AUSTIN, Texas – Gov. Greg Abbott has asked state regulators to investigate Atmos Energy for failing to deliver natural gas to North Texas residents during the recent cold snap.
In letters sent Wednesday, Abbott criticized the energy company’s actions as “unacceptable” and called on Attorney General Ken Paxton and Railroad Commission Chair Christi Craddick to take swift action.
“It is apparent that Atmos Energy acted irresponsibly and was unprepared for the event,” wrote Abbott, a two-term Republican.
Atmos Energy and the offices of Paxton and Craddick did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
An arctic blast swept into Texas last week sending temperatures plummeting below freezing. The cities of Grand Prairie and Arlington opened warming centers when low natural gas pressure left some residents without heat and necessary appliances. On Friday, the city of Grand Prairie said Atmos Energy tankers were injecting gas into the lines, but the network had not yet recovered.
Grand Prairie Mayor Ron Jensen complained to WFAA-TV (Channel 8) that the gas supplier gave him false assurances supplies would be unaffected.
“Atmos had told me — and I told my citizens — no worries,” Jensen said. “Take care of our citizens. Take care of your customers. Do what you say you’re going to do.”
It’s not clear how many Atmos customers were affected or for how long. Also unknown is what exactly caused the problems. The company did not respond to questions sent by email.
Abbott said many Atmos customers in North and Central Texas went without natural gas for an “unacceptable time” and reportedly were unable to reach customer service representatives for help.
“Atmos Energy, like all gas utility providers, has a duty to provide life-critical service to its customers,” he wrote Craddick and Paxton.
During coordination calls with the Texas Energy Reliability Council, Abbott said, Atmos did not “properly communicate the extent of its failure and made no requests for assistance, which is the whole purpose of the council.”
He urged the Railroad Commission, which regulates the state’s oil and gas industry, to take “concrete action” to ensure the issues are not “repeated the next time that winter weather engulfs our state.”
