COMMENTARY: Comments on ballot items inspire response

This is my response to Ned Sheats’ commentary of Oct. 3, giving his opinions on Texas constitutional proposals on the November ballot. I agree with his “yes” and “no” votes, and I thank him for doing so much investigating for me.

But I did notice that he couldn’t help but criticize the Republican Party when giving his “no” recommendations to some of the proposals. That’s unfortunate. Why didn’t he reference the responsible political party on those proposals he supported? Could Republicans have made some of those proposals? I suspect some of his “yes” votes were proposed by Republicans.

He blames the Republicans for our weak state electrical power grid. I blame it on our use of new alternative fuels such as wind turbines that I believe caused Texas’s electrical grid to shut down a couple of years ago during the Texas freeze that seriously impacted our everyday lives.

I didn’t know until a few years ago that Texas today uses alternative fuels such as solar and wind turbines to produce over 20% of our state’s needs. I was shocked. The wind turbines that froze up a couple of years ago I believe caused the entire state’s electrical power system to shut down. Our turbines are not designed to operate in extended freezing weather.

Yes, fossil fuels such as natural gas can freeze up too, but human employees can keep them from freezing. I know because I worked in the oil field for around 35 years. We spent many long days and nights keeping some high-producing high-pressure gas wells flowing during freezing weather. The higher-pressure gas wells are the ones that tend to freeze up in freezing weather due to high pressure drops. We spent many a day and night injecting chemicals at the pressure drop points where the freezing was occurring. We even boiled water and poured it on those points to inhibit freezing just to keep the well producing electricity for the state of Texas, and of course to contribute to our company’s financial profit.

So the question is, how does one prevent wind turbines from freezing up during extended freezes? The only answer I can think of is to make the new turbines capable of producing even in extended freezing weather, which seldom occurs in one’s lifetime. How much does it cost to produce new wind turbines like that? How much would it cost to refurbish existing wind turbines with those changes? I suspect it would be cost prohibitive for the fossil fuel companies to do that just to prevent a 100-year freezing event. Our electricity bills would skyrocket.

I am grateful I was able to make a good living for my family by being employed by oil companies until my retirement. I find Mr. Sheats’ phrase “Texas oil cartels” offensive. Most of those “cartels” are publicly owned companies. Was it really necessary for him to imply that Republicans were responsible for our failed Texas electricity grid during the 100-year freeze a couple of years ago?

There was a time when the word “progressive” had a positive meaning for me. But no longer. Just like today’s left wing has changed the 2,000-plus-year-old definition of the word “marriage” they have also redefined the word “progressive.” Today its use has been corrupted by left-wingers I believe to promote socialism/communism. But that’s just my opinion.

I believe Mr. Sheats’ excellent post on the Texas proposals would have been much better and receptive if he had not given his opinion of that certain political party.

Keep Texas’ electric grid working. Drill more wells and keep that fossil fuel producing!

And no, I am not a Republican. I have been an Independent for many years now. I vote for the person and not for the political party.

Darrell Williams lives in McAllen.