In mid-February 2021, a not-as-rare-as-it-used-to-be winter storm swept across the country, causing massive power outages in the state of Texas with deadly consequences. In this episode, hear the highlights of the congressional investigation into the causes of the extended power outages. They were foreseeable, and in fact foreseen, and similar power outages can be prevented; the only question is whether they will be. Executive Producer: Shelley Stracener Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Click here to contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Click here to support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank’s online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536 Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Recommended Podcast/YouTube Episodes 100 Days of Biden w/ David Dayen & Jennifer Briney Bad Faith Podcast with Briahna Joy Gray and Virgil Texas.  Articles/Documents Article: Report: Bulk of February power plant outages 'weather related' amid historic Texas freeze, By Bob Sechler, Austin American Statesman, April 6, 2021 Article: Why Texas was not prepared for Winter Storm Uri, By Kara Norton, PBS, March 25, 2021 Article: Texas power grid CEO Bill Magness getting fired in wake of deadly blackouts, CBS, March 4, 2021 Article: ERCOT CEO Refuses $800K Payout Following Firing, By Jaclyn Diaz, npr, March 5, 2021 Article: What’s behind $15,000 electricity bills in Texas?, By Seth Blumsack, The Conversation, February 24, 2021 Article: How Winter Storm Uri Impacted the United States, By Theresa Machemer, Smithsonian Magazine, February 19, 2021 Transcript: ERCOT Update Press Conference on Texas Power Outages February 17, Rev, February 17, 2021 Article: Why the Texas power grid is struggling to cope with the extreme cold, By Umair Irfan, Vox, February 16, 2021 Article: Winter Storm Uri Spread Snow, Damaging Ice From Coast-to Coast, Including the Deep South (Recap), The Weather Channel, February 16, 2021 Article: Bitter cold deepens state's power crisis, By Marcy de Luna and Amanda Drane, Houston Chronicle, February 14, 2021 Article: Shellenberger’s Optimistic, Viral Take on Climate Future Challenged by Scientists He Cites, By Alex Kasprak, Snopes, August 4, 2020 Additional Resources Michael Shellenberger DeSmog Texas’ Energy Market and Power Grid 101, Electric Choice Campaign Finance Summary: John A Barrasso, opensecrets.org Sound Clip Sources Hearing: POWER STRUGGLE: EXAMINING THE 2021 TEXAS GRID FAILURE, House Committee on Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, March 24, 2021 Watch on Youtube Witnesses: Sylvester Turner 2015 -: Mayor of Houston, TX 1989 - 2016: Member of the TX House of Representatives Bill Magness President and CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of TX (ERCOT) Testified after being given notice that he would be getting fired at the beginning of May Christi Craddick Chairman of the Railroad Commission of TX Michael Shellenberger Founder and President of Environmental Progress Website: "He has helped save nuclear reactors around the world." James Robb President and CEO of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) The standard setting body for reliability associated with the electric power industry 1988 - 2002: Principal at McKinsey Transcript: 35:45 Cathy McMorris Rodgers: Recent trends show a transition away from coal and nuclear power plants designed to function as baseload capacity toward variable renewable energy sources with just in time natural gas backup. States like California that rely more on weather dependent renewables experienced energy failures on a regular basis. Indeed, California residents ex