It’s All Connected: ‘Fix the Grid’ Must be Comprehensive

It’s All Connected: ‘Fix the Grid’ Must be Comprehensive

Remember the old days, when the only way to find the burned-out bulb in your string of Christmas lights was to unscrew each one? I recall asking my father why he was going one-by-one down the strand of bulbs. He explained to me that electricity operates as a circuit. If the circuit is broken at any point, the lights won’t work.

That’s still true. I learned more about electricity in my six years in the U.S. Army, serving as a systems operator, and then in my 30-year career with CenterPoint Energy, where I worked on the industrial large commercial management team to provide specialized service arrangements for Fortune 500 companies and residential consumers. But the principle holds even with the Texas electric grid. If any component of the system fails, it all fails you—and Texas. That’s why the focus of “fix the grid” must be on strengthening each component, from generation to the Public Utilities Commission to transmission to the end user—the entire circuit.

Let’s start with power generation. The fact is that Texas is growing, but we’re not growing our reliable generation. Instead, we’re investing the vast majority of our capital into adding more unreliable wind and solar energy into the mix.

In the last five years, Texas has added about 20,000 megawatts of installed capacity of wind and solar while losing a net of 4,000 megawatts of coal and natural gas generation. We all know the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine—but Texans need their electricity to be reliable regardless of the weather. That was true in Winter Storm Uri, and it will be true this summer.

It’s time to require wind and solar providers to pony up for the reliability deficit they’re causing. The natural gas generation we’ll need to offset their unreliability shouldn’t be paid for by you, the consumer.

When nearly all of Texas lost power in that February 2021 deep freeze, critics were quick to point fingers. And there were lots of mistakes made—including human error—that led to the tragic loss of life. The Legislature last year made some reforms.

But the PUC, the next component in our circuit, is working on market design proposals that will require ratepayers, not unreliable generators, to pay for extra dispatchable generation. We’ve invested more than $60 billion of capital into new wind and solar generation while losing gas and coal generation on net over the past several years. I don’t believe that we have to pay more money to achieve a more reliable grid; we just need to use the money we’re now spending more wisely.

The PUC must impose some discipline on wind and solar generators with a “firming” requirement, ensuring they can and will provide power when Texans need it most.

Next is transmission—how the electricity gets to you. Did you know you’re paying about double for transmission than you were just 10 years ago? Again, we can look to the overbuilding of wind and solar generators as the culprit. We used to build thermal generators close to population centers; now we build windmills out in West and South Texas. You’re paying the higher transmission costs.

And that brings us to the end user—you, and the thousands of businesses, big and small, that drive the Texas economy. When the system fails, you lose power. We’re trying to increase reliability for our growing economy, but we’re doing it in the most expensive way possible—by subsidizing reliable generators to chase the growth of subsidized unreliable generators. You shouldn’t have to bear the burden of paying for two electric generating systems.

Like those Christmas tree lights, this only works when every component is sound. That will be my focus in the next Legislature. I’ll use my experience and expertise to ensure that Texas has the energy it needs to power its future.

State Rep.-elect Charles Cunningham will represent District 127 (the Kingwood/Humble area) in the Texas House of Representatives. He has no Democratic opponent in the November election.

Kingwood Tea Party Endorses Charles Cunningham For State Representative

Kingwood Tea Party Endorses Charles Cunningham For State Representative

Major grassroots organization throws full support behind the Cunningham Campaign

Kingwood – The Kingwood Tea Party has announced the endorsement of Charles Cunningham for Texas State Representative in House District 127. 

Humble City Councilman Charles Cunningham has announced his Republican candidacy for Texas State Representative in House District 127. The seat is currently held by Representative Dan Huberty who has announced that he will not seek reelection.   

“We are proud to endorse Charles Cunningham to serve as our next Republican State Representative in Austin,” said Jim Lennon, Co-Founder of the Kingwood Tea Party. “Charles is a battle tested conservative who should be a powerful voice to advance the conservative agenda in Austin.”

Cunningham currently serves on the Humble City Council where he won election with 75% of the vote.  Prior to this he served as an Humble ISD Board of Trustee where he built a strong track record of rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse and ensured that our tax dollars were spent wisely and for their intended purpose.

