A new poll by the Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas shows that the February power failures have prompted Texans to lose “confidence that the state’s electricity grid can withstand heat waves and spiking demand this summer.”
The article goes on to say that “Only 39% say they trust the grid to deliver power without blackouts this summer.”
Pollster Mark Owens says calls by Texas officials for people to lower their thermostats when electric plants go offline for maintenance have increased skepticism about the grid.
All this is a wakeup call for Texas governor Greg Abbott, who back in February said he would address the problem of the state not having a backup plan if alternative energy wasn’t available. The Morning News poll also says Abbott’s approval rating on the power-outage issue stands at an anemic 47 percent.