Former Representative Beto O’Rourke criticized Texas Governor Greg Abbott for blaming Texas’s current power disaster on the Green New Deal, which has yet to be implemented.
Abbott blamed solar energy and wind turbines for power outages in his state, which has been battered by a winter storm that has left countless residents without water or electricity.
“This shows how the Green New Deal would be a deadly deal for the United States of America,†Abbott told Fox News personality Sean Hannity during an appearance yesterday. “Our wind and our solar got shut down, and they were collectively more than 10 percent of our power grid, and that thrust Texas into a situation where it was lacking power on a statewide basis. … It just shows that fossil fuel is necessary.â€
In fact, the majority of Texas’s energy losses are the result of a failure to winterize power-generating systems.
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Texas Gov. Abbott blames solar and wind for the blackouts in his state and says "this shows how the Green New Deal would be a deadly deal for the United States of America" pic.twitter.com/YfVwa3YRZQ
— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence) February 17, 2021
O’Rourke responded earlier this morning, urging Abbott to “Accept responsibility.”
“You’re the governor of a state where millions don’t have power, where people are literally dying of exposure, and you go on Fox News to talk about… the Green New Deal? You are the governor,” he wrote on Twitter. “Your party has run Texas for 20 years. Accept responsibility and help us get out of this.”
You’re the governor of a state where millions don’t have power, where people are literally dying of exposure, and you go on Fox news to talk about… the Green New Deal? You are the governor. Your party has run Texas for 20 years. Accept responsibility & help us get out of this. https://t.co/G1Bai59nKc
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) February 17, 2021
O’Rourke has in recent days taken Abbott and the Republican Party to task for their failure to respond to the crisis, writing yesterday in a longer thread that “Texans are suffering without power because those in power have failed us.”
Texans are suffering without power because those in power have failed us. As with Covid, a natural disaster has become far deadlier due to the inaction & ineptitude of Abbott and Texas’ Republican leadership. This didn’t have to happen and doesn’t have to continue. 1/4 pic.twitter.com/fqEun4fU97
— Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) February 16, 2021
Texas lawmakers have called for an inquiry into the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages electric power for more than 26 million customers.
The agency “is restoring load as fast as we can in a stable manner,†the council said in a statement yesterday. “Generating units across fuel types continue to struggle with frigid temperatures.â€
Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.
