45.903 --> 00:47:47.430
Let me turn up my volume.

00:47:47.430 --> 00:47:48.700
Hi, my name is Greta.

00:47:48.700 --> 00:47:49.533
Can you hear me?

00:47:49.533 --> 00:47:50.366
Is that better?

00:47:52.280 --> 00:47:53.113
<v David>Let me see if I can,</v>

00:47:53.113 --> 00:47:55.203
let me see if I can do something on our end.

00:47:56.390 --> 00:47:57.223
Okay, try again.

00:47:59.250 --> 00:48:01.540
<v Greta>Hi, this is Greta.</v>

00:48:01.540 --> 00:48:02.750
Can you hear me well?

00:48:02.750 --> 00:48:04.950
<v David>Perfect.</v>

00:48:04.950 --> 00:48:06.113
<v Greta>Oh, good, okay.</v>

00:48:06.113 --> 00:48:11.113
Hi, I live here in the Austin area, right here in the middle

00:48:11.830 --> 00:48:16.830
of the city, and I have a son who is now 22 years old

00:48:17.096 --> 00:48:20.398
and he has autism and I realize it is not what

00:48:20.398 --> 00:48:25.280
we generally think of as a medically fragile situation

00:48:25.280 --> 00:48:28.616
or one that is dependent on electricity.

00:48:28.616 --> 00:48:32.010
Maybe many people would think that from the outside,

00:48:32.010 --> 00:48:36.833
but many families that have children or adults with autism

00:48:37.670 --> 00:48:41.810
or other behaviorally manifested conditions.

00:48:41.810 --> 00:48:44.206
We all know that some of the routines that we set

00:48:44.206 --> 00:48:47.352
can be very important.

00:48:47.352 --> 00:48:49.490
There are hygiene concerns.

00:48:49.490 --> 00:48:53.287
Earlier, a grandma talked about those hygiene concerns

00:48:53.287 --> 00:48:58.287
and just the calming, the being able to play a game

00:49:00.240 --> 00:49:04.500
or watch a movie or take a bath,

00:49:04.500 --> 00:49:07.800
all of those things can be extremely helpful

00:49:07.800 --> 00:49:12.800
under the conditions that we saw during the storm.

00:49:13.735 --> 00:49:18.190
I have an elderly husband that actually had to go out

00:49:18.190 --> 00:49:21.290
and forage for wood in our neighborhood,

00:49:21.290 --> 00:49:24.340
looking for anything that we could burn,

00:49:24.340 --> 00:49:28.950
and of course, you know, fire burns things very quickly,

00:49:28.950 --> 00:49:33.950
and so my elderly husband, he's over 70 years old,

00:49:34.300 --> 00:49:38.810
was out there, you know, just every day looking

00:49:38.810 --> 00:49:43.810
for more fuel, and, you know, I shudder to think

00:49:44.181 --> 00:49:47.680
if I were a single parent, a widowed parent,

00:49:47.680 --> 00:49:51.860
how me and my son would have gotten through that storm,

00:49:51.860 --> 00:49:56.860
and the fact that, you know, my son stayed relatively calm

00:49:59.050 --> 00:50:02.900
was a small miracle, but I don't, it's not something

00:50:02.900 --> 00:50:07.410
that I think that we could count on in the future,

00:50:07.410 --> 00:50:11.830
and I just, I know that story turned out differently

00:50:11.830 --> 00:50:16.630
for many parents and families that kind of fit

00:50:16.630 --> 00:50:20.890
our description and have a similar set of circumstances.

00:50:20.890 --> 00:50:25.890
So thank you for listening to me and I hope that the rules

00:50:26.789 --> 00:50:28.730
are adopted particularly for

00:50:28.730 --> 00:50:32.550
our medically fragile population, but also please

00:50:32.550 --> 00:50:36.162
don't forget about all of the other types of complications

00:50:36.162 --> 00:50:39.530
that people like my son could have,

00:50:39.530 --> 00:50:42.729
and they are truly could be life-threatening.

00:50:42.729 --> 00:50:46.870
You know, our kids are fragile too.

00:50:46.870 --> 00:50:48.280
Thank you.

00:50:48.280 --> 00:50:49.280
<v David>Thank you.</v>

00:50:51.560 --> 00:50:53.189
<v Operator>If there any additional public comment,</v>

00:50:53.189 --> 00:50:56.243
please press one and zero at this time,

00:51:02.520 --> 00:51:04.370
There are no further public comments.

