Hey, Folks in Texas! Lights Are On in Minnesota!

[MineralMan]

It's been below zero around the clock for almost a week here. Our power plants are still working. Why aren't those in your state?

No rolling blackouts here. So, if you live in Texas, ask your elected officials what happened. Tell them you're righteously pissed off. Don't vote for them again. Vote for Democrats, instead. They'll plan to not have this happen again.

Electricity is a good thing. Sorry your leaders don't think so.

[RussellCattle]

1. Zing! Nicely done.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Does the Texas GOP still want to secede? Or is that plan on hold?

[MineralMan]

5. Yeah, they still want to secede, some of them.

However, they'll wait a bit until they get lots of federal disaster aid.

[TwilightZone]

10. Nope, just a few idiots.

There's rarely more than 20% support in TX for secession, even with the GOP. It's always just a few idiots who want to whine about the feds and aren't getting enough attention at home. Same as it ever was.

[dalton99a]

3. The root cause is unchecked corporate greed - they were warned ten years ago:

The last time the state experienced a major freeze like this was a decade ago in 2011. At that time, too, natural gas generation experienced difficulties — had ERCOT not reduced load through the rolling blackouts implemented during that storm, it would have resulted in widespread blackouts throughout the entire region, a federal report on the storm warned.

It is possible to “winterize” natural gas power plants, natural gas production and wind turbines, experts said, which prevent such major interruptions in other states with more regular extreme winter weather. But even after upgrades were made following the 2011 winter storm, many Texas power generators have still not made all the investments necessary to prevent the sort of disruptions happening to the equipment, experts said.

ERCOT directors also said that the storm this week took a turn in the early morning hours of Monday, when extremely low temperatures forced many more generators offline than ERCOT had anticipated.

“It appeared that the winterization we were doing was working, but this weather was more extreme than (past storms),” Woodfin said. “The loss of generation during the morning of Monday, after midnight, was really the part that made this a more extreme event than we had planned.”

Upgrading equipment to withstand extremely low temperatures and other changes, such as providing incentives for customers to conserve power or upgrade to smart appliances, could help avoid disasters like this one, said Le Xie, a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University and assistant director of energy digitization at A&M’s Energy Institute.

“We used to not worry too much about such extreme cold weather in places like Texas, but we probably need to get ready for more in the future,” Xie said. With climate change, he said, “We’re going to have more extreme weather conditions throughout the country.”

https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/16/natural-gas-power-storm/

[Horse with no Name]

15. Familiar.

This was during the Super Bowl.
They were turning off electricity to hospitals to supply the stadium.
That really is in a nutshell what Texas is all about.

[Dawson Leery]

4. Texas is run by the No-Nothings.

[muntrv]

6. Same in Michigan.

[MineralMan]

7. You got lights on there, too?

How is that possible, I wonder? Here, if we get 12" of snow, the roads are sort of tough for a day or two. But, then, everything's cleared and people go back to their activities. Why? Planning. We have those things in Minnesota and Michigan. We plan for bad weather in those states.

[TwilightZone]

8. Moorhead and other parts of MN were impacted by one yesterday.

They're not confined to Texas. Never have been.

https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/moorhead-caught-in-rolling-blackouts-as-historic-cold-hits-central-southern-u-s

And for similar reasons. Too much demand, not enough supply. Happens in various parts of the country pretty frequently.

Is there mismanagement in TX? Yep. That's not the only cause here or anywhere, however, nor is that limited to TX.

[MineralMan]

9. That's true. Some small areas of Minnesota are connected

to the Southwest grid. Most of the state, however, is not.

[TwilightZone]

11. Why would the Democrats who run MN allow that?

Oh, right.

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/04/minnesota-presidential-election-results-2020-433398

[UpInArms]

12. A big 6 degrees in NW Missouri

And we have power, too!

[Klaralven]

13. Twin Cities has the advantage of the 400 KV DC line from Underwood, ND to Buffalo, MN

Although nearly all transmission lines transport alternating current (AC) electricity (the same type of current that goes into your home) Great River Energy’s transmission system includes a 400-kV high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) transmission line, which transports electricity from Great River Energy’s largest generation facility, Coal Creek Station in Underwood, N.D., to Minn. Great River Energy’s HVDC line was developed when designers determined it would be more efficient and reliable to transmit energy across North Dakota over an HVDC transmission line versus over an AC transmission line, and then convert it to AC for transmission within Minnesota.

https://greatriverenergy.com/delivering-electricity/our-power-line-system/

Lignite to be replaced by wind in 2022. Hope those turbines keep turning for you.

North Dakota's Coal Creek Station, a workhorse of the Upper Midwest power fleet, will burn its final ton of lignite in a couple of years following a decision announced yesterday that underscores the industry's struggle to survive.

The plant's owner, Great River Energy, which generates power for 700,000 people in Minnesota, said it will shut the Coal Creek plant in the second half of 2022, years ahead of schedule. It will replace most of the energy with new wind farms.

https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063077759

PS - a relative was involved with the installation of the AC-DC conversion systems at the two ends of the then controversial power line.

