AND 46% OF REPUBLICANS THINK JOE
BIDEN HOLDS SOME RESPONSIBILITY.
POLITICIANS ON THE RIGHT AND
CYNICAL MEDIA OUTLETS LIKE FOX
NEWS HAVE BEEN PUMPING LIES INTO
OUR FELLOW CITIZENS FOR DECADES
AND DOING IT ON A BUNCH OF
TOPICS.
ONE OF THE ISSUES WHERE THEY
HAVE PIONEERED WHAT HAS NOW
BECOME THE BIG LIE IS CLIMATE.
WE ARE TONIGHT EXPERIENCING A
MASSIVE WEATHER EMERGENCY IN
THIS COUNTRY.
RECORD-SETTING LOW TEMPERATURES,
LOTS OF AREAS, PARTICULARLY
ACROSS THE SOUTH, NOT USED TO
SERIOUS WINTER WEATHER GETTING
ABSOLUTELY BURIED UNDER SNOW.
THIS IS JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI,
COVERED IN SNOW, SLEET AND ICE
RIGHT NOW.
THE SITUATION IS SO BAD IN
ARKANSAS, THAT 100 NATIONAL
GUARD TROOPS HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED
TO HELP CLEAR CAR ACCIDENTS AND
LOOK FOR STRANDED DRIVERS.
AND THERE IS SNOW ON THE BEACH
IN GALVESTON, TEXAS.
NOW, THIS WEATHER EVENT IS
CAUSING ALL SORTS OF CASCADING
EFFECTS.
AMONG THE WORST BEING MAJOR
WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES.
OVER 4 MILLION PEOPLE WOKE UP
WITHOUT POWER IN TEXAS TODAY.
GALVESTON’S CITY MANAGER
ESTIMATED THIS AFTERNOON THAT
90% TO 95% OF HOMES IN HIS CITY
HAVE NOT HAD POWER FOR WELL OVER
36 HOURS.
NO POWER MEANS NO HEAT.
AND WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE
TEENS ACROSS MANY PARTS OF THE
STATE, MILLIONS HAVE BEEN LEFT
FREEZING IN THEIR HOMES.
MANY TRYING TO GET INTO WARMING
CENTERS JUST TO THAW OUT FOR A
LITTLE WHILE.
>> WE SAW JUST BEFORE SUNRISE
WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE INSIDE.
IT WAS BEYOND CAPACITY HERE AT
THE FAMILY LIFE CENTER IN
EULESS.
SO MANY PEOPLE WERE IN THIS
BUILDING THAT THEY ACTUALLY HAD
TO TURN FOLKS AWAY.
>> WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO STAY
WARM?
>> NOTHING, BECAUSE THERE’S NO
POWER.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
I’M JUST WEARING LAYER AFTER
LAYER.
>> Reporter: SHE IS FIRING UP
HER FIRE PIT IN HER FRONT YARD.
SHE SAID WITH THE EXTRA HEAT IT
FEELS WARMER OUTSIDE THAN INSIDE
HER HOUSE.
UP THE STREET WE FOUNDING BILLY
IN HIS CAR PARKED IN HIS OWN
DRIVEWAY.
>> HEY, WE AIN’T THIS IN -- IN
MANY YEARS.
I’M 74 YEARS OLD.
>> THIS IS AN AWFUL SITUATION,
IT’S DRIVEN BY A COMPLEX
CONFLUENCE OF FACTORS, FROM
EXTREME WEATHER TO AN ELECTRIC
INFRASTRUCTURE THAT’S BEEN
WOEFULLY UNDERDEVELOPED TO THE
IDIOSYNCRASIES OF TEXAS
AGGRESSIVELY DEREGULATED AN
INDEPENDENT ENERGY MARKET.