00:51:06.410 --> 00:51:08.870
<v David>Thank you, and I believe we've have</v>

00:51:09.860 --> 00:51:11.630
at least one additional person who would like

00:51:11.630 --> 00:51:14.985
to provide in-person comment.

00:51:14.985 --> 00:51:18.173
I presume, Mrs. Doggett, Miss Doggett.

00:51:27.810 --> 00:51:30.980
Any chair with a microphone will.

00:51:30.980 --> 00:51:31.879
<v Valerie>Say what?</v>

00:51:31.879 --> 00:51:32.784
<v ->I said any chair with a microphone,</v>

00:51:32.784 --> 00:51:34.250
wherever you're comfortable.

00:51:34.250 --> 00:51:35.800
<v ->Hello, I'm Valerie Doggett,</v>

00:51:35.800 --> 00:51:37.380
and this is my daughter Alison.

00:51:37.380 --> 00:51:40.700
She's 20 years old and has bilateral periventricular

00:51:40.700 --> 00:51:44.807
nodular heterotopia, microcephaly with simplified gyri,

00:51:44.807 --> 00:51:49.258
lissencephaly, seizure disorder, asthma, renal nephrasia,

00:51:49.258 --> 00:51:51.653
tracheomalacia, and broncheomalacia.

00:51:52.660 --> 00:51:56.380
Alison is on a ventilator, O2, a suction machine,

00:51:56.380 --> 00:52:00.935
a vest machine, a cough assist, nebulizer, hospital bed,

00:52:00.935 --> 00:52:03.600
along with other supplies and equipment.

00:52:03.600 --> 00:52:07.540
The first day of the storm, our electric flickered and,

00:52:07.540 --> 00:52:08.710
it flickered on and off.

00:52:08.710 --> 00:52:10.650
It would be on for an hour and then be off

00:52:10.650 --> 00:52:12.180
for two or three hours.

00:52:12.180 --> 00:52:14.657
During this time, we had all of our equipment plugged in.

00:52:14.657 --> 00:52:17.177
Because the weather changed, Alison needed 24 hour

00:52:17.177 --> 00:52:22.094
vent support as well as 24 hour oxygen and 24 hour nursing.

00:52:22.094 --> 00:52:26.644
We were kept, keeping her warm by using multiple blankets.

00:52:26.644 --> 00:52:30.010
On the second day, our power went out and stayed out.

00:52:30.010 --> 00:52:31.600
We didn't panic at first.

00:52:31.600 --> 00:52:34.810
After four hours with no power, our house was freezing.

00:52:34.810 --> 00:52:36.609
We couldn't read her O2 sensors.

00:52:36.609 --> 00:52:39.950
Suction machine was dying and vent was on the backup battery

00:52:39.950 --> 00:52:41.770
that wouldn't last much longer.

00:52:41.770 --> 00:52:44.235
We called all over San Antonio for a hotel,

00:52:44.235 --> 00:52:47.390
but they either didn't have power or were sold out.

00:52:47.390 --> 00:52:50.603
The nearest hotel with a room was in College Station.

00:52:52.150 --> 00:52:54.465
We had no choice, we had to take it.

00:52:54.465 --> 00:52:56.470
Her batteries were almost dead.

00:52:56.470 --> 00:52:58.210
Luckily for us, some of her equipment

00:52:58.210 --> 00:53:00.060
could be charged in my car.

00:53:00.060 --> 00:53:03.970
We tried to get to College Station, but as I got to Austin,

00:53:03.970 --> 00:53:05.880
I-35 got shut down.

00:53:05.880 --> 00:53:08.640
We had to turn around to head back to San Antonio.

00:53:08.640 --> 00:53:11.460
We got stuck on I-35 for over eight hours.

00:53:11.460 --> 00:53:13.110
Cars were wrecking all over the place,

00:53:13.110 --> 00:53:15.800
semi trucks were jackknifed right in front of us.

00:53:15.800 --> 00:53:17.610
We were worried about getting hit.

00:53:17.610 --> 00:53:19.840
We had oxygen tanks in our car.

00:53:19.840 --> 00:53:22.110
We were fortunate that we had a full tank of gas

00:53:22.110 --> 00:53:24.170
so we could stay warm at least.

00:53:24.170 --> 00:53:25.870
After eight hours, we started to move

00:53:25.870 --> 00:53:29.100
because the sun came out and TxDOT workers were helping.

00:53:29.100 --> 00:53:30.733
We were in contact with her nurses.

00:53:30.733 --> 00:53:33.760
One of her nurses had power and said we could come over.

