Investigating the Texas Blackout

The FRONTLINE Dispatch

GBH

News

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 8 September 2022

⏱️ 24 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In February 2021, a powerful winter storm led to power outages — and an official tally of more than 200 deaths — across Texas. The Disconnect, a podcast from FRONTLINE’s Local Journalism Initiative partner, the Texas Newsroom, and Austin public radio station KUT, investigatess the aftermath of the storm and the state’s response.

KUT’s Mose Buchele, Senior Correspondent for Energy & Environment, joins The FRONTLINE Dispatch to talk about the state’s unique power grid, the deadly consequences when it failed and trying to hold officials accountable.

“At the end of the day,” Buchele said, “this is a system that seems sometimes intentionally set up to diffuse responsibility.”

Season 2 of The Disconnect, which is supported by FRONTLINE’s Local Journalism Initiative, is available at KUT and other streaming platforms.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	In February, 2021, a powerful winter storm blasted through Texas, leading to blackouts
0:09.5	across the state.
0:11.0	Another day of winter misery for Texas.
0:13.2	Thousands of Americans in the state of Texas are bracing for another day in the dark, freezing
0:18.3	temperatures and power issues also causing water restrictions.
0:22.0	Over multiple days, millions lost access to heat and electricity, an official say more
0:27.3	than 200 people died.
0:29.2	We never expected that this would be the last time we would be seeing her.
0:34.7	A year and a half later, Texas officials are trying to reassure the state that the
0:39.1	electrical grid has improved and that the risk of another deadly blackout is low.
0:44.0	The Texas Electric Grid is the most reliable and resilient that has ever been.
0:49.9	Frontlines, local journalism partners at the Texas Newsroom have been investigating
0:53.8	efforts to fix the state's electrical grid.
0:56.9	Season 2 of their podcast, The Disconnect, Power Politics and the Texas Blackout, premiered
1:02.3	last month.
1:03.3	I'm joined by Moe's Bouchel, Senior Correspondent for Energy and Environment at KUT and
1:09.0	the hosts of The Disconnect.
1:10.7	I'm Rainier Ensign Roth, Editor-in-Chief and Executive Producer of Frontline, and this
1:15.5	is the Frontline Dispatch.
1:20.2	The Frontline Dispatch is made possible by the Abrams Foundation, committed to excellence
1:24.8	in journalism, and by the Frontline Journalism Fund, with major support from John and
1:29.8	Joanne Hagler.
	...

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