AUSTIN, Texas — A Texas Senate committee is demanding answers from CenterPoint CEO Jason Wells over the company’s preparedness and response to Beryl.
In a special committee hearing on Monday, Wells said the company’s response to Hurricane Beryl was unacceptable and inexcusable, but state officials on Monday wanted to dig further into what the company is doing to prevent such a response in the future.
“Let me get right to the bottom line. Their communication sucks,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said in the hearing. “Enough is enough. It’s time to hold CenterPoint accountable.”
Whitmire was among the officials speaking at Monday’s hearing, criticizing CenterPoint’s actions before, during, and after the storm.
Among the concerns was CenterPoint’s $800 million purchase of large generators that could not be used for Beryl, as well as the deployment of line crews, communications with the public and vegetation management.
“I want to apologize to our customers and their families,” Wells said. “The frustrations they experienced during Hurricane Beryl and the restoration process.”
CenterPoint said it is implementing 40 actions to fix issues for the current hurricane season, as well as for the future.
Senate committee members questioned the company’s decisions and if they were made in order to benefit shareholders and profits. Wells denied that was the case.
Wells was also asked if he thought he should resign, given the backlash to the company. Wells said he would not.
“Those customers want to know we’re making investments, 40 actions to immediately improve resiliency” Wells said. “If I resign today, we lose momentum for the things that will have the best impact for the Houston region.”
Another thing that came up during Monday's hearing -- State Senator Paul Bettencourt from the Houston area called out reporting from Jeremy Rogalski and KHOU 11 Investigates, specifically how much money CenterPoint spends on vegetation management, keeping power lines clear ahead of storms.
The storm damaged power lines and uprooted trees that left millions of people without electricity for days. CenterPoint has defended its storm preparedness and has said that it deployed about 12,000 additional workers to help restore power.
Last Thursday, Wells apologized to customers during a meeting with the Public Utility Commission of Texas in Austin.
Hurricane Beryl is the latest natural disaster to hit Houston after a powerful storm ripped through the area in May and left nearly 1 million people without power. In 2021, Texas’ power grid went out amid a deadly winter storm that left millions across the state freezing in their homes.