For Energy Security, Power Is The New Oil

For Energy Security, Power Is The New Oil

The deep freeze that afflicted the center of the US last week caused massive power outages in Texas and surrounding states. The plight of millions without power and heat captured the headlines and attracted world-wide attention. In the meantime, other energy-related disruptions triggered by the same weather events remained largely unnoticed, despite the fact that any of one of them would be on the list of biggest US energy disruptions ever: What little discussion there was of shortages at gasoline stations and of natural gas outages, was in the context of the power outages. (The gas stations couldn't pump fuel due to power outages, and natural gas is the leading fuel for generating electricity nationwide, including in Texas.) The headlines clearly show that power outages are what gets peoples' and media attention. It's easy to see why: The personal tragedies caused were horrific as power outages crippled daily lives of Texans and other states irrespective of their status or wealth! Electricity truly is the lifeblood of modern civilization. It is the largest source of energy used by American consumers and businesses“”larger than oil. And it's especially important for US families“”nearly three times bigger than the next-largest (non-transport) source of energy