The Texas House of Representatives has granted initial approval to several bills which purport to strengthen the grid against another blackout like the one seen in February. The bills would, among other things, impose rules that would see state officials designate certain gas facilities as ‘critical’ during an emergency. One of the many screwups, which made the February blackouts so serious, was the loss of power at natural gas facilities when utilities cut power to keep supply ahead of demand. Natural gas companies weren’t forced to register as critical infrastructure, or in some cases weren’t even aware of the relevant paperwork. Another proposal would prevent retail electricity providers from exposing their customers to volatile wholesale power prices. There’s also a…