Overview

DeAnn Walker served as Chair of the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) during Winter Storm Uri in February 2021, the deadliest infrastructure failure in modern Texas history. As the state's top electricity regulator, Walker bore direct responsibility for overseeing the Texas power market and protecting consumers. During the crisis, she ordered that the wholesale electricity price cap be maintained at $9,000 per megawatt-hour; the maximum allowed under PUCT rules; even after the grid had begun to stabilize. This decision resulted in an estimated $16 billion in excess charges to Texas consumers, utilities, and electric cooperatives. While 4.5 million households were without power in sub-zero temperatures and hundreds of Texans were dying from hypothermia and carbon monoxide poisoning, the artificially inflated prices created enormous windfall profits for power generators and energy traders. Walker resigned from the PUCT in March 2021 amid intense public backlash, but no criminal charges were ever filed against her. Prior to her appointment to the PUCT by Governor Greg Abbott in 2017, Walker worked as his policy director, raising questions about the independence of the regulatory appointment. Her tenure exemplifies the revolving door between Texas state government and the energy industry it purports to regulate.

Key Affiliations

Controversies & Concerns

Related Investigations (1)

Known Associates & Connections

Sources & Documentation

3 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports