Undocumented Electrons Save the Day in Texas

Texas is having a severe cold snap with freezing temperatures all the way to the Gulf Coast (I had a picture yesterday of a frozen fountain in coastal Rockport). Today and tomorrow schools will be closed along the Coastal Bend due to freezing rain and sleet, something that's pretty rare that far south.

My Texas Correspondent, who lives northeast of Dallas, reported they were under rolling blackouts with wind chills below zero. The Texas power grid couldn't handle the load from all those heaters and they had to import power from Mexico:

Mexico's state electricity company on Wednesday started supplying electricity to the US state of Texas, where demand shot up amid unusually cold temperatures and caused power outages.

Mexico's Federal Electricity Commission "was determined to support Texas with electrical energy faced with the problems the state is suffering due to climatological conditions," a statement said.

An energy transfer of 280 megawatts began at midday (1800 GMT) via the north Mexican border cities of Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa and Piedras Negras, it added.

Texas Governor Rick Perry said in a statement that power and emergency management experts were working with utility providers to ensure power was restored as quickly as possible.

"Until that happens, I urge businesses and residents to conserve electricity to minimize the impact of this event," Perry added.

Given how hot it gets in Texas in the summertime and the fact that air conditioning runs in most homes and businesses 24 hours a day, I'm surprised their power grid can't handle the load during times of cold weather. Given that we may be headed into a 20-30 year period of colder winter weather, they better get that fixed.

But at least as residents shivered in their homes the Super Bowl folks were warm and toasty:

As brief power outages rolled across the state on Wednesday, certain places were intended to be exempt from a temporary loss of electricity. That included hospitals, nursing homes, fire stations, police stations, other emergency response facilities… and Cowboys Stadium?

When officials with Oncor said that the Arlington site of Sunday’s Super Bowl XLV would not be a part of the rolling outages, many residents became furious. But this was not entirely a choice made by the local utility company.

With thousands of reporters huddled in North Texas hotels and thousands of rabid football fans attending the NFL Experience at the Dallas Convention Center, and two football teams preparing to do battle on the field of Cowboys Stadium this Sunday, the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee had a big request to make. “It is vitally important we don’t have blackouts,” said committee vice president Tony Fay.

Fay asked the City of Dallas, the City of Fort Worth and the City of Arlington to ensure that rolling blackouts did not prevent planned events from happening at Super Bowl venues. That news really steamed up some homeowners who were left without power for hours. “We’re not prioritizing,” said frustrated Plano resident Allen Hooser. “Hospitals and the grocery store, which is out. But for a PR stunt, where you can go throw a football, you have power and heat.”

It's probably a health care thing. They don't want all those hookers to catch cold.