The massive energy crisis in Texas since the state was hit with a record cold snap is now threatening some of its most vulnerable residents, and at least two hospitals in the Austin metro area were inundated on Wednesday night Due to hot water and heat being evacuated.
Matt Lanty, an editor at Austin’s NPR station KUT, tweeted a statement from the St. David’s South Austin Medical Center on Wednesday, confirming that the hospital is then in the process of evacuating some of its “300 patients under the facility” Was in “The city of Austin lost water pressure today.”
“The water feeds the boilers of the facility, so it also reduces heat,” the statement said. The issued notes stated that hospital staff were in the process of working with city officials, who most need patients at other hospitals in the area, with available capacity, and water trucks on scene for workers and patients And working to obtain portable toilets. Who will be
Minutes later, Longi reported that Dell Children’s Medical Center, a pediatric hospital located in Austin, was also without power. In a statement with the hospital sent from a source, officials confirmed that the facility was experiencing “service interruptions” as a result of “extreme weather conditions” and noted that the toilet currently did not have “flushing capabilities” .
The rolling blackout occurring in Texas is the result of a strain on the existing power supply, which thousands of residents of the state rush to turn their heat on simultaneously. But they too – are the result of surprise! – Corporate negligence and decades of negligence and surveillance at the hands of the state’s right-wing government.
While Texas residents are stuck at home dealing with icy storms, widespread power outages and fish tanks and toilets that are literally solidly frozen, Texas Governor Greg Abbott is rounding up on Fox News, which solar And blame renewable energy sources with wind. For blackout. In a blog posted on the website of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, former Texas Governor Rick Perry recently insisted that the situation gave Texas a chance to get tough and leave one to make sacrifices so that they would not lose their top To take advantage of the opportunity to expand. Below, the radical proposal. ”
Perry wrote, “Texans will remain without electricity for more than three days to keep the federal government out of their business.” “Try whatever the crisis of the day prevents your eye from being a resilient grid that protects America personally, economically and strategically.”
While millions of Texas freeze, GOPs are using this moment to use their commitment to ignore the climate disaster that is no longer at their doorstep but in their living rooms, by heating a bowl of chili to the Longhorn game Getting ready to watch.
As the crisis of rolling blackouts in Texas unfolds this week, some of the state’s biggest Republican politicians are pulling “frozen wind turbines” the wrong way. But behind every wind energy blot by a Texas politician is the amount of money contributed by the fossil fuel industry.
Ether looked at who has the money behind the most wind blowing voices this week. We used OpenSecrets data, as well as personal political donations, along with the Federal Election Commission website to see the donations of Sen., Ted Cruz, Rep. Dan Creshaw, and Sen. John Cornyn — all three Texas politicians sitting in Washington, D.C. His criticism of the alleged “role” of wind power in the blackout has been most vivid.
All three continue to repeal the renovations throughout the week, and given their donors, this is no surprise. Federal campaign finance data shows more than 30 companies in the oil and gas industry, ranging from multinational names like Exxon and Chevron to local power players such as Texas Transstern and Wildhorse Energy, having given thousands of dollars to Cornyn, Cruz and Crenshaw in the past. year. This includes the thousands hired by those companies, as well as the largeses of their corporate PACs.
Cornyn, who was last seen declining, was a major recipient of industry funds. Between 2019 and 2020, Cornyn cost more than $ 50,000 from Marathon Petroleum’s PAC and $ 25,000 from natural gas infrastructure company Sempra Energy’s PAC, as well as $ 25,000 from utility giant NextEnergy and $ 40,000 from Koch Industries. He also worked well with oil and gas power players personally: CEO of Western Refining, Hunt Oil Company, Chief Oil & Gas, Walter Oil & Gas, Magnolia Oil & Gas, Occidental Petroleum, Cox Oil, Hilcon Ventures and Kinder Or other key executives Morgan All donated $ 50,000 or more to the PAC associated with Cornyn’s campaign in the last election cycle.