BUT OF COURSE FOX NEWS AND OTHER
REPUBLICANS SAW SOME KIND OF
SUFFERING, SOME KIND OF PROBLEM
SOMEWHERE AND IMMEDIATELY
WITHOUT MISSING A BEAT RIGHT
AWAY TRIED TO TURN IT INTO A
CULTURE WAR, IN THIS CASE
AGAINST THOSE DAMN HIPPY
LIBERALS AND THEIR CLEAN ENERGY.
>> THE BLACKOUTS THAT ARE IN
TEXAS ARE BEING MADE WORSE BY
THE FAILURE OF WIND TURBINES,
MANY FREEZING IN THE ICY
WEATHER, CUTTING OUTPUT IN HALF
AND IT’S RAISING QUESTIONS ABOUT
THE LONE STAR STATE’S INCREASING
RELIANCE ON RENEWABLE ENERGY.
>> FOLKS, THIS IS JUST MORE
PROOF GREEN ENERGY IS NOT READY
FOR PRIME TIME.
YOU GET SUBFREEZING TEMPERATURES
AND WIND AND SOLAR JUST DON’T
WORK FOR POWER.
>> IF THIS GREEN NEW DEAL GOES
FORWARD THE WAY THAT THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION APPEARS TOMT IT
TO, THEN WE’LL HAVE MORE EVENTS
LIKE WE’VE HAD IN TEXAS ALL
ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
>> THESE WIND FARMS THAT ARE
FROZEN, THEY’RE AN EYESORE,
THEY’RE NOT EFFICIENT, THEY’RE
NOT DELIVERING THE ENERGY THAT
WE WANT.
>> THE WINDMILLS FAILED LIKE THE
SILLY FASHION ACCESSORIES THEY
ARE AND PEOPLE IN TEXAS DIED.
>> SILLY FASHION ACCESSORIES.
NOW KEEP IN MIND WHEN CALIFORNIA
WAS SUFFERING FROM BLACKOUTS
LAST YEAR, TEXAS REPUBLICANS
FROM TED CRUZ TO DAN PATRICK AND
KEN PAXSON WERE PUSHING OUT
GLOWING TREATS ABOUT BACKWARDS
LIBERAL CALIFORNIA IS.
BUT IMAGINE, IMAGINE HOW STUPID
YOU WOULD HAVE TO THINK YOUR
AUDIENCE IS, THE CONTEMPT YOU
HAVE TO HOLD THEM IN, TO LOOK
INTO THE CAMERA AND TRY TO SELL
THEM ON THE IDEA THAT WINDMILLS
DON’T WORK WHEN IT’S COLD.
AFTER TEXAS, IOWA IS THE STATE
WITH THE MOST WIND POWER IN THE
COUNTRY.
IF YOU’VE EVER BEEN TO IOWA IN
THE WINTER, I CAN TELL YOU FROM
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, IT GETS
PRETTY COLD IN IOWA.
DENMARK GETS NEARLY HALF OF ITS
ENERGY FROM WIND POWER.
I DON’T KNOW IF YOU’VE LOOKED
THIS UP, ANYONE AT FOX NEWS, BUT
DENMARK, VERY COLD PLACE IN THE
WINTER.
YOU DON’T HAVE TO TAKE MY WORD
FOR IT, OF COURSE, WE HAVE THE
DATA FROM TEXAS.
NOW, TEXAS HAS THEIR OWN ENERGY
GRID.
IT IS RUN BY THE ELECTRIC
RELIABILITY COUNCIL OF TEXAS OR
ERCOT.
A SENIOR DIRECTOR TELLING
BLOOMBERG TODAY, WHILE ICE HAS
FORCED SOME WIND TURBINES TO
SHUT DOWN JUST AS A BRUTAL COLD
WAVE DRIVES ELECTRICITY DEMAND,
THAT’S BEEN THE LEAST
SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN THE
BLACKOUTS.
THE MAIN FACTORS HAVE BEEN
FROZEN INSTRUMENTS AT NATURAL
GAS, COAL AND EVEN NUCLEAR
FACILITIES AS WELL AS LIMITED
SUPPLIES OF NATURAL GAS.
