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‘A complete bungle’: Texas’ energy pride goes out with cold
The Associated Press ^ | February 17, 2021 | By PAUL J. WEBER

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 ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: dnctalkingpoints; energytraders; enron2; globalwarming; greenieweenies; overregulation; pauljweber; solar; wind; windpowerfail; winter
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To: albie

“Is this a bungle on Abbott or liberal sabotage?”

According to discussion on War Room, it’s a bungle on Rick Perry when he was in office in TX — wanted to go all clean energy. Really smart when TX = oil. (◔_◔)


21 posted on 02/17/2021 4:41:18 AM PST by MayflowerMadam (They HAD to kill somebody for their plan to work. RIP Ashli.)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

The companies who run the power plants did not winterize as recommended.


22 posted on 02/17/2021 4:41:32 AM PST by stinkerpot65 (Global warming is a Marxist lie. )
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

This is the predictable result of letting folks with a liberal mindset run government - not, perhaps, at the tip of the helm, but in the innerworkings of the government bureaucracy. Liberal politicians and those in the middle, leaning left in their thinking (”Let’s all just get along”), institute laws and rules that encourage unsound and unwise planning for our utilities and our infrastructure, plus our schools. The result: when things go wrong (and something always does not go as planned, as that is the natural order of things in our fallen world), the pie in the sky concepts fail those whom they are designed to serve.

Great example: promoting wind and solar power via our federal state and tax programs. While we have lots of wind and solar available, harnessing their use for electricity is an iffy proposal, as they are not consistently dependable. Their power literally ebbs and flows. And when one does not adequately take into consideration ebbing and flowing environmental factors, such as weather in its extreme ranges, we get what we’ve currently got in states like Texas.

Irony? Texas is oil rich. And Texas has lots of space for nuclear generation.

Instead of working with these proven, dependable technologies, our government liberals and rinos have been promoting tax policies that encourage unreliable wind and solar. And American taxpayers have been paying the bill for it.

It’s time for the grown ups to be in charge, and stop listening to the liberals, who, at best, are stuck somewhere in middle school, mentally.


23 posted on 02/17/2021 4:41:53 AM PST by Tudorfly (All things are possible within the will of God.)
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To: GrandJediMasterYoda

If she used Green Mountain Energy or some other 100% wind/solar company she can stay in the dark until the thaw.

Over 25% of generation that was promised wasn’t online for the state.


24 posted on 02/17/2021 4:41:54 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Call on Joe Biden to follow Donald Trump's example and donate his annual salary to charity. )
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To: OldGoatCPO
He did not create the storm and the state does not own the power companies.

The state most certainly regulates the power companies, and state regulators set reliably standards and state and federal legislatures provide incentives for "renewables", and often impose requirements for renewables. Which is why California is such a hot mess. If California is the canary (a rather big expensive canary) in the renewable coal mine, Texas is the first miner to pass out.

I don't care if my neighbor wants to commit eco-assisted suicide, but I do care if he drags me down with him.

25 posted on 02/17/2021 4:42:13 AM PST by Lonesome in Massachussets (Ever notice no "champion of the working man" ever died of overwork?)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

My power was out for 52h. Came back on this morning at 3:30. However, there is an ice storm underway and I can already hear lots of breaking tree branches around the neighborhood...


26 posted on 02/17/2021 4:43:02 AM PST by cweese (Hook 'em Horns!!!)
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To: PIF

That Hoagg kid didn’t age well.

I’m sorry, I retract that remark. GRETA didn’t age well


27 posted on 02/17/2021 4:43:08 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Call on Joe Biden to follow Donald Trump's example and donate his annual salary to charity. )
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To: Shadylake

Rick Perry on TV last night blathering about needing a “diverse” energy infrastructure. He’s done too...


28 posted on 02/17/2021 4:43:23 AM PST by OKSooner (IT'S HOWDY DOODY TIME!! HI SENATOR LANKFORD!!!)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Our grid failed because we literally have 6-8 illegal Mexican/Central Americans living here along with several million more ‘legal’ Indians and Asians. All recent arrivals. Add on top of that the Cali-scum who has moved here and the rapid rise in population has far outpaced the grid’s capability.


29 posted on 02/17/2021 4:43:50 AM PST by Levy78
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To: freedumb2003
"The local TravelLodge is charging $999 a night for rooms that went for $90 last week."

Sounds about right. I was in Fort Worth in 2000 when the tornado tore apart downtown. People ran out to hide in the ditch behind Pappasito's on the West Freeway. They closed downtown and we had to pay over $1,000 to stay at a hotel in Dallas that night. Getting reimbursed was fun.

30 posted on 02/17/2021 4:43:54 AM PST by vg0va3
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To: Shadylake
Well I see it as any other natural disaster.....and how it should be looked at. Nobody could stop it, nobody anticipated it would be so bad....even though weather news were warning.

Infrastructure always gets damaged in natural disasters and this is no different. People will suffer and have to find a way to survive.

31 posted on 02/17/2021 4:44:01 AM PST by caww
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

The same submbitches who carry on incessantly about “global warming” will conclude February was the warmest on record. I’d be the farm on it.


32 posted on 02/17/2021 4:44:13 AM PST by cweese (Hook 'em Horns!!!)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvd9v4CL8uc


33 posted on 02/17/2021 4:45:02 AM PST by PGalt (confirmed: past peak civilization)
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To: albie

Democrats did everything they could last year to sabotage the economy and society last year to oust Trump.


34 posted on 02/17/2021 4:45:39 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Call on Joe Biden to follow Donald Trump's example and donate his annual salary to charity. )
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To: Levy78

That doesn’t sound like America....more like South America and in between.


35 posted on 02/17/2021 4:45:47 AM PST by caww
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

AP, a Texas enemy, gloats


36 posted on 02/17/2021 4:45:57 AM PST by bert ( (KE. NP. N.C. +12) History: Pelosi was pitiful vindictive California crone)
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To: texas_mrs

I’ve read that five members of the ERCOT board of directors live out of state, the chair lives in Michigan and the vice chair is an economics professor in Germany. 🤨


37 posted on 02/17/2021 4:46:21 AM PST by texas_mrs (Who says "Cheaters never win"? )
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To: MayflowerMadam

T Boone Pickens


38 posted on 02/17/2021 4:47:17 AM PST by a fool in paradise (Call on Joe Biden to follow Donald Trump's example and donate his annual salary to charity. )
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To: OKSooner

Is that the same interview he was giving when his power went out?


39 posted on 02/17/2021 4:47:18 AM PST by Jane Long (America, Bless God....blessed be the Nation 🙏🏻🇺🇸)
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To: GrandJediMasterYoda

Shades of the 1970’s. Remember when Texans had bumper stickers that said:

LET THE DAMN YANKEES FREEZE IN THE DARK

Irony is female canine, but no one is safe in a country run by delusional hysterics. BTW, is someone has to freeze in dark, where better than in Austin, where they think they’re living Brookline, Massachusetts?


40 posted on 02/17/2021 4:47:35 AM PST by Lonesome in Massachussets (Ever notice no "champion of the working man" ever died of overwork?)
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