00:53:33.760 --> 00:53:35.700
My daughter and I went to her house

00:53:35.700 --> 00:53:37.330
and my husband went to our home.

00:53:37.330 --> 00:53:39.500
He slept under several blankets.

00:53:39.500 --> 00:53:41.835
I called again to find a room here in San Antonio,

00:53:41.835 --> 00:53:45.180
I was able to locate one and the hotel charge

00:53:45.180 --> 00:53:47.510
had been double the rate because of the weather.

00:53:47.510 --> 00:53:50.050
Taking Alison to an ER was not an option.

00:53:50.050 --> 00:53:51.790
COVID would be life-threatening

00:53:51.790 --> 00:53:55.170
to Alison with her condition.

00:53:55.170 --> 00:53:57.690
We're trying to keep her from crowds of people.

00:53:57.690 --> 00:53:59.520
We would have to sit in a waiting room,

00:53:59.520 --> 00:54:01.940
which would not be beneficial.

00:54:01.940 --> 00:54:04.170
We stayed in the hotel for three days.

00:54:04.170 --> 00:54:07.042
We never received a text, email, or call from CPS

00:54:07.042 --> 00:54:09.191
letting us know the power was restored.

00:54:09.191 --> 00:54:12.451
We had to pay over $150 a day for a hotel.

00:54:12.451 --> 00:54:15.130
We were also charged for the hotel in College Station,

00:54:15.130 --> 00:54:16.840
even though we never made it.

00:54:16.840 --> 00:54:18.830
With Alison's medical issues, she can not

00:54:18.830 --> 00:54:20.444
regulate her body temperature.

00:54:20.444 --> 00:54:23.220
We keep our house at 70 all year round.

00:54:23.220 --> 00:54:25.770
If power goes out in the summer, we have to use

00:54:25.770 --> 00:54:28.510
cooling vests and ice packs to keep her cool.

00:54:28.510 --> 00:54:32.980
This is just not conducive for an extended period of time.

00:54:32.980 --> 00:54:36.200
In the summer, her bills run around $400 to $600 a month

00:54:36.200 --> 00:54:37.730
from July to October.

00:54:37.730 --> 00:54:39.587
There's been several summers that I've had to pay

00:54:39.587 --> 00:54:43.030
the higher than normal bills over several months.

00:54:43.030 --> 00:54:45.960
We need to get a generator, but they are expensive.

00:54:45.960 --> 00:54:49.240
We are on the state program, but it only covers so much.

00:54:49.240 --> 00:54:52.104
How do we choose between meds, therapy, supplies,

00:54:52.104 --> 00:54:54.230
or getting a generator?

00:54:54.230 --> 00:54:57.150
We're at a loss, no matter what we do.

00:54:57.150 --> 00:55:00.280
Thank you for letting me share my story with you.

00:55:00.280 --> 00:55:01.763
<v David>Thank you for sharing.</v>

00:55:08.898 --> 00:55:10.840
Is there anyone else present or on the line

00:55:10.840 --> 00:55:13.663
who would like to provide testimony on this rulemaking?

00:55:20.260 --> 00:55:22.010
<v Operator>If you'd like further public comment</v>

00:55:22.010 --> 00:55:24.203
on the phone, please press one and zero.

00:55:32.780 --> 00:55:35.320
There are no further public comments on the line.

00:55:35.320 --> 00:55:36.153
<v ->Thank you.</v>

00:55:37.780 --> 00:55:39.610
I want to thank everyone for coming out today.

00:55:39.610 --> 00:55:42.460
You know, I've worked at the Commission for almost a decade,

00:55:42.460 --> 00:55:44.490
and this is my first time sitting behind the dais

00:55:44.490 --> 00:55:46.680
and it's an honor to do it on an issue that's so

00:55:46.680 --> 00:55:49.080
critically important to so many people.

00:55:49.080 --> 00:55:51.480
Commission staff and the Commissioners who are watching

00:55:51.480 --> 00:55:53.620
do take this seriously.

00:55:53.620 --> 00:55:55.710
The broad, video broadcast today is available

00:55:55.710 --> 00:55:59.650
on Texasadmin.org for anyone who wants to go

00:55:59.650 --> 00:56:02.640
watch the playback, and as I said, all of the comments today

00:56:02.640 --> 00:56:04.800
will be considered along with the written comments

00:56:04.800 --> 00:56:07.720
that were filed in this docket and summarized

00:56:07.720 --> 00:56:11.720
and responded to upon adoption of the final rule,

00:56:11.720 --> 00:56:14.930
and I'll also note that this is, you know, but one rule

00:56:14.930 --> 00:56:17.035
in a larger rule-making effort.

