Report
Sierra Club: The Failure of Fossil Fuels: Learning from Winter Storm Uri
For almost a week in February 2021, Winter Storm Uri slammed North America, leaving almost 10 million Americans without power. Millions of Americans will be paying higher gas bills for decades to come due to the gas system’s failures during this period.
Sierra Club offers recommendations for policymakers after Winter Storm Uri exposed problems with fossil fuel infrastructure and pricing.
For almost a week in February 2021, Winter Storm Uri slammed North America, leaving almost 10 million Americans without power. Millions of Americans will be paying higher gas bills for decades to come due to the gas system’s failures during this period.
Many public officials were quick to blame the power outages from Winter Storm Uri on wind and solar. Yet later analysis showed that the gas system was the primary source of the grid’s failures. The price of gas sailed to astronomical highs during the storm, forcing utilities and homeowners to incur massive debts, and prompting investigations into price gouging by pipeline operators.
In this report, Sierra Club identifies six key ways that public officials could address the failings that allowed Winter Storm Uri to cause such extensive damage.