Senior Advisor Susan Tierney Testifies Before US House of Representatives Committee on Energy Grid Resiliency in Wake of Texas’s Blackouts from Severe Winter Weather
March 19, 2021
Analysis Group Senior Advisor Susan F. Tierney testified before the US House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology regarding Texas’s energy grid and the state’s blackouts of February, 2021. At the hearing, Dr. Tierney and other experts discussed the causes of the extended power outages, and outlined the most critical research and development needs for future energy grid resilience, reliability, and security.
The first part of Dr. Tierney’s testimony noted that, following unusually cold weather in 2011, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the North American Electric Regulatory Commission (NERC) had outlined five steps to better prepare Texas’s regional grid for severe weather. For the most part, state electric and gas industries did not act on these recommendations. The second part of Dr. Tierney’s testimony outlined five key, actionable learnings from National Academy of Sciences research she had participated in, and underscored the essential role of federal support in power grid issues.