[Dakota Flint]

27. That power transmission line

Crosses some of my farmland in North Dakota, I can't tell you how many endangered birds I have seen that been killed by it. Hope you Minnesotans respect that.

[localroger]

42. How, exactly, does a power line kill birds?

Also, do you have a rundown on which actual endangered species you have seen killed by it? Other than a Whooping Crane or a Condor, most people wouldn't know an endangered species if it pecked them on the nose.

[MineralMan]

17. Of course I don't think that TX Democrats approve.

However, Democrats don't run that state. There just aren't enough Democratic voters, which is why I suggested that the state elect more Democrats. Maybe this will wake up some Republicans. That was my point.

Democrats only run states where they win elections statewide. That's the problem.

As for banning, I can't ban anyone. I'm just a guest here.

[harumph]

20. I normally enjoy your posts...

but that isn't the way I interpreted it. Many other posts (not necessarily yours) have included excessive gloating on the part of our northern neighbors about this.
Obviously, the utility companies didn't plan on this. Frankly, the smugness and gloating is getting absurd. Rest assured that
if Minneapolis encounters multiple day 102+ degree weather during the summer months - "planning" will only go so far.
I wish DU'ers could see past regional differences and embrace that democrats all over the country - even in traditionally red
area want positive change, and not to lump us in with the prevailing (at this time) political power.

[MineralMan]

21. We have hot, muggy weather here in the Summer.

We also have air conditioning, though, along with an electrical infrastructure that can handle that. We do plan here. We have a wide range of temperatures in this state during the year.

It's not the temperatures; it's the planning. It's about the government supporting planning that helps people survive and thrive.

So, we have dependable heat in the winter and dependable electric service to run AC units in the summer. We have fleets of snowplows in cities and towns. There are people here who don't have those things, of course. We have homeless people, too, but we have lots of shelters and open up additional shelter space during the winter months.

It's all about infrastructure, which requires government to give damn about people, rather than big business. That's the real difference.

This is not the first time Texas has had really cold weather, and it won't be the last. Whether Texas prepares for that is up to the voters in that state, really. If they elect people who care, then they'll do better. If they don't, they'll get the same results they got this year.

It's not up to me. It's up to Texans.

[LoveMyCali]

36. That's the thing

How do they handle the demand for air conditioning all summer long and not be able to handle the demand for heat for a week? I don't understand.

[Fresh_Start]

43. I saw an easy explanation for the discrepancy

in the summer they are trying to cool homes by 30 degrees compared to outdoors

in this storm they are trying to heat homes by 50 degrees compared to outdoors

So the energy demand is higher due to higher differential.

I doubt it is quite that simple but it makes sense as a concept

[MineralMan]

46. Well, typically, Texas has mild winters over most of the state.

Because of that, power companies did not cold-proof their power generation facilities. They wrongly assumed that there was enough reserve power to go around without those facilities. Clearly, they were wrong.

The same applies to wind turbines. Those must be winterized to work in very cold weather, but were not.

Texas had a preview of this in 2011. Despite power outages due to unusually cold weather, power companies in that state did not update their facilities to make sure they would work if there were another very cold snap.

In the summer, when Texas generally uses more electricity, all of those plants are operational, so no problem. But, failure to prepare for the kind of cold weather the state is having now is why the state is suffering so badly.

Note that none of the other states in that region are having anywhere near the same problems.

This is a failure of political leadership, which did not require winterization of power plants, based on an attitude against all government regulations.

Texans are the victims here.

[LoveMyCali]

52. Thank you

This definitely explains the difference.

[MineralMan]

19. Further, the Biden administration and the Democratic Congress

is going to send disaster money to Texas. They'll need it. That, however, does not change the fact that Texas is governed by Republicans, and we can see the effect that has had. Denial of climate change, insistence on not connecting to interstate power grids, and many other factors have led to what has happened in Texas.

I feel for people in Texas. I feel nothing but contempt, though, for Texas leadership. It dropped the ball very badly. Texans should throw the lot of them out and replace them with Democrats who actually care.

I don't live in Texas. I don't vote there. I actually don't even visit the state any longer. It's up to Texans to elect a government that gives a damn about people. I hope that happens. Meanwhile, we'll send money.

[BeerBarrelPolka]

26. And

And it would help some if the Republican leaders of Texas would stop deflecting and blaming Dems and related matters. Texans in my opinion, should be livid with their state/local government. If they feel "outsiders" are making fun of them or ganging up on them, share that with the Republican leadership. Let them know that they are turning Texas into a laughing stock. Trump did just that to people.

[moonscape]

44. And not once did Biden suggest they rake the snow. n/t

[Imallin4Joe]

16. I'm north of Duluth, been -20 to -30 for the past couple of weeks.. (actual temp, not WC)

with windchills pushing -60.

Our power grid laughs at that shit and keeps chugging along.

Damn that commy liberal power grid infrastructure!!

As I have to plug in my vehicle to start it LOL.

[MineralMan]

18. It's too cold up there. Northern MN isn't for me.

However, Minnesota plans for deep cold weather. It designs for it.

