Pain, horror in Texas

During the recent severe winter weather, Texas by far took the biggest hit. Widespread power outages triggered massive problems. And in true Pavlovian predictability, many right-wingers seized the opportunity to attack the wind turbines that populate the Texas landscape.

Yes, many of the turbines did freeze up in the frigid temps. But can you leave your car outside in bitter cold weather without antifreeze and expect no consequences? Of course not.

Fact: Wind farms in Wisconsin and Iowa have been providing pollution-free electricity continuously during harsh winter weather. How can that be? By spending the money to insulate the gear boxes and equipping the blades with a coating that can be automatically heated to prevent ice buildup.

But in stand-alone, deregulated Texas, winterizing in a highly competitive energy market was shunned in order to reduce costs and maintain viability. Combine this cutthroat, free-for-all atmosphere with a governor and numerous state legislators who deny climate change, and you have a Texas-sized recipe for disaster.

The combination of proud independence, greed, and climate-change denial obstructed preventative measures that could have taken place. Woefully inadequate winterizing at the gas, coal, and nuclear facilities and wind farms in Texas was a monumental blunder with deadly consequences. Ample signs were there for all to see.

The vast majority of the power outages were avoidable. It is tragic that many people died, millions of others experienced prolonged misery, and thousands of homes and businesses are damaged.

For anyone out there whose dislike of alternative energy sources stems from your hatred of AOC or the hypothetical Green New Deal, by any means possible try suppressing your vitriol, and look at the Texas catastrophe as a wake-up call. The one conclusion we can all take from the pain and horror in Texas is this: Denial of climate change will not make it go away.

ROGER MARSH

Little Rock