The wholesale electricity market in Texas is different than anywhere else in the country, and this contributed to and further complicated the effects of February’s massive winter storms that shut off power across the state, leaving than 4 million residents without power for days as temperatures plummeted to deadly single digits.

In response, state legislators and local officials are discussing possible oversight and increased regulations to ensure a failure of this magnitude never occurs again. This conversation is occurring against the backdrop of increased support from consumers to keep energy costs low and the state’s energy market competitive.