Alex Klass on the Texas Energy Crisis

The Lawfare Podcast

The Lawfare Institute

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4.7 • 6.4K Ratings

🗓️ 23 February 2021

⏱️ 39 minutes

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Summary

For more than a week now, Texas has been struggling with a massive power outage caused by record low temperatures. Millions have been without power, heat and running water, and at least dozens have been confirmed to have died as a result. All states are confronting extreme weather, but Texas is unique in that its electricity is almost completely independent from the rest of the United States' grid. This has at times lowered costs and increased innovation in the Texas energy markets, but as the current crisis shows, Texas's energy exceptionalism comes at a cost. Alexandra Klass is the Distinguished McKnight University Professor at the University of Minnesota Law School and a nationally recognized expert on energy law and policy who recently wrote about the Texas energy crisis for Lawfare. Alan Rozenshtein spoke with her about the current situation and the future of energy policy, both for Texas and for the United States.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The following podcast contains advertising to access an ad-free version of the LawFair
0:07.2	podcast become a material supporter of LawFair at patreon.com slash LawFair.
0:14.7	That's patreon.com slash LawFair.
0:18.2	Also, check out LawFair's other podcast offerings, rational security, chatter, LawFair
0:25.6	no bull and the aftermath.
0:32.6	I mean, that is the fundamental question is how much do we invest in safety, how much
0:39.8	do we invest in protecting against extreme but unusual events, right?
0:45.8	You know, in the in the Texas situation, you know, the main reason that they deregulated
0:50.6	their markets, the main reason that they don't have a lot of mandates is because it results
0:54.7	in cheaper energy, cheaper energy prices.
0:57.9	The question is, is it worth it if over, you know, a 10 year period everyone in the state
1:04.2	has cheaper electricity, cheaper energy, it's good for the economy, it's the drawing
1:08.4	business to the state.
1:10.3	The question is, is that we're not investing the money to protect against this type of
1:17.1	disaster if it lasts for one day, if it lasts for two days, if it lasts for a week?
1:24.1	I'm Alan Rosenstein and this is the LawFair podcast, February 23rd, 2021.
1:31.0	For more than a week now, Texas has been struggling with a massive power outage caused by record
1:35.6	low temperatures, millions have been without power, heat, and running water, and at least
1:41.0	dozens have been confirmed to have died as a result.
1:44.7	All states are confronting extreme weather, but Texas is unique in that its electricity
1:49.2	is almost completely independent from the rest of the United States' grid.
1:53.8	This has at times lowered costs and increased innovation in the Texas energy markets, but
	...

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