Posted on 02/17/2021 4:25:52 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
AUSTIN, Texas - Anger over Texas’ power grid failing in the face of a record winter freeze mounted Tuesday as millions of residents in the energy capital of the U.S. remained shivering with no assurances that their electricity and heat — out for 36 hours or longer in many homes — would return soon or stay on once it finally does.
“I know people are angry and frustrated,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who woke up to more than 1 million people still without power in his city. “So am I.”
Making matters worse, expectations that the outages would be a shared sacrifice by the state’s 30 million residents quickly gave way to a cold reality, as pockets in some of America’s largest cities, including San Antonio, Dallas and Austin, were left to shoulder the lasting brunt of a catastrophic power failure, and in subfreezing conditions that Texas’ grid operators had known was coming.
The breakdown sparked growing outrage and demands for answers over how Texas — whose Republican leaders as recently as last year taunted California over the Democratic-led state’s rolling blackouts — failed such a massive test of a major point of state pride: energy independence. And it cut through politics, as fuming Texans froze in the dark Monday night, downtown skylines glowed despite desperate calls to conserve energy.
“We are very angry. I was checking on my neighbor, she’s angry, too,” said Amber Nichols, whose north Austin home has had no power since early Monday. “We’re all angry because there is no reason to leave entire neighborhoods freezing to death.”
She crunched through ice wearing a parka and galoshes, while her neighbors dug out their driveways from six inches of snow to move their cars.
“This is a complete bungle,” she said.
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
I think this will end Abbott. A lot of heads are going to roll. The insurance costs from the flooded houses alone will be insane.
The Texans are turning blue, literally!
I think our distant ancestors, huddled in their caves and huts, if shown what could be done with nuclear and coal, would think us utter fools for choosing to rely on wind and solar instead.
A wood burning stove might be a good idea. Lord help us if this was a harbinger of an Ice Age.
It will depend. Does Texas have a lot of the Wind Turbines that froze. If Abbott uses a natural disaster he has no control over to push for greater energy independence, he will not be blamed. This is a natural disaster no different than a hurricane or tornado. A strong response to a once in a 100 year event will deflect any blame. A tepid response and Abbott is done. He did not create the storm and the state does not own the power companies. But he will own the response to a natural disaster.
The grid did not fail.
Somebody factcheck AP
Texans, go out and leave Abbott and email expressing your frustration. They are hearing us. My letter I sent a day ago.
Hey Gov. Abbott...glad to see you received the Tri Global Energy's Wind Leadership award. You must be very proud. Now, let me share how our night went with rolling blackouts on the energy grid in sub-zero temperatures. Likely we will have damage to our equipment such as heaters, septic, water lines and water well due to the frigid temps and the constant power surges all night long.
Texas has plenty of natural gas. A clean burning fuel. WIND ENERGY SUCKS. Not only does wind energy suck, the thousands of wind mills scattered across the landscape steals away the natural beauty of Texas.
Mr. Abbott, for all that is good and holy, could you stop listening to those damn liberals. If we are short of energy, how bout using some of that rainy day fund to build another clean burning NATURAL GAS power generation station.
Signed,
Pissed Off
God gave this earth coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear power and the wisdom of man to use them effectively. This should be shoved into the faces of Gates, Biden, Kerry, AOC and all the rest of the idiots who preach the “green new deal..” there is nothing green about it and certainly is no freaking deal.
Time to end this pap now...or people will die.
He hasn’t done very well so far, but the governor in Texas has little real power.
I have a hardcore leftist friend who lives down in Austin, she said the wind turbines have frozen and she has no electric and she is freezing her ass off. I had no idea what to say so I just wrote back “BWA HA HA HA HA! Come on babe, suffer through it, do your part to prevent GLOBAL WARMING!” Maybe if they shine flashlights on the solar panels it will get the electric heater going
It is really bad.
It just so happened I am in California on business this week. Looks like I took exactly the right week to do it.
The latest trick is hotels are price gouging. The local TravelLodge is charging $999 a night for rooms that went for $90 last week.
I am glad not to be in the middle of it but I really feel for my fellow Dallasites who are getting totally screwed by the stupidity of the power company.
I have an idea. Hopefully this will end Abbott. Then, let me be in charge. You will like what happens next.
More windmills and solar farms of course!
They first said there would be rolling blackouts, but then changed the term as it was more like sustained outages. Of the 10 households in my family, we had not one outage or break in service, yet I know people who have been out for days. As we drove through Comanche last night, the convenience stores were closed and dark as were over half the businesses and from the outskirts of town and the next 15 miles no homes were lit.
What’s really happening? Is this a bungle on Abbott or liberal sabotage?
It’s sounding like Texas got hit with a long enduring unexpected arctic Tsunami Waves nobody anticipated nor were prepared for. The results are very similar.
The Left only supports Iran using nuclear power
No Nukes was a lie
In the greater Northern Midwest were these temps can be the norm, many people have corn or wood pellet heaters. My sister entire house can be heated by theirs even if they lose power. They are not that expensive compared to a central heating system. It may be a waste of money in Texas, this is not a normal storm. However, my brother-in-law said it cut his winter heating bill nearly in half. I am having one installed in my unused fire place.
What exactly do you believe the Utilities could have done to prevent this? Are the utilities owned by the State? How does the Gov prevent demand spikes such as this one caused by a weather related phenomena?
Is Abbot popular in the State? If he is any unhappiness with him will be short lived and when the lights come back on it will be forgotten within a couple of weeks.
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