Texas lawmakers hold hearing on the state's power grid

AUSTIN, Texas (NBC) – Texas lawmakers are meeting today on the state’s energy crisis brought to light by last week’s deadly winter storm.

The Texas House and Senate are holding separate and simultaneous virtual hearings during which ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness will testify.

ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, is the managing entity of the state’s power supply.

The State Senate hearing is set to examine extreme weather condition preparedness and what led to the power outages as directed by ERCOT.

At the same time, the Texas House Energy Resources Committee will also consider the directed blackouts, as well as the response by industry, suppliers, and grid operators; and changes necessary to avoid future power interruptions.

More than 4 million Texans were without power, many for days, as temperatures dipped well-below freezing.

State and local authorities say dozens of people have died as a result of the record-breaking storm and the death toll is likely to rise.