Texas President PUC and other senior officials were already worried about gas shortages days before the widespread blackouts that resulted in the deaths of at least 151 people, E&E News reports.

During the power cuts, many state leaders blamed renewables and pushed climate denial arguments. Telephone records and documents obtained by E&E show state lawmakers were already concerned that the state’s gas system was not weatherproof enough to withstand the winter storm, despite warnings after a similar event a decade earlier. They also show that then PUC chairman DeAnn Walker warned Gov. Greg Abbott’s office of gas failures forcing gas plants to shut down on February 15, the day before the announcement was made. ‘Abbott. Fox news the blackouts showed the dangers of the unenacted Green New Deal.

Gas-fired power plants accounted for the majority of power generation that failed during the freeze, which deprived millions of heat, electricity and water, with outages disproportionately affecting people of color. and people with disabilities.

Sources: E&E News; Context of climate signals: February 2021 Polar vortex ventilation and winter storms in the central United States

Originally posted by Nexus Media.

Photo presented by Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 2.0)