Texas is supposedly the energy state. Rolling blackouts are a failure of leadership
This is a problem of leadership
What a disgraceful condition our state is in. Texas boasts about being the No. 1 energy-producing state, but it cannot provide reliable and consistent electric power in a storm.
I’m beginning to question the quality and effectiveness of our elected officials at the state and county level. It’s easy to govern when times are good, but when disaster strikes, I see a serious shortfall of leadership in our state.
- Clay Norman, Fort Worth
Not playing smart with power
This cold spell has shown us a lot of the weaknesses of our power system, including natural gas distribution problems, generators being knocked offline and an inability to provide true rolling blackouts.
Why couldn’t Oncor’s smart meters be used to turn electricity off and on for spotty blackouts instead of a large grid, which caused some homes to be without power for hours while others lost no power?
This is a wake-up call to all Texans. The population is growing. The use of more electrical vehicles is just over the horizon. We must have better electrical systems in place. Texans must understand that we need all types of generation systems and more power plants overall.
- Allen Van Zandt, Burleson
No time to light them up
While we are asked to turn off lights and conserve electricity, downtown buildings are outlined with lights. Thousands of people are without power and heat. Where are the right priorities?
- W.B, Gordon, Fort Worth
Narrow toll roads a disaster
For a decade or so, the rebuild of Interstate 35W had promise, but what did we get? Narrow, high-speed toll channels with concrete walls that have no escape, surrounded by the same old congestion entering Fort Worth. To the north, the toll lanes exit to Heritage Trace Parkway from the center, forcing drivers to cross to outside lanes of speeding traffic to make the intersection.
Who designed and approved this debacle? One hopes they are watching the carnage they engineered.
- Burt E. Ballentine, Keller
Gas taxes actually pay off
Last week’s expressway tragedy could have been avoided if Texas did not give control of its roads to outside companies and just raised gasoline taxes. Instead, we have more urban sprawl, and people are paying hundreds or thousands of dollars driving to work and other areas.
Other benefits of a higher gas tax is that people may drive less or choose a more economical vehicle. Sadly, a politician can’t be elected on the platform of higher taxes even if it benefits the greater good.
- Steve Uman, Dallas
We will all miss Ed Wallace
It is sad to see Ed Wallace’s column going away after 19 years. (Feb. 12, 2C, “Driving off into the sunset”) Although Ed was a car person through and through, his columns reflected not only the auto industry, but also our economy and life in general. He often had a completely different slant on things.
As a veteran of the auto industry, I could identify with many of the issues he wrote about and I enjoyed his point of view. I am not surprised that Ed was not paid for his column for the last 10 years. That is the kind of guy that he is. And like Ed, I donated to the fund to keep the Star-Telegram alive. Journalists need all the help they can get during these times.
The Star-Telegram will survive without Ed, but it will not be the same.
- Harry Thompson, Bedford
This story was originally published February 18, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Texas is supposedly the energy state. Rolling blackouts are a failure of leadership."