[kairos12]

35. When I was in the service I lived in the interior of Alaska.

Coldest temps I saw was -62. Kept chugging along. The only thing we didn't plan for was mosquitos the size of birds in the summer.

[cwydro]

22. Really the wrong time...

Ymmv.

[Sogo]

23. And there's lots of wind turbines in MN that aren't frozen up!

Leadership in Texas turning it into an s*hole state.

Texans demand better....vote blue!!

[MineralMan]

25. All of that misery has politics at its foundation.

So, yes, I'm talking about politics. Politics is to blame here.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

29. I disagree. This is exactly the time to make it about politics

because politics is what caused this debacle and the resulting suffering in the first place. Natural disasters happen from time to time, and they can happen anywhere. But the way governments cope with them is all about politics.

[kcr]

40. Unfortunately a small few on DU actually are

defending the choices the government of Texas are making. Can't say bad stuff about the backwards anti-regulation going on there. It's Texas. Other states do bad stuff too, you know.

[Mariana]

51. And why is all of that happening?

It's because Republicans run the state, and they run it badly. Much of this suffering could have been prevented. The state government of Texas is negligent for its failure to prevent it. Pointing that out, and making comparisons to state governments that do better, is not "gloating".

[WhiskeyGrinder]

28. This is shitty.

[cwydro]

32. I remember this kind of thing after hurricanes when I lived in Florida.

I remember being amazed at what people will say just to make a political point.

Disaster can strike anywhere, any state, any country, no matter its politics.

I hate it when the other side does it too.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

33. Climate change is affecting us all -- but it's hitting the poor and marginalized the hardest.

I'm sure the immigrants, the BIPOC gerrymandered out of having a useful vote and the Democrats busting their asses to get shit done in Texas really appreciate this kind of garbage.

In the meantime, those looking to help out through mutual aid groups and other resources can go here:

https://t.co/jX8i38owDt?amp=1

(Shortened link goes to a google doc.)

[cwydro]

41. Thank you.

[IronLionZion]

30. Texas officials claim liberal hippies snuck in overnight to implement a green new deal

right under their conservative noses. Every GOP official in Texas somehow missed it. Liberals are sneaky like that.

They found efficiencies by not investing money to winterize their equipment. The people who make these decisions are probably getting wealthy from it and not freezing to death.

[CaptYossarian]

34. Hey, Abbott!

I'm in my wheelchair up in Wisconsin's frozen tundra. The thermostat is set to Nixon's recommended 68 degrees and I'm quite comfortable--as I picture your tongue stuck to your wheelchair, like in A ChristmasStory.

Of course, since you're so Trumpian, I'm also picturing the tongues of Patrick and Paxton stuck to your ass.

[Hekate]

37. Sadly, this exactly the time to bring politics into it, because politicians caused this disaster...

Simultaneously, it is time to bring in FEMA and other federal rescue efforts. Of course. Without skipping a beat.

[jlerollblues]

38. Hell froze over

Here in Northern Minnesota we went 2+ weeks with nightly lows less than -30F (-43F was my lowest). Our turbines have cold weather packages and even the damn power plants are cold proof. We like to put people over profit here. Republicans favor $'s and profit over lives. Could you possibly show any more ignorance by voting GOP psychopaths in?

[TomSlick]

39. I'm an hour northeast of Texarkana - the lights are on here too.

The difference is that the GQP yahoos in Texas have out-Texas themselves with their go-it-alone power grid and completely unregulated power industry.

We will see if Rick Perry is correct that Texans will take days of blackouts in the cold as a necessary sacrifice to avoid regulation. Truthfully, given the political views of my Texas kin, I am loathed to predict the outcome.

[DeminPennswoods]

45. It's been cold and snowy with ice here

but no power outages where I am. Ice is what usually the biggest culprit when we lose power in the winter, The roads are clear, but then again, we get winter and PennDot/municipalites plan for that.

[Sugar Smack]

47. Don't lord it over DUers in Texas, then.

Who is your audience? "Folks" in Texas?
If "folks" means "hillbillies" to you, no one here is going to learn anything helpful from this. This is Democratic Underground & I have to assume that the "folks" here who live in Texas are well aware of what's gone wrong. As far as I know, everyone here already votes Democratic. They fight more right wing bullshit daily than most of their northern neighbors. I'm also willing to bet that today, they've have had quite enough of all the jeering.

You typically have some good things to say.

[MineralMan]

48. If you read the entire post, you'd know that I'm not "gloating" or "lording it over"

Not at all. Read the whole thing, not just the title, please.

[Sugar Smack]

49. "Don't vote for them again". I read it.

And then I asked you, "Who is your audience?"

Because the entirety of your post, which I read, seemed addressed to DUers. Many of whom are currently suffering in Texas.

[MineralMan]

50. DU is the venue where I post.

But, I'm not just addressing DUers. This site is not just read by people who are members here. It is open for reading by anyone. It is also heavily spidered by Google, so post titles here show up in Google searches almost immediately after they are posted.

This thread has almost 2000 views. It has only 50 posts in the entire thread. Others are reading it, who aren't even members here.

Texas DUers know other people in Texas, as well. They can influence those voters.

DU reaches beyond its members.