Texas AG opens investigation into Center point following its Hurricane Beryl response

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Monday his office has opened an investigation into CenterPoint Energy, claiming its conduct during Hurricane Beryl may have violated Texas law.  Officials said the investigation will look into allegations of fraud, waste, and improper use of taxpayer-provided funds.  “If the investigation uncovers unlawful activity, that activity will be met with the full force of the law,” Paxton said in a statement.

The attorney general’s office said in a statement that the energy provider’s response to the hurricane likely led to “significant harm to Houston residents, including rate increases, outages, and lengthy delays in restoring power.”  Beryl knocked out electricity to more than 2 million customers.

The Public Utility Commission also launched an investigation into Center Point’s response to Beryl.  The company hired an independent company to analyze the problems and make suggestions for improvement.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott set multiple deadlines for CenterPoint, including providing a plan by the end of the month to improve reliability and removing vegetation that threatens power lines by the end of August.

CenterPoint has apologized and shared its plan to improve, including in the areas of reliability, communication, and community partnerships.  The company says it plans to use technology to target areas where trees pose a threat to their lines.  Additionally, the company says it will be increasing the number of people working in call centers after a storm.