Texas Power Grid Fires CEO After Mass Power Outages, Deadly Winter Storm

The CEO of Texas' electric grid operator was fired on Wednesday for how he handled mass blackouts during a historic winter storm.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas board of directors voted in favor of letting Bill Magness go after Texas lawmakers called for his firing. Because of his contract, Magness has 60 days before he must leave his position.

Magness defended ERCOT's "controlled outages" during the mid-February winter storms by saying it was the only way to prevent even more dire blackouts. The former CEO also said that the entire electric grid was "seconds or minutes" away from completely collapsing.

All eyes are on ERCOT after the blackouts left millions of Texans in the dark and the cold while saddling them with expensive power bills.

A Congressional oversight committee is now investigating ERCOT's actions during the storm, the Texas Tribune reported.

There are also lawsuits pending against ERCOT. A Texas mom is suing the grid operator after her 11-year-old son froze to death in his bed. The family of a man who died of hypothermia in Alice, Texas, filed a similar suit.

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