Mother Nature: “We need ARC Energy Security”
February 6, 2026
Mother Nature has taken the opportunity over the last few weeks to strongly make the case for
affordable, reliable and clean energy. Winter storms have brought snow, ice and freezing
temperatures to Americans across the country. We at TEA couldn’t agree with the Mother
Nature more (though we’d really love Spring to get here any time now if she’s taking notes.)
In the last week of January, Winter Storm Fern swept across nearly half the continental United
States and left more than a million Americans without power followed by days of freezing
temperatures which made it even more difficult to remove ice and snow. And, much of this
extreme winter weather was in area like Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana where such
weather is a rarity. Power lines coated in ice became the norm across the region for a few
devastating days. Even a quarter-inch of ice can snap tree branches and bring down power
lines. Half an inch of ice can snap electrical wires themselves.
Just days later, even more wintery weather, this time a “bomb cyclone,” blasted states like the
Carolinas that rarely see such cold snaps—with flurries seen as far south as Florida. This second
storm left hundreds of thousands more without power, or in some cases extended the power
outages for those who were already out from Fern days earlier.
Coal and gas power up
While there are many dangers in this kind of extreme winter weather, by far, loss of power is
the deadliest. Thankfully, this time around, it seems that many in the energy industry and
energy policymakers were taking this fact seriously. Leading up to Winter Storm Fern, PJM
Interconnection, the largest U.S. electric grid operator, was preparing “to surpass 130,000
megawatts for seven consecutive days for the first time ever” potentially setting an all-time
winter peak load record.
The Department of Energy smartly loosened rules to keep electricity flowing through the storm
by allowing for use of energy sources without catastrophic requirements to rely on “green”
energy sources. They even tapped data centers and other large electricity customers to bring
backup power online to reinforce the grid in Texas.
As Energy Secretary Chris Wright put it, “As Winter Storm Fern brings extreme cold and dangerous conditions to the Mid-Atlantic, maintaining affordable, reliable, and secure power in the PJM region is non-negotiable. The previous administration’s energy subtraction policies weakened the grid, leaving Americans more vulnerable during events like Winter Storm Fern. Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are reversing those failures and using every available tool to keep the lights on and Americans safe through this storm.”
During Winter Storm Fern, electricity generation from so-called “green” energy sources like
wind, solar and hydropower declined compared with fossil fuels. The U.S. Energy Information
Administration reported that during the week of Winter Storm Fern:
- Coal generation rose 31%,
- Natural gas generation increased 14%,
- Solar, wind, and hydropower contributions fell compared to the prior week.
Now, before the furious screams of the green-at-any-cost crowd about the evils of coal and
natural gas drown out any reasonable discourse, consider what may have happened to those
millions of Americans without electricity in a deep freeze if traditional power sources hadn’t
risen to the job and kept power flowing?
If you want affordability, start with energy
That’s really the question to we always come to when talking about energy. How much of our health, safety and success must be sacrificed to artificially prop up “green” energy pipe dreams.
The facts are, whether it’s in the face of an unprecedented winter storm or simply powering our homes and businesses on a day-to-day basis, traditional energy sources like coal, nuclear and
natural gas power our lives in a more affordable and reliable way than “green” energy. In this
case, they quite literally saved lives. And, if you are truly concerned about the environment as
most of us are, natural gas has racked up more accomplishments for lowering emissions and
keeping our Earth clean than wind and solar combined.
At a time when everyone is focused on affordability and the increased price of consumer goods,
you would think real-world examples like these of why affordability and reliability are so
necessary when it comes to energy would break through. Yet, many still drink the “green”
energy Kool-aid even in the face of reality…or an ice storm.
That’s why we need common-sense policies like the Affordable, Reliable, Clean Energy Security
Act to create simple and straightforward definitions in law for what is affordable, reliable and
clean energy. Introduced by Congressman Troy Balderson (OH-12), this bill will protect every
American’s access to their energy birthright. And, the best part, this legislation is simple and
built on one of our favorite things here at TEA—good, old-fashioned common sense, not empty
green promises and political slogans.
Putting simple definitions behind these terms will finally create the policy environment
necessary to stop the “Green New Deal”-style games that politically-motivated extremists have
been playing with our energy supply for the last several years. Rather than the government
blocking productivity and driving up costs by picking winners and losers, this bill will set fair and
sensible rules under which the best energy options for everyday Americans win.
We aren’t always faced with a winter blast that blankets half the country to shine a light on
how dire access to affordable and reliable energy is to our health and well-being. That it does
quite literally make the difference between life and death in certain situations. But, that
shouldn’t minimize just how much American families deserve the advantages that a world
powered by ARC-ES would bring every single day—rain or shine or bomb cyclone.