Since forever, Texans have proudly proclaimed that our state electricity grid run by ERCOT did not need or want to connect to the national grids. We don’t want no stinkin’ federal regulators putting their noses into our business.

Quietly, though, behind the scenes, state regulators have worked for more than a decade with Pattern Energy, a private company, to create the “Southern Spirit Transmission.”

The goal is a 400-mile transmission line from the Texas/Louisiana border, through Louisiana and into Mississippi to connect with grids in the southeastern United States.

Power could flow into or out of Texas, depending on the need.

** As someone who survived the Big Freeze, I like the sound of this. No one wants to freeze for days again. – Karen