00:56:17.035 --> 00:56:19.160
We've worked on, I think probably about over

00:56:19.160 --> 00:56:20.960
half a dozen rules already that we've adopted

00:56:20.960 --> 00:56:25.090
trying to improve the post-Uri situation,

00:56:25.090 --> 00:56:27.510
and we have half a dozen or a dozen more.

00:56:27.510 --> 00:56:31.860
So everything from weatherization to load shed,

00:56:31.860 --> 00:56:34.610
to critical load designations, customer protections,

00:56:34.610 --> 00:56:35.810
emergency operation plans.

00:56:35.810 --> 00:56:39.150
We are, as a Commission, we're taking these things

00:56:39.150 --> 00:56:40.920
as serious as possible, and I want to thank you guys

00:56:40.920 --> 00:56:43.123
for sharing some of your personal stories.

00:56:44.070 --> 00:56:47.450
I think that helps clarify the stakes

00:56:47.450 --> 00:56:51.640
and sort of keeps your eye on the ball about why

00:56:51.640 --> 00:56:54.340
we need to get this stuff right, and so I thank you

00:56:54.340 --> 00:56:55.450
for the concrete suggestions.

00:56:55.450 --> 00:56:59.760
Thank you for the stories, and I thank you for coming today.

00:56:59.760 --> 00:57:02.560
If there's, yes.

00:57:02.560 --> 00:57:05.374
<v Carol>Yeah, David, I have a question.</v>

00:57:05.374 --> 00:57:06.821
I'll come up here to the table to ask it,

00:57:06.821 --> 00:57:07.900
make sure everything's on the record.

00:57:07.900 --> 00:57:08.733
<v ->Sure.</v>

00:57:09.750 --> 00:57:12.330
<v Carol>You mentioned that there were several rulemakings</v>

00:57:12.330 --> 00:57:15.720
that would take place and I think that for this group

00:57:15.720 --> 00:57:19.260
and for myself, I could use a little clarification.

00:57:19.260 --> 00:57:23.840
I more or less look at this rulemaking as the outline

00:57:23.840 --> 00:57:27.898
for a plan and sort of like establishing,

00:57:27.898 --> 00:57:31.770
we would like to trying to establish a placeholder

00:57:31.770 --> 00:57:35.730
for these kinds of issues and that actual standards

00:57:35.730 --> 00:57:39.810
would be set up in, I think it's 51888.

00:57:39.810 --> 00:57:44.810
Is that a correct, is my picture of this correct or?

00:57:45.610 --> 00:57:48.570
<v ->So we, you know, we have</v>

00:57:48.570 --> 00:57:49.930
differing responsibilities as staff.

00:57:49.930 --> 00:57:53.450
So I'll say that I, we'll be working on 51888,

00:57:53.450 --> 00:57:58.450
and so that will likely incorporate topics

00:57:58.930 --> 00:58:02.068
of all the different types of critical load and, you know,

00:58:02.068 --> 00:58:03.230
we're still mapping this stuff out as we go,

00:58:03.230 --> 00:58:05.180
but, you know, different types of critical load

00:58:05.180 --> 00:58:07.010
and different types of load shed that are done

00:58:07.010 --> 00:58:10.750
by the utilities, so that's one component,

00:58:10.750 --> 00:58:13.110
and I know that several of the people that testified today

00:58:13.110 --> 00:58:16.910
were interested in subjects such as the order

00:58:16.910 --> 00:58:21.860
in which the utilities cut power or whether or not

00:58:21.860 --> 00:58:24.700
they go feeder by feeder or home by home, et cetera.

00:58:24.700 --> 00:58:29.210
Those topics will, it could be covered in both.

00:58:29.210 --> 00:58:32.510
I think, Barksdale, do you have any

00:58:32.510 --> 00:58:34.500
additional comments on like the scope of this rulemaking

00:58:34.500 --> 00:58:36.463
as currently conceived by staff?

00:58:39.070 --> 00:58:40.770
<v ->Thanks for your question, Carol.</v>

00:58:41.960 --> 00:58:44.850
So I think you're right to consider that

00:58:44.850 --> 00:58:47.720
the emergency operations plan rulemaking

00:58:47.720 --> 00:58:50.950
is about identifying those things that we expect

00:58:50.950 --> 00:58:54.000
the utilities to be thinking about in

00:58:54.000 --> 00:58:55.990
their unique service territories

00:58:55.990 --> 00:58:58.033
with their unique customer bases.