“I am honored to earn the endorsement of the Kingwood Tea Party,” said Charles Cunningham. “They are the premier grassroots organization in the Kingwood area and I look forward to working with them as we fight for our shared conservative values during the next Legislative Session.”

Cunningham, a Distribution Account Consultant for CenterPoint Energy has a B.S.A degree from Our Lady of the Lake University and is a United States Army veteran.  His wife Stella is an educator at both the college and the high school level. They have four children and nine grandchildren. They are members of St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in Humble.

The Cunningham Campaign will be rolling out additional endorsements in the coming days.

Charles Cunningham Announces Republican Candidacy for HD-127

Charles Cunningham Announces Republican Candidacy for HD-127

The current Representative, Dan Huberty, has announced he will not seek reelection

Houston – Humble City Councilman Charles Cunningham has announced his Republican candidacy for Texas State Representative in House District 127. The seat is currently held by Representative Dan Huberty who has announced that he will not seek reelection.   

“I want to thank Representative Huberty for his service to our area,” said Charles Cunningham. “I look forward to continuing to fight in the Texas Legislature to enact common sense conservative solutions to our shared challenges.”

Cunningham currently serves on the Humble City Council where he won election with 75% of the vote.  Prior to this he served as an Humble ISD Board of Trustee where he built a strong track record of rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse and ensured that our tax dollars were spent wisely and for their intended purpose.

“I am running to ensure that the Texas dream is alive and well for our children and grandchildren,” added Charles Cunningham. “I will stand strong against the progressive, mob mentality that has come to dominate national politics and instead continue to advance conservative solutions to our shared challenges right here in Texas.”

Cunningham, a Distribution Account Consultant for CenterPoint Energy has a B.S.A degree from Our Lady of the Lake University and is a United States Army veteran.  His wife Stella is an educator at both the college and the high school level. They have four children and nine grandchildren. They are members of St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church in Humble.

I am running to be your next Republican State Representative.

I am running to be your next Republican State Representative.

I’ve got exciting news, and I wanted you to be one of the first to know: I am running to be your next Republican State Representative.  Our State Representative, Dan Huberty, is not running for reelection.

I’ve built a strong conservative record during my time on the Humble ISD Board of Trustees and most recently on Humble City Council, rooting our waste, fraud, and abuse to ensure our tax dollars are being spent wisely and as intended.  I’ve fought to enact common sense conservative solutions to our shared challenges.

Make no mistake. National Democrats have set their sights on Texas in their effort to flip our State “blue” and pass their progressive “woke” agenda to radically transform our way of life. If we lose this fight we could see higher property taxes, out of control spending in Austin, and a diminished business friendly climate in Texas. I am running to make Texas better, safer, and stronger for our kids, family, and future. 

As your next State Representative, I will fight for:

Public Safety: Government’s top priority is to protect the public. While progressives in Harris County have defunded millions of dollars from our Constables, I will prioritize public safety and safe neighborhoods to ensure our district remains the best place to live, work, and raise a family. Additionally, I will fight to ensure that Judges cannot continue their practice of letting dangerous criminals back on the streets with low cost, or no cost bonds.

Securing our Border: While America will always welcome legal immigrants, the Federal Government has abandoned the Texas Border, creating an open season for the cartels and human traffickers. This inaction has allowed Houston to become the largest hub for human trafficking in the nation. We must take action to combat human trafficking and to secure our border.

Lowering Your Property Taxes: While property taxes are ultimately set at the local level, I support action by the Texas Legislature to buy down tax rates and provide meaningful relief to hard pressed taxpayers.  No Texan should face the prospect of being taxed out of their home.

Improving our Infrastructure: I’ve lived here for 28 years. That means I’ve seen quite a few floods.  As the City of Humble representative to the Houston-Galveston Area Council, I have worked with local, state, and federal agencies to understand and address drainage and flooding in our area. I will bring my experience to Austin and fight for every flood infrastructure dollar for our district.   

While this letter is too short to fully discuss my plans as your next Republican State Representative, I hope to speak with you soon about my vision.  Visit my website at www.CharlesCunninghamTX.com or call me anytime at 713-331-1523. I am asking for your vote to serve you in the Texas Legislature and I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Thank You,


Charles Cunningham