NATURAL GAS PRESSURE IN
PARTICULAR IS ONE REASON POWER
IS COMING BACK SLOWER THAN
EXPECTED.
WIND SHUTDOWNS ACCOUNTED FOR
LESS THAN 13% OF THE TOTAL
OUTAGES, AND WIND GENERATION HAS
ACTUALLY EXCEEDED THE GRID
OPERATORS’ DAILY FORECAST
THROUGH THE WEEKEND.
DID YOU GET ALL THAT?
OKAY.
THAT’S THE PEOPLE THAT RUN THE
TEXAS GRID.
WIND POWER OUTAGES ARE, QUOTE,
THE LEAST SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN
THE BLACKOUTS AND THE MAIN
FACTORS ARE FROZEN INSTRUMENTS
AT NATURAL GAS, COAL AND EVEN
NUCLEAR FACILITIES.
IT IS JUST A LIE THAT WIND
TURBINES, GREEN ENERGY, ARE THE
ROOT CAUSES OF THE PROBLEMS IN
TEXAS RIGHT NOW.
IT IS A LIE LIKE DONALD TRUMP
WON THE ELECTION, A LIE LIKE
THERE WAS WIDESPREAD VOTER
FRAUD, A LIE PUMPED INTO
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE’S BRAINS AS
THEY WATCH TV.
AND LET’S BE CLEAR, THIS IS
PROBABLY AS CONSEQUENTIAL A LIE
AS ANY ABOUT THE ELECTION
BECAUSE ENERGY AND HOW WE
PRODUCE IT IS THE SINGLE BIGGEST
ISSUE THIS COUNTRY WILL FACE IN
THE MEDIUM TERM.
I MEAN THIS STUFF IS
COMPLICATED, LET’S BE CLEAR
HERE.
EVERYONE TAKES THE POWER GRID
FOR GRANTED UNLESS YOU WORK ON
IT FOR A LIVING.
IT’S AMONG THE MOST ARCANE AREAS
OF PUBLIC POLICY.
IT’S NOT LIKE SPARKING GREAT
DEBATE ON CABLE NEWS.
BUT THEN A FEW TIMES A YEAR
SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPENS AND
WE HAVE THIS MOMENT WHERE WE
REMEMBER THE POWER GRID IS THE
FOUNDATION OF MODERN
CIVILIZATION
CIVILIZATION.
IT IS ALSO THE KEY TO OVERCOMING
CLIMATE CHANGE.
REPUBLICANS AND RIGHT-WING
MEDIA, THEY WANT TO TAKE EVERY
POLICY ISSUE AND TURN IT INTO
SOME PAINFUL CULTURE WAR IDIOCY.
AND THERE’S AN INTEREST TO DO
IT.
THE FOSSIL FUEL COMPANIES WANT
THIS TOO.
THEY WANT TO TURN INTO A CULTURE
WAR LIKE THE LIBS DON’T WANT YOU
TO HAVE POWER.
WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, WE HAVE
A CHOICE COLLECTIVELY AS A
COUNTRY.
WE DON’T HAVE TO HAVE POLITICS
ABOUT WHERE WE GET OUR ENERGY
DIVIDED ALONG THE LINES OF
ABORTION OR POLICING.
THERE’S NO REASON FOR THAT TO BE
CONNECTED.
WE CAN CREATE A MODERN ENERGY
INFRASTRUCTURE THAT IS MORE
RESILIENT TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND
ALSO CHEAPER AND ALSO SERVES
PEOPLE BETTER, AND ALSO CAN
WITHSTAND EXTREME WEATHER
EVENTS, AND ALSO DOESN’T HEAT
THE PLANET UNTIL WE ARE IN DIRE
STRAITS.
WE CAN DO ALL THAT.
IN FACT THERE’S LOTS OF GREAT
NEWS HAPPENING ON THAT FRONT.
BUT THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE WILL BE