While Texas utility customers burned their furniture for warmth and froze to death, CenterPoint, a major utility in the state, sought to raise rates and its CEO pulled down a major raise, according to a report released by the Energy and Policy Institute. The report, based on SEC filings, found David Lesar’s compensation more than tripled from less than $12 million in 2020 to $37.8 million in 2021. That increase, which was tied largely to stock awards, was “well beyond his peers,” the report said. CenterPoint, which supplies power and gas to almost every home and business in and around Houston, has asked state regulators to allow it to hike methane gas prices by about 7%, and it also raised its fee for delivering electricity last year. (Houston Chronicle)