Have You Met Texas?
What to know: Officials with ERCOT say they were caught off-guard by high temperatures last week, causing them to ask consumers to lower their power demands.
The TPPF take: It’s going to be a long, hot summer in Texas, and ERCOT is simply unprepared.
“The problem is straightforward, if not simple — reserve margin calculations overestimate performance of wind and solar, which make up a significant and growing chunk of our electric generation,” says TPPF’s Jason Isaac. “Unlike natural gas, clean coal, and nuclear — which produce a near-constant flow of electricity with reliability percentages rarely falling below the mid-90s — wind and solar production fluctuates wildly.”
For more on ERCOT, click here.
Price Transparency
What to know: Most hospitals aren’t complying with federal price transparency rules.
The TPPF take: Price transparency—telling consumers up from what a procedure will cost—is a fundamental start to lowering health care costs.
“The benefits are obvious,” says TPPF’s Kevin Roberts. “If patients know the prices, they can shop for non-emergency services like they do for cars, computers and clothes. Health providers will adjust costs to stay competitive and prices will become stable, affordable and consistent.”
For more on hospital price transparency, click here.
Is That So?
What to know: Elites in New York City and elsewhere say Texas lawmakers only banned the teaching of critical race theory because they don’t understand it.
The TPPF take: Racism is always wrong, especially state-sponsored racism.
“Texas’ Partisanship Out of Civics Act (HB 3979) is landmark civil rights legislation that protects Texas students from partisan indoctrination and state-funded racism, such as Critical Race Theory and so-called Culturally Responsive Teaching,” says TPPF’s Tom Lindsay. “Put simply, the bill reaffirms Texas’ dedication to the 1964 Civil Rights Act by prohibiting racist doctrines in public K-12 teaching.”
For more on critical race theory, click here.