00:58:59.030 --> 00:59:04.020
It would be probably a Herculean task to try to identify

00:59:04.020 --> 00:59:07.590
the specific steps that each of those entities have to take,

00:59:07.590 --> 00:59:11.200
and probably that kind of regulation wouldn't get it right

00:59:11.200 --> 00:59:12.940
and if we were to get it right once,

00:59:12.940 --> 00:59:16.080
we probably wouldn't be right again in the future

00:59:16.080 --> 00:59:18.923
as technologies change and needs changes.

00:59:20.740 --> 00:59:25.740
So the suggestions about, how are utilities thinking

00:59:27.520 --> 00:59:30.320
about working with community partners to make sure

00:59:30.320 --> 00:59:34.070
that the most vulnerable of our population are being

00:59:36.470 --> 00:59:40.540
considered and attended to during these emergencies,

00:59:40.540 --> 00:59:45.530
I think those are very compelling requests

00:59:45.530 --> 00:59:50.530
for this rulemaking to describe specific actions

00:59:51.580 --> 00:59:54.520
that any utility has to take, and when I say utility,

00:59:54.520 --> 00:59:57.760
I mean, TDUs, reps, muni's, co-ops,

00:59:57.760 --> 00:59:59.820
you know, the whole gamut.

00:59:59.820 --> 01:00:01.700
I don't know if that's appropriate here or not.

01:00:01.700 --> 01:00:04.883
It's something that the project team will have to consider.

01:00:07.295 --> 01:00:08.880
<v ->And so, yeah, that's why I wanted to clarify</v>

01:00:08.880 --> 01:00:09.713
that we've got a whole.

01:00:09.713 --> 01:00:11.340
<v Carol>Still clear as mud, I'm sorry.</v>

01:00:11.340 --> 01:00:13.664
<v ->No, you're right, and you know, this is a,</v>

01:00:13.664 --> 01:00:15.470
it's a complicated puzzle of different roles

01:00:15.470 --> 01:00:17.630
that we're trying to figure out how to make them

01:00:17.630 --> 01:00:21.260
all connect properly, and we'll continue to consider.

01:00:21.260 --> 01:00:24.650
If we have to consider these issues with each rulemaking,

01:00:24.650 --> 01:00:26.900
we're happy to do it and, you know, staff will make

01:00:26.900 --> 01:00:28.660
its recommendation and ultimately it's up to

01:00:28.660 --> 01:00:31.310
the Commissioners to decide, so to a certain extent,

01:00:31.310 --> 01:00:34.160
everything Barksdale and I say is tentative at best,

01:00:34.160 --> 01:00:37.850
but we're trying to address as many applicable issues

01:00:37.850 --> 01:00:40.470
with each rule as we can.

01:00:40.470 --> 01:00:43.390
<v Carol>All right, and then the, this was a proposal</v>

01:00:43.390 --> 01:00:47.530
for publication and it's a term that

01:00:47.530 --> 01:00:50.590
I've never seen used before.

01:00:50.590 --> 01:00:53.050
Usually it's, you know, a proposed rule

01:00:53.050 --> 01:00:57.470
or a proposal for adoption, and so I'm a little bit confused

01:00:57.470 --> 01:01:00.490
because there was no, there were no reply comments

01:01:00.490 --> 01:01:05.490
that were suggested in the publication so.

01:01:05.710 --> 01:01:06.570
<v ->So that's correct.</v>

01:01:06.570 --> 01:01:11.383
The term proposal for publication is sort of a nomenclature

01:01:12.430 --> 01:01:16.260
that our particular agency uses that legally is fulfilling

01:01:16.260 --> 01:01:18.950
the requirement under the APA to provide a notice

01:01:18.950 --> 01:01:21.410
of proposed rule changes, and so that's why there

01:01:21.410 --> 01:01:23.170
was a red line of the rule, or in this case,

01:01:23.170 --> 01:01:26.370
it was a repeal and replace, and the,

01:01:26.370 --> 01:01:28.330
it's up to the discretion of each agency

01:01:28.330 --> 01:01:29.920
whether or not to request reply comments.

01:01:29.920 --> 01:01:33.180
I think we have statutory deadlines with regards

01:01:33.180 --> 01:01:36.240
to reports on emergency operation plans

01:01:36.240 --> 01:01:38.970
that we had to sort of work backwards from

01:01:38.970 --> 01:01:40.060
to establish a timeline.

