By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
Sitting outside with the temperature hovering around 74 degrees and the sun playing hide-and-seek with the clouds was pleasant and comforting.
Trying to remember the hot days of summer or the bitter cold of our winter freezes took too much effort on such a beautiful morning.
But the reality is that seasons come and go, and through them all, we depend on a reliable, secure electric grid to keep our homes and businesses comfortable and functioning.
As a reporter on Tuesday, I was enjoying the quiet weather of an October morning at CenterPoint Energy in Houston while listening to U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and others speak about the future of electricity.
Wright announced that an additional $967 million in federal funding would be made available to modernize critical energy infrastructure across the country. Approximately $50 million of the newly announced nationwide funding is allocated to Texas.
The funding, provided through the Department of Energy’s Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grant program, is intended to strengthen America’s power grid, improve reliability and help lower electricity costs.
The money will support locally driven projects across states, territories and tribal communities. These projects are designed to improve system performance, prevent power disruptions and help meet the nation’s growing demand for electricity.
“Lowering costs and unleashing prosperity are top priorities for President Trump,” said Wright. “These commonsense investments provide resources directly to states, territories, and tribes to lower electricity costs and strengthen grid reliability for American businesses and families.”
Wright explained that the Trump administration is working to increase the nation’s electricity supply, which he said will help bring down electricity costs for American families and businesses.
For Texans who have experienced hurricanes, scorching summers and winter freezes, the importance of a dependable electric grid is never far from home.
On that beautiful October morning, it was easy to forget just how much we depend on reliable electricity. But give it a few days. The weather will change, as it always does in Texas, and knowing we can depend on electricity will make whatever comes our way a little easier to endure.
