Snowstorm could've sparked grid catastrophe if Biden climate policies weren't reversed: Energy Dept

EXCLUSIVE: The electric grid kept the lights on for much of the country hit by the weekend's massive snowstorm chiefly because the Trump administration broke from Biden-era plans, keeping five major coal-fired power plants online and allowing grid providers to draw in more fossil fuel-based energy in vulnerable areas.

The Energy Department made the claims in exclusive comments to Fox News Digital, as officials said multiple megawatts of power were made additionally available from otherwise taboo hydrocarbons.

Secretary Chris Wright issued several emergency orders over the weekend and through Tuesday that permitted power plants to operate beyond levels set by EPA regulations and considered the ceiling prior to President Donald Trump's second term, a source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital.

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Five such plants were on track to be closed under the Biden-era push to pivot from fossil fuels to green energy, the official said, adding that the Trump administration was prepared to give energy producers leeway to push more power online to reduce risks of blackouts. The Trump administration saved 17 gigawatts of coal power that were going to be forcibly shut down as well, Fox News has learned.

"We told grid providers: if your energy demand reaches a critical level… let us know," the official said, adding that there is a direct correlation between the power being saved up and what was needed to keep the lights on as states from Alabama to Vermont were hammered with wintry weather and deep freezes.

As the storm approached, Wright informed grid operators to be prepared to use more than 35 gigawatts of unused backup generation nationwide, sourced from anywhere from data centers to big-box stores, bypassing prior environmental regulations by emergency order.

That gave a wide buffer against blackouts and hundreds of millions in emergency costs for Americans - as 1 gigawatt is enough to power Wright's hometown Denver metro area alone.

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"How power sources perform during peak electricity demand reveal their true value," Energy Department press secretary Ben Dietderich told Fox News Digital.

"Across the country, wind and solar generation plummeted while natural gas, coal and oil plants did the majority of the work keeping the lights on during the storm. According to DOE data, the Biden administration's support for forcibly closing reliable coal and natural gas plants had America on track to see blackouts increase 100 times over by 2030."

"Thankfully, President Trump was elected and has already prevented the forced closure of five coal plants and more than 17 gigawatts of reliable coal power," Dietderich added.

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Dietderich said the Trump administration and Wright continue to be committed to "unleashing" affordable and reliable energy that works - "whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining," a common administration reference to the unreliability of those forms of green energy when those natural power sources aren't present.

As the storm approached, Wright remarked that the Trump administration "will not stand by and allow the previous administration's reckless energy subtraction policies and bureaucratic red tape put American lives at risk."

The structure of the department's emergency preparations is also meant to save American lives, he said.

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In that regard, wind and solar power only accounted for 10% of the energy utilized across the storm's path.

Hydrocarbons and coal, by contrast, provided 68% of the power in those same areas, a power source often maligned on the left.

The department noted that in New England - where renewable and green energy sources are often put on the proverbial pedestal - nearly two-thirds of the energy utilized was sourced from hydrocarbon-based or coal-fired power.

American coal power itself provided enough electricity for 30 million homes across the storm's path, the department said.

Fox News Digital reached out to President Biden's representatives for comment.