01:01:40.060 --> 01:01:44.190
So in this instance, we, there was not time

01:01:44.190 --> 01:01:46.610
to allow for sufficient reply comments, but, you know,

01:01:46.610 --> 01:01:49.240
the hearing was sort of an opportunity for,

01:01:49.240 --> 01:01:50.500
to respond to the written comments,

01:01:50.500 --> 01:01:53.790
and so, as Barksdale said, we have, you know,

01:01:53.790 --> 01:01:57.570
this is probably phase one of this rule where we might,

01:01:57.570 --> 01:01:59.810
you know, we'll return to these rules if we need to

01:01:59.810 --> 01:02:00.643
to get them right.

01:02:00.643 --> 01:02:04.130
We're just, we have robust statutory deadlines across

01:02:04.130 --> 01:02:07.150
a whole number of things that we're working towards,

01:02:07.150 --> 01:02:09.550
and so this is, we're trying to provide as much process

01:02:09.550 --> 01:02:11.210
with each rule making as we can.

01:02:11.210 --> 01:02:12.043
<v Carol>Okay, thank you.</v>

01:02:12.043 --> 01:02:15.090
I just want to make sure that I'm not missing anything

01:02:15.090 --> 01:02:17.710
because I know that procedures are important

01:02:17.710 --> 01:02:21.380
in these matters and like I said,

01:02:21.380 --> 01:02:24.530
the terminology was something that I wasn't familiar with.

01:02:24.530 --> 01:02:27.010
I Googled it a number of times and I looked for it

01:02:27.010 --> 01:02:29.740
and I couldn't figure out the, you know, what it was.

01:02:29.740 --> 01:02:31.200
So thank you for explaining that.

01:02:31.200 --> 01:02:32.840
<v ->Sure, and for any who are interested,</v>

01:02:32.840 --> 01:02:36.900
I think that the PUC's website on the bottom left-hand side,

01:02:36.900 --> 01:02:38.520
there's a rulemaking process.

01:02:38.520 --> 01:02:40.250
So it's like rulemaking process overview,

01:02:40.250 --> 01:02:44.860
and that link sort of goes to a concise one-pager

01:02:44.860 --> 01:02:47.930
that will show how we define our process

01:02:47.930 --> 01:02:50.410
and where you see the terms are and how to proceed.

01:02:50.410 --> 01:02:51.960
So if that's helpful to know.

01:02:51.960 --> 01:02:54.300
Also as the director of rules, Carol,

01:02:54.300 --> 01:02:55.133
you know how to get a hold of me,

01:02:55.133 --> 01:02:58.730
but anyone you can reach out.

01:02:58.730 --> 01:03:03.190
David.smelzer@puc.Texas.gov or our contact information

01:03:03.190 --> 01:03:07.710
is on the website, and people will know how to find me

01:03:07.710 --> 01:03:08.910
or any of the project team members.

01:03:08.910 --> 01:03:13.120
So if you have questions, keep calling us

01:03:13.120 --> 01:03:15.463
and we will get them answered.

01:03:17.890 --> 01:03:20.670
Are there any other questions or comments or ways

01:03:20.670 --> 01:03:22.683
in which we may be of service today?

01:03:26.000 --> 01:03:28.410
All right, with that, I want to thank everyone again

01:03:28.410 --> 01:03:32.117
for coming, and I've never been responsible for

01:03:32.117 --> 01:03:34.617
a AT&amp;T line before, so I don't know if we need to,

01:03:37.760 --> 01:03:39.913
if the op is, is the operator still on?

01:03:40.760 --> 01:03:42.420
<v Operator>I'm here, yes.</v>

01:03:42.420 --> 01:03:44.600
I can close out the call, thank you.

01:03:44.600 --> 01:03:47.403
<v ->Thank you, thank you for your assistance today.</v>

01:03:48.600 --> 01:03:50.080
<v Operator>Oh, you're welcome.</v>

01:03:50.080 --> 01:03:50.913
Ladies and gentlemen,

01:03:50.913 --> 01:03:53.130
that does conclude your conference for today.

01:03:53.130 --> 01:03:55.270
Thank you for your participation and for using

01:03:55.270 --> 01:03:57.820
AT&amp;T event conferencing service.

01:03:57.820 --> 01:03:59.203
You may now disconnect,

01:04:08.460 --> 01:04:10.180
and we're now in a separate host line

01:04:10.180 --> 01:04:12.113
if you had any questions for me.