Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2148 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	By: Hall, Creighton S.B. No. 2148
2		-	West
3		-
4		-
	1	+	By: Hall S.B. No. 2148
	2	+	(In the Senate - Filed March 10, 2025; March 24, 2025, read
	3	+	first time and referred to Committee on Business & Commerce;
	4	+	April 7, 2025, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 11,
	5	+	Nays 0; April 7, 2025, sent to printer.)
	6	+	Click here to see the committee vote
5	7
6	8
7	9		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	10		AN ACT
9	11		relating to the reliability of the electricity supply chain.
10	12		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	13		SECTION 1. Section 38.077, Utilities Code, is amended to
12	14		read as follows:
13	15		Sec. 38.077. RELIABILITY [LOAD SHEDDING] EXERCISES. (a)
14	16		In this section, "critical facility" means a transmission
15	17		substation and any associated control centers that, if rendered
16	18		inoperable or damaged because of a physical attack, could cause
17	19		widespread instability, uncontrolled separation, or cascading
18	20		outages within an interconnection.
19	21		(b) The commission and the independent organization
20	22		certified for the ERCOT power region under Section 39.151 shall
21	23		conduct simulated or tabletop load shedding exercises with
22	24		providers of electric generation service and transmission and
23	25		distribution service in the ERCOT power region.
24	26		[(b)] The commission shall ensure that each year at least
25	27		one simulated or tabletop load shedding exercise is conducted
26	28		during a summer month and one simulated or tabletop load shedding
27	29		exercise is conducted during a winter month.
28	30		(c) The commission and the independent organization
29	31		certified for the ERCOT power region under Section 39.151 shall
30	32		conduct simulated or tabletop exercises with providers of electric
31	33		generation service and transmission and distribution service in the
32	34		ERCOT power region to mitigate and prepare for a threat of an attack
33	35		or an actual physical attack on a critical facility. The exercises
34	36		required by this subsection are in addition to the exercises
35	37		required by Subsection (b) and any requirements of the North
36	38		American Electric Reliability Corporation Critical Infrastructure
37	39		Protection plan standards. The commission and the independent
38	40		organization shall conduct the exercises under this subsection at
39	41		least once every two years.
40	42		(d) A simulated or tabletop exercise conducted under
41	43		Subsection (c) must identify the roles and responsibilities of the
42	44		following in the event of a threat of an attack or an actual
43	45		physical attack on a critical facility:
44	46		(1) transmission and distribution service providers;
45	47		(2) providers of electric generation service;
46	48		(3) law enforcement;
47	49		(4) the independent organization certified for the
48	50		ERCOT power region under Section 39.151; and
49	51		(5) the commission.
50	52		(e) A transmission and distribution service provider is not
51	53		required to disclose the specific location of the provider's
52	54		critical substations to the commission or the independent
53	55		organization certified for the ERCOT power region under Section
54	56		39.151 for the purposes of a simulated or tabletop exercise
55	57		conducted under Subsection (c).
56	58		(f) Each provider of electric generation service and of
57	59		transmission and distribution service that participates in a
58	60		simulated or tabletop exercise conducted under Subsection (c) shall
59	61		provide to the independent organization certified for the ERCOT
60	62		power region under Section 39.151 a written attestation that the
61	63		provider has coordinated with law enforcement when identifying
62	64		roles and responsibilities under Subsection (d).
63	65		SECTION 2. Not later than December 31, 2026, the Public
64	66		Utility Commission of Texas and the independent organization
65	67		certified under Section 39.151, Utilities Code, for the ERCOT power
66	68		region shall conduct a simulated or tabletop exercise with each
67	69		provider of electric generation service and of transmission and
68	70		distribution service as required by Section 38.077(c), Utilities
69	71		Code, as added by this Act.
70	72		SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
71	73		a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
72	74		provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
73	75		Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
74	76		Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
	77	+	* * * * *